Weathering The Storm
by AttitudeEraChick
Summary: Meet Shannon Storm, an original character determined to be WWE bound. Beginning at the end of 2015, you'll witness former gimmicks, ventures wrestling on the independent scene, friendship, arrival on NXT, romance and more. Strongly motivated by the release of a popular star from the roster, will Shannon weather the storm? Past and present stars will appear. Written out of kayfabe.
1. Chapter One: Learning The Ropes

**November 2015**

 **"No matter the task, I'm Ronda Ronda Rousey. And we win and lose together."**

Shannon just finished watching an episode of "Breaking Ground," an original series on the WWE Network, when she tossed the remote of the Samsung Smart TV on the white marble counter. She had a match tonight at Maryland Championship Wrestling, the most popular independent professional wrestling promotion in the state, and one of the most reputable regional programs in the country. It wasn't her first as she had been training most of the year, and full time for the past six. It was her first match though since being an actual graduate of the school under the same name.

She was booked against Stacey Johnson, a Caucasian brunette who competed as "Stacey Jewel," a seductive character, with a partying gimmick. Johnson had about a year-and-a half of training under her belt; the two were paired together to see if Johnson was ready to start taking her own independent bookings, and if Shannon was ready to begin traveling with the MCW roster to outside bookings affiliated with the company, instead of the usual house matches for their Rage TV show that streamed online, or aired locally on television.

It was early afternoon, and she had about seven hours to kill before bell time; so while Shannon waited to hear any further announcements, she hung out upstairs in one of the facilities' lounges watching the WWE Network.

 _Wow, how ironic! This fucking show documents the journey of people who are aspiring WWE Superstars, illustrating their struggles, disappointments, and sometimes breakthroughs to making it on NXT. Rousey's been gone a month, yet they're still playing her damn commercials on their network. What makes it even worse, is that she wasn't even on NXT. There was no struggle, disappoint, and breakthrough to record. Because she wasn't there!_

 _I rose from the beige love seat to grab a water bottle from the fridge before sitting down again. The next program took a few seconds to buffer before restarting itself, and the Ronda Rousey commercial played again. 'Win and lose together' my ass. You're a fraud Rousey, but you didn't have to be. I took a sip of water as the WWE Rivalries: Steamboat vs. Flair episode started. I saw the episode 12 times, so wasn't really paying attention. It was more or less background noise as I waited for someone in the staff to give me an update about tonight. Rousey was on my mind at the present moment, and I began talking to the screen as if I were speaking to Rousey herself._

 _I can appreciate the fact that you weren't just a signee to the company with a nice face and even larger rack. You were more than that. You were better than that. You went to the Olympics and won a Bronze medal in Judo. 'Congratu-fucking-lations,' I said as I clapped my hands slowly. You go from being a Bronze medalist deserving, earning, the right to be called an Olympian to refereeing in pro wrestling. And how? Where were you trained to be a ref? Some random promoted just saw your shiny medal and thought, 'Hmm, you look intimidating. Get in the ring, and count to 3 when I tell you, okay?'_

 _Somehow you make it to the WWE main roster. You then win your debut match-which happened to be for a championship-in under sixty seconds. Why are you wrestling all of a sudden when you only refereed on the independent scene? Hell, you only refereed in WWE! According to multiple reports, apparently you suffered a neck injury of sorts in a horse accident. That's fine, and I can accept that. Lots of people suffer similar-if not more- severe degrees of traumatic injuries that prevent them from pursuing things._

 _What pisses me off though, is knowing you're well enough to become a wrestler in the WWE after refereeing there; yet were_ _ **never**_ _well enough once you recovered, to go back to the independents and pay dues. No, you'd much rather accept a push just because it's presented to you. Okay, so I've never been to the Olympics, but it's not because I couldn't. I'm sure if it was something I wanted, I'd put the work in to get there. I'm no fucking slouch! I was a collegiate wrestling champion. I powerlifted. And I wasn't the only one who earned their keep. Brock Lesnar, one of the biggest stars of WWE's modern era, was a national high school and NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion; and he still went to developmental! And while we're on the topic of Olympic athletes, Kurt Angle wasn't given the WWF Title in his debut match. He didn't win Bronze, but_ _ **Olympic Gold**_ _, in freestyle wrestling with a broken freaking neck! Angle learned quick, had great people carrying him along the way, but_ _ **grew**_ _into his spot through a push over time!_

 _I'm not angry that you made it to the WWE. I'm not jealous of your success. But what I am stone cold upset about is your bullshit. Your lame, boring, bullshit. Rousey you could've let that background enhance you as you continued to put work in. Rousey, like Angle and Lesnar, you had the potential to be great because you_ _ **could**_ _be! Not because you were_ _ **presented**_ _to be! So fuck you. I'm glad, no I am_ _ **elated**_ _, that you are gone._

There was a knock on the brown wooden door. It was already held open by a grey door stopper on the floor, but the person knocked anyway out of common courtesy.

"Hey uh, they're ready for you downstairs," said a new enrolled student to the training center. He had no ring time yet, but was allowed to hang out and observe the happenings of those who were in the midst of, or recently wrapped up training as he paid in advance. "Or should I be up here recommending a shrink instead? I heard you talking while walking through the hall before I hit this room."

Shannon laughed before responding to him. "Thanks, I'll be right down. No therapist needed. I know how and why I feel the way I do. I'm fine, just thinking out loud."

After finishing her water, Shannon tossed the bottle in the recycle bin before turning off the television monitor and heading downstairs to the conference room.

Sitting at the long black oval table in the conference room were a group of students who were recently trained at the facility, as the veterans of the roster weren't even in the building during this time.

"Alright gang, I have a trio of names for all of you," said Dan McDevitt, owner, promoter, and head trainer at Maryland Championship Wrestling. "Some of you are on the show tonight, some aren't. But these will be the names you wrestle as for as long as you're primarily affiliated with us at MCW. You'll pick one of them to start off with. If for any reason you're not getting over with it, or the staff thinks you need to be repackaged, that's why you have the other two to work with. Once you're given your names, please remain seated because I will call everyone again. You'll tell me which one you've chosen from your list to immediately start being referred to. I will record it in the booking sheet and later in the system files."

Everyone nodded, acknowledging they understood McDevitt.

"Okay, Shannon you're first. You have 'The Bruiser,' 'Guns and Roses,' and 'Egyptian China.' "

Shannon opened up a notes app on her smartphone, and jotted the names down on a blank pad.

Shannon blocked out the rest of the announcements with the names of other people as soon as she heard her own. Immediately she started thinking about where the staff was going; or what they possibly were smoking to come up with what would be the beginning of the rest of her life for the foreseeable future.

 _'The Bruiser?' What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? Beat the shit out of my opponent_ _until they bruise? Not sell anything my opponent does? That worked with The Undertaker because that's how his gimmick was designed. He didn't no-sell early on in his career because he was a dick, but because he was dead! And it made sense! A dead guy's unaffected by your assault. What happens when The Bruiser gets a bruise? Am I suppose to get upset by it? Is that suppose to be my trigger to go on a rampage?_

 _'Guns and Roses?' I mean, okay, legendary band. But how are they using that to package me? By guns are they referring to muscles, and roses because I'm a woman? I don't even like fucking roses. I'm a gardenias kind of girl._

 _'Egyptian China?' Is he trying to make a racial joke or something? I get that I was born with a tan, but I've never stepped foot in Africa a day in my life! And why would they even lump Egypt and China together like they're in the same continent? You don't need to be a geologist or own an Atlas to know Egypt and China are no where close to each other._

 _God, these names are shit. I'll be so fucking glad when I'm allowed to choose one for myself._

"So Shannon, what's it gonna' be?" asked McDevitt, who interrupted Shannon's daydream about horrendous gimmicks.

"The Bruiser," Shannon blurted out as she watched him jot it down.

 _I hate them all really. But hey, if "The Ringmaster" and "Terra Ryzing" could be 'The Rattlesnake' and 'The Game,' dammit The Bruiser was going to one day be someone big too. Hopefully, with an actual first and last name down the road._

With that she left the room to go figure out what she'd wear for ring attire, then grabbed a bite to eat for lunch.

* * *

 **Later that evening**

Shannon entered the ring wearing XXL Nike black sweat pants with one leg rolled up and tan Timberland boots. She wore a red short sleeve plaid shirt of the same size with just the collar buttoned, while the rest of the shirt remained open, revealing her black bra and abdomen. She tied two red bandannas around her arms for elbow pads, and wore her hair in two French braids down her back. She hated the boots, and couldn't see how some people wrestled in them or sneakers as they were not only bad for the ring canvas, but hard to fluidly move in. However, it worked with what she felt 'The Bruiser' should look like. If the WWE ever brought back Cryme Tyme and was looking for a sister, 'The Bruiser' was their girl. The only thing she was really missing was a pair of removable grillz and a fitted New York Yankees baseball cap.

 _As we were face to face and nose to nose in the stare down, grimacing like we were yelling at each other, I whispered, "Coach said you're working my arm, and winning with a spine buster." Stacey Jewel blew a noisemaker then screamed, "Well let's go!" That was kinda cool. It was her way of acknowledging she understood what I said about where we were going with the match; and character wise, it showed the audience she was ready to be intense. It was pretty smart on her part._

 _We began the match with me gesturing for her to hit the ropes to try to knock me down with a shoulder tackle. I'm 'The Bruiser' remember? So I'm trying to set the tone as the strong chick even though my opponent is the one with a power move finisher in this match. Hey, I'm not in charge of creative or booking, so I'm rolling with it. Jewel runs into me twice, and I stay up. On the third charge, instead of going for the shoulder tackle, she grabs my arm, for which I'm happy as she's ready to work it right away. Now it's only about three seconds from when Jewel bounces off the ropes to when she grabs my arm; but even in those three seconds I see the way she starts to pivot the ball of her foot, and I sell one of the most beautiful armdrags you'd ever seen. I mean you'd think she was Steamboat and I was Flair from NWA WrestleWar '89. Whether it was instincts or me being a student of the game, I sold that armdrag like a million bucks. It didn't matter that I was only getting twenty tonight._

 _Now typically unless you're Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat or Daniel Bryan who likes to do multiple armdrags in a row, following an armdrag you usually get on one knee or squat behind the opponent's back as they sell the impact of you now applying a variation of the armbar on them. This is what Jewel and I executed. I work my way back up to a vertical base, delivering elbows to her abdomen with the arm not being used. As we both get up on our feet I shove her backwards into a set of the ropes. I anticipate on Jewel's return to me she'd kick or hit my arm, possibly even headbutt it, but she doesn't do any of these things. She grabs me in a waist lock, delivers a belly to belly suplex and rolls over for a pin attempt. I don't kick out, but get my shoulder up, emphasizing the arm. As Jewel pulls me up by the hair, I deliver a knee to her abdomen. As she leans forward, I then grab her in a front facelock and before I raise her up for a vertical suplex I say in her ear, "Hey, what are we supposed to be working?" She doesn't respond._

 _The match continued for another five minutes and on every pin attempt, I got creative with interrupting the count. I'd raise my forearm. I'd raise my whole arm tilting the shoulder up. Even when Jewel applied the Boston crab on me, and the referee asked, "Do you want to continue?" I shouted, "Arm!" The ref shouted back "Stop it!" I couldn't believe this chick who had a good year plus on me in experience, forgot to work the arm! I was trying to help her figure it out, but it was as though she didn't understand my body language. Perhaps Jewel thought I was loopy from an earlier move when I said "Arm" during the submission. The crowd wasn't into our efforts. They started a "This is shitty" chant._

 _It was time for the finish which was a spine buster. As she hits it, I immediately put my foot on the ropes. Even though I knew this was the finish, I was not going to allow Jewel to beat me without coming back to work the arm. When I heard the referee make the three count, I was confused. The crowd booed and started to throw some plastic cups of what likely contained beer in the ring, and some of it splashed on me. No body parts were worked as the match seemed to have random spots, and my shoulders were counted despite having my foot on the ropes. The match was shit. The fans knew it. The referee knew it. Jewel knew it. Ring announcer Danny Mays knew it. MCW commentators Brent Tarring and Shawn Credle knew it. I knew it. And most importantly, the trainers and staff who booked it knew it. I strongly doubted when I stepped through the curtain, it would be a pleasant paradise._

* * *

About half of the talent were in the hall hanging out, reflecting on their matches if they already wrestled; others were in the locker room area either hitting the showers, or changing into their ring gear if they were coming up soon on the card. For the few people that were lurking in the hall behind the curtain, their side conversations suddenly stopped when Shannon walked through. Shannon wasn't an idiot. She had good reason to believe they were probably talking about her and not their own match. Shannon just sensed the terrible feeling she had in her stomach was about to be magnified.

She read numerous wrestlers' biographies about all sorts of things that they received locker room disapproval or dissatisfaction for, also known as 'heat.' If you portrayed a heel persona on-screen, heat was essential. However backstage, heat was never a good thing. Sometimes it was legitimate. Sometimes it was petty. Sometimes it was because of something you said. Sometimes it was because of something you did, or didn't do. You could have heat with management. You could have heat with the wrestlers. Depending on who your name was and your relevance in the company, you could have heat with both. The bottom line was that heat was scorching, and it was never something you wanted to have behind the scenes. Unfortunately for Shannon, she lost her heat virginity the moment she stepped through the curtain.

Typically in some wrestling companies, in the WWE at least, heat was usually resolved in an event called Wrestler's Court. Just like a typical trial, there were plaintiffs, defendants, lawyers, and a judge. The plaintiffs and defendants were the two people on each side of the disagreement. Each wrestler could decide if they wanted to be represented by another wrestler as their lawyer, or if they would rather represent themselves. The judge was always the most senior member of the active roster.

In most cases, The Undertaker had the role of judge. Although Shawn Michaels had more seniority in the company than The Undertaker, he usually dealt with his heat with Vince McMahon directly. During the brand split in 2002, The Undertaker remained judge for Wrestler's Court on the Smackdown! roster, while sometimes Triple H, or Shawn Michaels would serve as judge for the Raw roster. The trials would take place before the shows would start, and after each side made their case, the judge would make a decision. While that decision was _supposed_ to be the end of that heat as it was resolved, sometimes people held grudges.

Right now, Shannon wasn't in the WWE. She was in MCW, and did not have the privilege to have an option of being represented by anyone. Nor did she have the right to request to speak in private. She hadn't even made it halfway through the hall before McDevitt met her.

"What the hell was that Shannon? What did you think you were doing?" asked the 6'3, Caucasian, 245 pounder, who competed under the ring name "Corporal Punishment," and was a top heel in the Mid-Atlantic and Eastern regions of independent promotions in the U.S. during the mid to late 1990s.

His face was fuming red, and his nostrils started to flair. Shannon looked down and noticed his right hand was clenched with some keys, and the left had a medium-sized duffel bag. She had no idea if this was going to be a brief conversation or not. It seemed rather strange though to bring those items with him if he was about to give her a tongue lashing.

"I uh, I um, the arm. You said to work it," she responded. Shannon was correct technically. She also knew what the finish was though, and did not allow that to occur smoothly. "I was trying to get her to work the arm."

"No! No you weren't!" he repeated, with the volume seemingly increasing the second time around. "What you were doing was being arrogant and selfish! Are you asexual Shannon?" he asked.

"What? No," she said squinting her eyes, not having the slightest idea of where he was going with that statement. More people who were in the locker room area preparing for their match started to come out and gather around the hall, catching the show that Shannon really wished she too was a spectator of, instead of having the starring role.

"Neither is your goddamn opponent!" He screamed. "You can't put on a match by yourself! If I or anyone else on staff picks a part for you to work, you work it. But if someone forgets a spot, you go around it, continue to call the shit on the fly, and then work toward your finish!"

Shannon could hear some of the roster snickering behind her. She let out a breath. It was the only thing she felt she had direct control of. She sure as hell didn't have any over McDevitt.

"You think you're hot shit because you had a match with Bayley a couple of months ago on her way to NXT? Is that what you _think_?" He asked, still angry.

Shannon hesitated before she responded. The laughs were getting a bit louder, but McDevitt was not distracted by them.

"You said it was cool that I got the match with her. You said I was rea-"

"Newsflash," he cut her off. " _You_ didn't go over. She did. _You_ were the jobber. _You_ did the honors," he said pointing to her chest for emphasis every time he said the word you. "You think you matter because we let you have that match with her? You're a fucking _nobody_ , that's who you are! You are the shit on the bottom of my shoe! No one's scouting your ass right now! There are a million of prospects all around the world who think because they have a level of skill, they're something special. That only takes you so far."

"Coach I was just trying to remind-" she was cut off again. It wasn't that she wanted to have a verbal war with her trainer. She just felt like he was treating her as though she walked into the match with malice intent from the beginning when she didn't.

"What you were doing was being cocky, trying to show your opponent up when you're in the match together," McDevitt corrected Shannon. "And what you ended up doing instead having her look bad, was make yourself look like a jackass! You shit on her. You shit on the fans who paid to be loyal to their local independent promotion. You shit on this roster. And most importantly you shit on me!"

Shannon needed a distraction as it appeared this talk was far from over. She started to undo the tape on her wrists.

"Where do you want to be, huh? I mean _ultimately_ , where do you want to go?" Shannon just stared at him. She obviously wasn't deaf, but was frightened to even mumble a sound. "Answer me!"

"The WWE," she said, finally caving with a response. He demanded one. She didn't know if she was going to be slammed against the wall. She certainly would have deserved it she thought, as she was starting to understand the magnitude of her mistake.

"Right," he answered. "Lita and Mickie James both trained _here_ and had great careers _there._ But you know the biggest difference between them and you?"

Shannon shook her head. She didn't want to, or even mean to. It just happened instinctively as she felt like she was a school child in the principal's office about to face expulsion.

"Muthafuckin' discipline," he replied. "You're not going to have many matches, certainly not in this promotion, as long as I'm in charge with that kind of behavior. Since you're low on the card, if you were in the WWE you'd probably be fired on the fucking spot because you'd be a waste of roster space!"

McDevitt's words felt like a machete piercing her chest as Shannon's heart sank. All she could do was look on. The tiny hint of brown surrounding her green eyes was darkening as she sought to resist another interruption or outburst. This was her passion, her dream, her everything. Shannon thought she was talented. No, Shannon knew she was talented. Because she always received good praise most matches she was booked in.

But her trainer was talking down on Shannon like she was some very, very, green student unfamiliar with how the sport or business worked. Shannon certainly wasn't an egotist by any stretch of the imagination, as she'd always asked her superiors: opponents, coaches, agents, what she could do or stop doing to get better; yet at the same time, she knew she wanted this, and was damn good at it. Maybe he was breaking her down to build her back up.

"But I'm not gonna' do that. I don't want a goddamn apology from you as that does absolutely shit for me and this promotion! Here," McDevitt said as he tossed the duffel bag and keys at Shannon, who caught them against her chest. "When the last match is over, I want you to shake everyone's hand that walked through that curtain tonight, and apologize to them for fucking up a show they were a part of."

"What's with the bag and keys though? What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked.

The laughs from the remaining people in the back stopped, as they were no longer entertained by the verbal smackdown, but legitimately interested in what punishment Shannon would receive. It wasn't a matter of _if,_ but _what_ fate she'd suffer.

"You're going to run the ropes for 60 minutes non-stop. I don't care if your tongue hangs out like a damn thirsty dog. You will not stop until the stopwatch reaches triple zero. And in that bag are tools. When you're done, you're going to single-handedly take the show ring apart and lock up. You can run the ropes in the practice ring."

Shannon unzipped the bag, and examined its contents.

"Coach, there aren't any gloves in here. I'm going to get callouses on my hands really bad," she replied. She accepted her fate and wasn't going to make an effort to get out of it. But if possible, wanted it to at least be a civil experience.

"That's not my fucking problem," her trainer said unaffected by Shannon's appeal for him to be lenient on the punishment.

Shannon shook her head as she stared at the tools again and mumbled, hoping McDevitt didn't hear as he began to walk away. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

McDevitt turned around immediately and said, "Make that _90_ minutes, and I will have an assistant coach in there with you, monitoring your every fucking move ensuring you complete all tasks!"

Shannon was embarrassed, Shannon was upset. But most importantly Shannon was disappointed in herself. She not only wanted to be a great wrestler, but a great person. Confidence, not cockiness, gratitude, not entitlement, were core values that she strived for and always wanted to keep in perspective on her journey, whether she eventually made it to the WWE or not. She seemed to lose sight of that in her match tonight, and didn't want to feel the way she did now ever again.

She remembered her favorite wrestler, Triple H, telling the story on a DVD about how he was punished, buried, and held back for breaking kayfabe nineteen years ago. Vince McMahon assured him that he saw talent and great promise in him; and that there would be a moment where he'd shine. But then and there was not the time. For what he did, he would have to "learn how to eat shit and like the taste of it. And for a while, it would be a lot of shit."

This was her shit. It certainly pissed her off reading about moments where the untouchable Ronda Rousey would be rewarded for her behavior with championships and endorsement deals rather than be disciplined for it. Yet, here was Shannon, sore and tired, smelling of beer when she didn't even drink, panting well after midnight, gathering blisters and callouses, taking an entire ring a part all alone for her one and only mistake at MCW. It would never happen again, that was for damn sure.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** In most cases unless otherwise specified, blocks of dialogue or events in italics will be from the first person point of view. The entire story is not in first person, but third. However, there will be moments of events that are in first person. Lastly, I only own the original character of Shannon Storm and the fictional minor characters I make up throughout the story. I do not own anyone who has worked for any promotion-independent or public-past or present. I'm a mark for it all, and my goal is to illustrate that love.

Reviews are welcomed, reviews are encouraged, and reviews are appreciated. All I ask is that you have fun, be as long or as short as you like, and comment on something about the story. While comments like "This is great. Please update" are appreciated, I'd like to know what you think is "great." The same goes for criticism. If there's something you hate, it's all good. But rather than going, "This is awful," I'd rather you state what you dislike. Trolling or spamming comments on reviews will not be tolerated; and those coming from guest accounts will be deleted.

Face of Shannon Storm: Supermodel Tyra Banks

Faces of Shannon's parents: Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard from Fox's hit show, "Empire"

* * *

 **Updated Author's Note for May 25th, 2017** :

"It has been brought to my attention that events in the surrounding AU of the Broken Arrow story have been intentionally and suddenly changed by its author. It is in this world where WTS serves as a prequel into the introduction of Shannon Storm, who makes her way into the Broken Arrow story. The author has done so due to a long falling out about their deliberate refusal to retain commitments (and give proper acknowledgement to contributors, including myself and others) of actual written plot ideas, scenes, and chapters, set in stone and agreed upon well over two years ago. As a result, what you folks are reading in Weathering The Storm remain true to the original intended creative as it pertains to core events regarding Shannon's foil, Ronda Rousey. Anyone reading WTS prior to the Spring of 2017 has had the opportunity to see the world as originally landscaped if they checked out Broken Arrow back then.

Unfortunately, for those of you who are new to WTS and are referring to actual Broken Arrow chapters currently as we speak, (reading it and WTS simultaneously), the author's backhanded tactics of altering and reversing history may seem both confusing, and classless. I wouldn't disagree with you. I however, do not intend to plan literary whack-a-mole with this project.

Rather than revising stories and profiles to satisfy a bruised ego like a former collaborator of mine has done, I will continue to take the higher road. I will complete WTS (and it's sequel) as intended from certain core events outlined and finalized in 2015. No need to worry about me disguising doing substantial edits as adhering to a new, polished, standard of grammar and punctuation, when what I really am doing is deceptively changing PLOT and/or CONTENT. If that's what I was actually doing, I would just come out and say so; rather than conveniently update my profile again removing the acknowledgement of what I just did once I completed my true objective. The author of Broken Arrow is aware I assisted with grammar and punctuation errors for them before they uploaded chapters of that story; in fact, it was per their request for me to proofread. And that's IN ADDITION to the literal content I contributed. So I know for a fact that was merely an excuse for them to return to the story and make changes out of spite.

For those of you who have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy WTS, I thank you for dropping by for as long and as often as you have. I welcome you to remain on the ride. For those who would rather depart, that too, is your choice. Either way, WTS will march on.


	2. Chapter Two: Bayley Bound, Barely

**Flashback: March 2015**

Shannon heard about an independent show happening at The Tower Theatre in Philadelphia, which was about fifteen minutes away from her University of Pennsylvania campus. She was glad she could catch one close as she would really hate driving nearly five hours to Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania was a large and very wide state. Commuting back and forth on weekends from Philadelphia to her hometown of Baltimore wasn't as big of a deal as navigating from various towns in PA themselves. In fact, she was in her spring semester of her final year of college, and had been secretly training back home at MCW for a few evenings a week after class. She'd leave Philly around 4:00 PM two afternoons a week to attend the 6:00 PM sessions, and make it back to town a little after 9:OO PM, after wrapping up two hours of training around 8:OO PM. Her parents didn't know about it of course, but if she was a good student, and chose to combine income earned from work-study and her parents' allowance on training, it wasn't exactly their business. Right?

Pamela Rose Martinez, who competed on the independent scene as Bayley, was a star on the rise. Shannon knew Martinez was a West Coast girl, California specifically. Although Shannon hadn't made any trips West, thanks to the internet, knew she was trained by Big Time Wrestling, a promotion in Northern California. Like Shannon, Martinez considered the promotion she competed for and was trained by her "home promotion" despite making her way around the country working events with other companies. Bayley appeared at this show and Shannon didn't want to miss it.

Sometimes independent shows would do open meet and greet sessions at ring side two hours before bell time. Wrestlers would come out and interact with fans free of charge, unless they wanted some authentic merchandise signed or official pictures from the promotion taken, which would require a small fee. This show did not do a meet and greet before, but after the show, which the ring announcer informed the crowd before the opening match. About fifteen minutes after the last match ended, a few of the wrestlers came out in street clothes to interact with the audience. Bayley followed them, only she was still in ring gear. Shannon wasn't sure if the booker didn't allow her time to shower, or if she was called by them to help out with the rest of the card following her own match.

"Macho Man Mark?" asked Shannon who got Bayley's attention when she made her way to Shannon's section of the front row after hugging a little girl. "The fringe," she added, pointing at Bayley's gear.

"Huh, what? Oh yeah. Yep. One of my favs," Bayley responded to Shannon nodding. "The fringe. The colors. The cape. Savage was an icon."

"Absolutely! I agree. I was two years old when I watched my first match, and it was with The Macho King," said Shannon, who reached her hand out for Bayley to shake it. "That reverse 'rana from the top rope was..." Shannon saw another small child to her right and despite not knowing where their parent was at the present moment, covered their ears with both of her hands. She continued, "was badass. It's not the first time I've seen a reverse hurricarana. But the first I've seen one from the top rope by a woman. Fantastic."

"Hahaha, thanks um, what's your name again?" Bayley didn't realize she never asked what Shannon's name was, but after doing so many meet and greets, it became instinctive to have rapid conversations with fans, asking their name before some quick small talk. She presumed she already did, and just forgot.

"It's Shannon," she replied, reaching her hand out again, this time without needing to censor a child, and Bayley shook it smiling.

"Right. Well Shannon, I have to continue to the other side of the theatre. Maybe I'll see you around," Bayley said with a half-smile. She wasn't trying to be misleading, condescending, or phony. She had no idea if she'd ever see Shannon again, and really did need to get to the other side of the room as people were waiting for their opportunity to interact with her.

As Bayley turned to leave, she was pulled back by Shannon, who never released her grip from the handshake.

"We will," Shannon remarked, smiling back. "A lot sooner than you think." Shannon was training and had plans to continue to do so full time in a few months after graduating. She had no idea where Bayley would be in the next few months. She could return to the West and sign with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, another popular California promotion. She could join Shine Wrestling in Florida, its Midwest sister promotion Shimmer Women Athletes in Chicago, or even Northeast to Shannon's hometown for Ring of Honor. Regardless of where Bayley ended up, Shannon was determined to meet Bayley again. She'd just prefer the second time to be in the ring.

"Cool," was all Bayley said as Shannon released her grip and allowed her to continue mingling with the crowd.

A week later was Wrestlemania weekend, which goes without saying, one of Shannon's favorite weekends of the year. Wrestlemania 31 took place at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara California, home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. Shannon never attended a Wrestlemania live. She made a promise to herself as a little girl that the first Wrestlemania she'd attend wouldn't be as a fan, but as a performer. While the desire to maintain that promise presented moments of temptation, she remained firm to her decision. This time around, not solely because she still wanted to be on the card of her first Wrestlemania, but because in the past five years, Wrestlemania weekend unofficially turned into wrestling weekend. Various promotions, both independent and televised, would all map out at the end of the year the next year's future schedule with the March or April events organized in the host city of Wrestlemania. If there was one thing Shannon was selfish about, it was wrestling. She couldn't see herself attending Wrestlemania, without wanting to see ROH's Supercard of Honor, without wanting to see PWG's show, and any other in the area. Simply put, there was just too much shit to see, but to Shannon that was a good thing. It was encouraging to her that there were plenty of other wrestlers still loving what they were doing without being employed by the richest, biggest, and most profitable company. The sport needed that passion out of the independents to survive and feed the WWE giant as they had been for the past decade.

So after watching Wrestlemania from her apartment in Philly, she tuned in to the USA Network to watch Monday Night Raw. Plenty of people complained that three hour Raws were too long, boring, and were only tolerable for specials such as The Slammy Awards, scores of Raw anniversaries, or even the King of The Ring tournament that Vince McMahon decided no longer needed its own Pay Per View. There was no debate that the people's complaints for these three hours would cease as the Raw after Wrestlemania-regardless of the city it was in-was usually a hot show with a hot crowd. The Raw after Wrestlemania wasn't just a time to relish and reflect on the events of the night before, but also the show that kicked off new angles for storylines. This was one of the things Shannon looked forward to.

Last night, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, an opportunity to a WWE World Heavyweight Title match any time or place of his choosing. Personally, Shannon thought the gimmick long outlived its usefulness, as it was pretty automatic that heels or tweeners won the match; and whenever faces rarely won the briefcase and were unsuccessful, they won the match, but not the championship, on some lame disqualification call. Shannon's allegiance as a fan was towards heels, but she could dismiss her bias to understand fans' frustration with heels more often than not, winning both the briefcase and the championship.

On the other hand, if there was one scenario that the company hadn't tried with the briefcase, it was a successful cash-in at a Wrestlemania. It was predictable by year five of the briefcase's existence to Shannon, that someone would successfully cash-in at Wrestlemania. She thought for certain Dolph Ziggler would get that honor at Wrestlemania 29 in 2013; in addition to having great, quality matches in 2011 and 2012, he had a ton of momentum from defeating the face of the company, John Cena, at the 2012 TLC Pay Per View to retain his Money in the Bank briefcase. Despite being incredibly over, Creative decided to pull the trigger the next night on Raw. To their credit, Ziggler received a huge pop after winning the title, but Shannon saw no reason against doing it the night before at Wrestlemania. Interrupting the Cena-Rock match for the WWE Title-which was only supposed to be "once in a lifetime" anyway-would have been a much larger and memorable moment than merely defeating Alberto Del Rio for the less prestigious World Heavyweight Championship as he did on Raw. In Shannon's view, even the people who weren't Ziggler marks would've appreciated being saved from the boredom of Cena-Rock II. Talk about stealing someone's thunder.

Still, she was happy for Seth. She remembered when he competed in Ring of Honor and Chikara as Tyler Black. He worked hard and deserved it. She had mixed feelings about a different new champion on Raw.

"Oh my God," JBL mumbled, stretching out the first word.

"Ronda Rousey," Cole announced. "She's a black belt in Judo and an Olympic Bronze medalist." Ronda walked slowly down the entrance ramp as Nikki was shown looking a lot less sure of herself, speaking to referee Charles Robinson, who was ready to call the match.

"Ronda's a referee," Booker T reminded everyone. "Referees just can't come out here and wrestle if they feel like it, black belt or not. I don't think this thing is going to happen guys."

 _I like the fact that this crowd is behind her. She doesn't look like the rest of the women in the locker room. Sure, she's not 5'10, 200 pounds with a bodybuilding background like Chyna, but with Beth Phoenix and Victoria not around, she's a natural fit for the strong woman role on the roster. Paige may have to come up with a new nickname because "The Anti-Diva" is more fitting for Rousey than her. But wait a minute. Why the fuck is she wrestling anyway? She's not on the NXT TV roster and hasn't even competed with the NXT live event group on tour. This chick is a referee. Both on the independents, and now in the WWE. I reclined on the black leather couch and kicked off my boat shoes, elevating my feet on the ottoman stool, trying to get comfortable in the event they actually moved forward with this. I mean the show doesn't end until 11:05, sometimes 11:25 PM. This match should be an interesting 15 minutes._

With the crowd booing her Nikki grabbed Ronda's arm and whipped her across the ring, into the opposite corner. Ronda crashed in the corner and Nikki sprinted after her, intending to run right into her but before Nikki could make contact, Ronda ran off to the side causing Nikki to miss her and crash full force into the turnbuckles instead. Ronda had ran off the ropes and by the time Nikki turned around, holding her chest in pain, Ronda was already coming at her at full speed. As they had earlier in the night with the chair shot that Ronda had delivered to Triple H, the crowd joined in with the huge impact of the clothesline connecting with Nikki, "Boom!"

Nikki almost did a backflip, crashing to the mat on her head and right shoulder before falling limply onto her back. "Count to twenty," JBL advised the referee.

Ronda made the cover and the crowd joined in with the count, like the forgone conclusion that it was. "One, Two, Three."

"We've got a new Diva's Champion! Cole announced as Seth Rollins' theme music, The Second Coming, begin to play again. "Ronda Rousey is the Divas Champion! She just beat Nikki Bella in 30 seconds and may have just killed her in the process."

 _Okay, WWE, you got me! It's the post-Wrestlemania Raw, I said after smiling widely. You have a hot crowd. You want to boost ratings. You need to do something to get more people to buy a subscription to the WWE Network. Next week Nikki will in kayfabe, file an injunction against the company for granting Ronda the ability to compete in a title match, the decision will be reversed, and she will get her championship back. It is beyond fucking ridiculous to have Rousey_ _ **win**_ _the Divas title in a_ _ **squash**_ _match, on her_ _ **first night**_ _competing after spending less than a year in the company,_ _ **solely refereeing**_ _! Something she did less than 24 hours ago. They can't possibly move forward with this. It's bullshit!_

* * *

 **Flashback: July 18th, 2015**

Shannon had been training two months full time at MCW and read reports that Bayley, who she met briefly in March, had a tryout and was signed by the WWE. Because the NXT brand was completely controlled by Triple H and not Vince McMahon, he allowed Bayley to fulfill her last remaining independent dates before reporting to Full Sail in August. After all, before WWF or WCW, Triple H was an indie guy too. He understood what the grind was like and how loyal the fans could be there despite the venue or production budget not reflecting the size of their passion. Shannon found out one of Bayley's last independent dates was at their annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup. This was a show that honored the late Shane Shamrock, who was MCW's first ever Light Heavyweight Champion, when the promotion and training school had its inaugural card in July of 1998. He was shot and killed during an altercation with police. The championship was retired a few months after his death and the featured main event of that show became an annual tournament in his name.

"Coach, coach, tell me," Shannon said panting after racing to McDevitt's office the minute she arrived at MCW that morning. "Tell me you don't have an opponent booked on the card tonight for Bayley."

"Of course we do," He said twisting his mouth puzzled. "You know we book well in advance, with the exception being if someone gets seriously hurt, or if a star coming in gives us at least 48 hours notice and we have to make new arrangements."

"Right, right," she said as she leaned over and caught her breath. "I also know all cards-regardless of the promotion- are subject to change. I want Bayley. Can I get that match?"

"No," McDevitt said, shaking his head as he replied. "I told you it's booked. No one's notified me of a cancellation for any reason. You're on the card too anyway."

"Yeah, I know, but can you switch it with whomever on our roster's got Bayley?" she asked eagerly before leaning forward, placing her hands on McDevitt's desk. "I'll make it up to them. I don't care how I get booked after this." She didn't mean that. Of course she cared, but she was desperate. She hoped the the desperation in her voice and nonsensical statement would be ludicrous enough for him to change his mind.

"Shannon, you've only trained for a month, and-" Shannon cut him off.

"Come on Coach, you know that's not true! I've been coming here since the spring a few times a week, and since college I've been full go. You know I'm not a jabroni!" The Rock was never one of her favorites, but being the mark she was, recognized his contributions to the business' boom of the 90s, and felt his Miami slang was appropriate for this situation. "I'm not green. I have a solid six years of amateur wrestling experience. I'm not a bum. You've seen how huge NXT's grown in just three years. Really, when's the next time you think we'll be able to book Bayley again? She's going to help carry that brand. I just sense it. Come on Coach, let me have this...please."

McDevitt knew Shannon was right on both accounts. She certainly was not green-far from it. And Triple H certainly was turning heads proving people wrong with his leadership skills during his creation and operation of the NXT brand. NXT was growing, signing stars of old to mentor, and future stars who were beginning to burst at their peak with their regional indie affiliates, left and right.

He rubbed his right hand all across his face and leaned back in his chair. He remained silent for a few moments. Shannon, who was standing the entire time, finally walked over to the chair on the side of the wall in his office. As she sat, she tried to read his eyes but got nothing.

"Alright, you got it," McDevitt told Shannon, who immediately rose from her chair in excitement.

"Really? Thank you. I-" Now McDevitt returned the favor, interrupting Shannon.

" _But,_ you'll be curtain-jerking, first on the card," he said.

"Done," Shannon said simply.

" _And_ , you're putting her over... _clean._ No bullshit with her winning because you intentionally got DQ'd or counted out."

"Done," Shannon repeated.

"Then you've got the match. I'll let Mandy know about the switch. Now hit the bricks kid!"

Shannon smiled, knowing McDevitt didn't mean anything by the last line. She wouldn't call herself a teacher's pet by any means, but knew he joked around with the students he liked. She thanked him once more before leaving his office. As she closed his door behind her, she fist pumped her arm three times before whispering rather loudly, "Yes!"

* * *

 **Later that night**

As promised earlier, Shannon's match with Bayley was first on the card. They would be followed by a special edition of Piper's Pit from WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Shannon, despite being disappointed by Ronda Rousey's run as Divas Champion, read somewhere online that she was a fan of Piper. That was at least one commonality between them. Shannon was bewildered by Ronda. She couldn't understand how Ronda considered herself a fan, yet screwed fans-including Shannon herself-over with an unimpressive run. Shannon expected more in her matches than merely gesturing her arm roll before delivering JBL's patented "Clothesline from Hell." Other than four inches, Shannon couldn't really see what Ronda possessed that she didn't. Hell, Shannon possibly even had Ronda beat in the gun department. Shannon powerlifted in both her fourth year of high school and college, so had a solid muscular physique for her 5'3 frame. She made a note though of recording Piper's segment, so she could one day share it with Ronda in the off chance that they ever crossed paths.

Because Shannon was only with MCW for a couple of months, she had no identity. Therefore, she received no televised entrance and was already in the ring with taped wrists, wearing her all white singlet she recycled from her amateur days and long basic black boots with front laces. She had no complaints playing the role of jobber because she got her match with Bayley.

As soon as MCW ring announcer Danny Mays announced Shannon by her real name which was Shannon Harris, the lights in the room blinked a rainbow of bright colors sporadically. Suddenly, the lyrics of a familiar tune began to play:

 **"I wanna' be the very best like no one ever was."**

 **"To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause..."**

"Introducing her opponent, from San Jose, California...BAAAAYLEEEEY!" Mays shouted to a crowd that popped with excitement when Bayley came through the curtain, stretching out her cape.

 _No freaking way! This is just too good._

As Bayley span around and walked to each side of the entrance ramp embracing the audience before coming down the aisle, Shannon raised her wrist to her face, feigning that she had to scratch her nose. She was really laughing, as she could not believe Bayley's theme was the original theme song of Pokemon. Shannon had no idea what NXT would later change Bayley's theme to, but was secretly enjoying the fun while it lasted. In addition to wrestling, as a kid, Shannon was a huge Pokemon mark: she watched the television show, and bought the Nintendo games, as well as the trading cards. Today truly was a great day for Shannon. Roddy Piper, one of her favorite heels, was at the show, she was wrestling Bayley, and Bayley happened to also be a Pokemon nerd.

"And we are underway in this opening contest, seeing Bayley square off against Shannon Harris, a young woman whose a new member of our roster," said commentator Brent Tarring. "I gotta' say Shawn, I'm not sure if she's ready."

"Oh will you give me a break," Shawn Credle said to his colleague. "Everyone knows doubt and underestimation are the strongest motivators for a hungry person, especially an athlete! So what Bayley's seasoned? Anyone can be upset at any moment. She may lose focus in this match if she thinks about her future endeavors too much."

"To your point Shawn, Shannon's taking it to Bayley already as she's delivered six consecutive armdrags and followed up with a hip toss," said Tarring who rose a little in his seat when Shannon delivered another hip toss. "Oh no! And there's another one. Look at Bayley wipe the sweat from her face and caress her thigh in concern."

"Oh no my friend, that's not a look of concern, but a look of _frustration,"_ said Credle. "I told you Bayley's got her eye off the ball. Bayley needs to...Wham! What a beautiful counter by Shannon, who evaded Bayley's attempt of a clothesline with a hangman's neckbreaker!"

Shannon rolled out the ring and taunted the crowd as Bayley sold. "N...X...ME! That's who this show's about!"

"One, two, three, four come on Shannon, get back in the ring!" The referee shouted not wanting to end the contest prematurely.

Shannon heard the count, and went over to the announce table, demanding the time keeper to surrender his seat. She grabbed the chair and hopped on the apron.

"Maintain order ref!" shouted Tarring. "You know she can't bring that in the ring!" As the referee pointed their finger at Shannon warning her against bringing the chair inside, Bayley ran the far end of ropes and dropkicked the chair into Shannon's face causing her to leap from the apron to the floor, and Shannon oversold tumbling over the barricade.

"Maintain order? Are you serious right now Brent?" Credle asked dramatically. "It's chaos! This referee is letting Bayley act like a wild woman kicking people with chairs. This isn't a hardcore match! And why are you assuming Shannon was going to inflict harm? Perhaps the woman just wanted to have a seat in the ring and politely ask for a timeout."

The referee started a new count on Shannon, as Bayley stopped the initial one with the dropkick to the outside. But the new count was interrupted when Bayley rolled out of the ring to get her, prompting a third start of a count on them both.

"Toss her back over," Bayley told the audience. The crowd loved being a part of the show, and Shannon got a thrill out of the the crowd grabbing the straps of her singlet, tossing her back over the metal guardrails which barricaded them from the ring. Bayley grabbed Shannon's hair and guided her along the opposite side of the guardrail, and attempted to smash her face into it. Shannon thumbed Bayley in the eyes and on the distraction, back suplexed Bayley right onto the metal guardrail.

"Ref, I really think you need to get a hold of this. Maybe Bayley shouldn't have kicked the chair in Shannon's face, but a line needs to be drawn here," said Tarring as the referee began a count on Bayley as Shannon rolled back in the ring.

"So what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander? Is that what you're telling me Brent?" asked Credle. "So Bayley can kick chairs in people's faces, but when Shannon introduces Bayley to her friend Mr. Guardrail, it's suddenly no longer fair game?"

Bayley rolled back in the ring at seven. After crawling on her knees and making it to her feet, she charged at Shannon, who already reentered, for a spear.

"Bayley looks like she's going for a spear. Oh my gosh! What did she? Shannon just used Bayley's momentum against her with the charge...and tornado DDT'd her in the middle of the ring!" Tarring shouted. "You may be onto something Shawn. This lady is putting Bayley on notice!" Shannon collapsed as she executed the tornado DDT as they both sold exhaustion.

Shannon started to stir at six, and the crowd shouted, "One more time, One more time," indicating they wanted to see another tornado DDT. Shannon shook her head at the crowd.

"I'm not gonna' do it again because you want me to! I'm gonna' do it because I can make it twice as nice!" Shannon shouted back at them as she grabbed Bayley.

As she grabbed Bayley, Bayley grabbed Shannon in a waist lock and executed a belly to belly suplex on Shannon.

"There it is! Belly to Bayley out of nowhere!" yelled Tarring. "One, two, three! It's over. Bayley, who may have just had her last match in an MCW ring for awhile, digs deep, guts it out, and proves yet again, what a fun, can-do attitude can have on your outlook on life!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Credle. "That was a fast count if you ask me. Shannon was screwed."

As Bayley's music played and they both continued to sell the grueling impact of the match despite it being the opening contest. Shannon, still under Bayley, spoke to her under her forearm.

"Told you so," Shannon said after smiling.

"Shannon?" Bayley asked.

"Sweet. You remember me," Shannon said.

"Yeah, vaguely. Guess you're gonna' stalk me in NXT too huh?" Bayley questioned.

"Yep. Be a beast," replied Shannon.

"I will. I'll make them eat defeat," Bayley quickly confirmed.

They hit it off in the back and swapped contact information with each other, always ending every interaction with the last two lines of dialogue they exchanged in the middle of the ring after their match. Shannon accomplished her goal of meeting Bayley in the ring for the second time. She wasn't a gambling woman, but if luck were to strike her way again, odds were there would be another visit from Bayley. Maybe in front of more than 500 people. That would be the ultimate hat trick.


	3. Chapter Three: Brother and Sisterhood

**Flashback: June 2015**

It had been a month since Shannon graduated college with degrees in Communication and Political Science. She told her parents after the ceremony that she would stay in Philly awhile as she wasn't in a hurry to return home, and wanted to spend a month with some of her friends before everyone began "the rest of their life" for real. Two weeks before her departure, she arranged for her belongings to be shipped back to Maryland and successfully met the criterion of her landlord upon the end of her lease agreement for her security deposit to be returned. It was summer now, and Shannon wanted to tell her parents about her wrestling goals. She couldn't exactly hide the the physical evidence on her body anymore, so saw no point in lying about it.

Shannon waited until early evening to show up at her parents' home. She technically still lived with them as she no longer needed her place in Philadelphia because she was no longer a student. She rang the door bell to the house.

"Hey sweetheart! You're back!," said Cheryl as she answered the door. "We got most of your stuff a few weeks ago. Glad to see you again."

"Hey mom. Yeah, I know. The last of it is in the car outside," Shannon said as she closed the door and pulled her mother in for a hug. "Relax, you saw me four weeks ago at graduation. I was away, not _dead_. Is Daddy home?"

"Yeah, he's been here for about an hour. He's out on the deck working the grill," Cheryl said as she guided Shannon towards the kitchen. "We decided-well really I decided and your father just agreed- to have a little impromptu barbecue for you coming back home. You didn't really want to hangout with us after the ceremony so this was our chance to snatch you," Cheryl continued, playfully pinching Shannon's chin.

As Shannon and Cheryl chatted a bit in the kitchen, David reentered the house to retrieve something from the refrigerator.

"Hey Cheryl, what cut of steak did you want for the-," David stopped mid-stride when he saw Shannon in the kitchen with her mother. "So you finally remember you're actually related to the people in this house?"

"Hello to you too Daddy," Shannon replied leaning against the rustic Woodbridge kitchen island. It was made of solid birch wood with an antiqued finish. "Are you busy?"

"Well let me see. There's an apron across my chest, charcoal, lighter fluid, and wood chips outside. Do you think I'm busy?" Her father responded after removing his steam and heat resistant gloves.

 _What the hell is his problem?_

"Well I'd appreciate it if you both joined me in the living room," Shannon said tilting her head aiming it in the direction further in the house. "But turn the grill off Dad. I wouldn't want you to burn anything on my accord." She headed straight to the living room, not looking back to see if her parents followed her immediately. She wanted to get this conversation over with as soon as possible.

Shannon waited ten minutes for them both to return. Cheryl sat on the left side of the Manhattan sofa which was upholstered in top grain leather. David walked all the way to the end of the long sofa and leaned against its armrest. Shannon was used to David and Cheryl's distance by now, and didn't give them any strange looks noticing the gap in their space. Shannon walked to the center of the room and removed her thin cardigan sweater.

"Dear lord sweetie, the bruises!" Cheryl shouted in awe. "Did someone hur-" Shannon cut her off.

"No. These are bruises and scars, but no one has attacked me," She turned her back to them and pointed with her thumb to her right upper shoulder blade. "These look like rope burn because they are. I've been training for quite some time now. I'm going to be a professional wrestler."

"The hell you are!" David exclaimed.

"Dad that was a statement and not a question," Shannon clarified. "I was not going to hide its effects as you two would see it at some point. And I respect the both of you to tell you to your face my decision."

"It's been a passion of yours since you could walk," said Cheryl. "I lost count how many times I repurchased VHS tapes of shows because you re-watched them so much to the point where the tape inside literally came undone! Thank God for the inventor of DVDs."

David, still leaning on the armrest turned to Cheryl. "So you put her up to this?"

"What? No! It's what she loves, but I had no idea she'd want to make it a reality!" Cheryl retorted.

"What do we pay $49,536 a year for huh? That's $198,144 for four years. Why did we spend nearly a _quarter of a million_ of dollars on your education?" David asked as he stood up. "You didn't attend some lackluster community college. You went to Penn. That's Ivy league. You will not waste your intelligence and our fucking dollars on some illegitimate bullshit!"

"You make it seem like I hated school or something when I didn't! I loved school. But it's over, I graduated, and I'm moving on," Shannon said, feeling the pressure of her father's remarks and unable to notice the increase of volume in her voice. "I'm not wasting _anything!_ I've _always_ wanted to be a wrestler Dad. You just didn't _care_ to take notice. I'm _not_ wasting my education. I want to be a villain. Comm and Poly Sci are excellent majors to help with character and promos. It's you who instilled in me to have a plan in everything I do."

"Don't care? You think I don't care about a child I helped create? I've _always_ cared. You are my one and only child. _My_ baby girl. The most precious gift your mother could ever give to me. So don't say shit about me not caring about you!" David started to pace as he rubbed his left hand through his black hair.

He continued. "Why Shannon? Why do you always defy me? When you were six years old you asked me, 'Daddy, can I learn to dance?' I say, 'sure sweetheart and put you in ballet.' But you end up taking Hip Hop. At eight,'Daddy, I want to play an instrument.' Again I comply and enroll you in lessons for cello, an excellent classical piece! But no, you go around me and your mother puts you in percussion and you're playing the drums. Steel drums of all choices! We're not fucking Jamaican. What the hell other Reggae artists do you know besides Bob Marley? Your mother and I have raised you too well and you are too smart to pursue some fake shit that leads to nothing and nowhere!" David grabbed the centerpiece vase above the entertainment center and threw it as hard as he could. It smashed to pieces.

"David that's enough," Cheryl stressed before hurrying to retrieve a broom and clear the mess. She continued to talk as she swept. "Our daughter never makes hurried decisions. If this is what she wants, I'll support her. It's starting to make sense now with why she was so eager to join me at the gym when she was 13; and not long after that she joined the amateur wrestling team at school."

"There was no damn female team at her high school or her first few years at Penn," David snarled while undoing a few buttons on his polo shirt.

"That was the whole point Dad," Shannon said rolling her eyes. "I knew there wasn't a female team at school, so whenever Mom headed to the gym, I went. The goal was to get as strong as I possibly could as safe as possible in a controlled environment, so they'd at least _consider_ making an exception for me. They did, and finally added a women's division my senior year. But again, you'd have no knowledge of that because you never came to a fucking meet," she finished folding her arms in her chest.

"Shannon!" Cheryl shouted.

"I'm sorry," she quickly responded.

David laughed sarcastically. "What is this? I mean, is this some sort of ego trip? Is this some radical feminist shit? Are you getting political to prove a motherfucking point of some kind? Do you want to be a man? Is my baby girl a lesbian?"

"Having a vagina doesn't make you a feminist. It's a good thing you have a medical degree and aren't a PhD candidate," Shannon said who grew tired of standing and joined her mother who returned to the couch. "I wouldn't listen to you defend that dissertation. But no, I'm not a lesbian. Not that it should've mattered if I was. You have a wife and a daughter. No other woman needs to be on your mind."

"Baby girl," David walked over to Shannon and squatted in front of her, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "You're smart, you're young, you're beautiful. You could be anything your heart desires. An attorney. CEO of some company. The President. Don't ruin your potential on some ridiculous childhood fantasy."

"Dr. Carson needs to stop running for President, come out of retirement, and perform brain surgery on you. Because you're not getting it," Shannon said as shifted to the side, signaling to her father that she didn't want to be near him.

David left Shannon from the couch and walked towards the mini bar, which was several shelves below the television, blu-ray player, and stereo system at the entertainment center. He poured himself a glass of Scotch.

"So what now? Do I need to send a check to this place that's training you, sparring, or whatever the hell it is that you do?" He asked before taking a sip and swallowing. "Or did you fuck a couple of the guys in management for bonus time in the ring?"

"Fuck you Dad! I can't believe you'd think that of me. I'm your kid!" Shannon yelled.

"Shannon, your language! That's your father," Cheryl reiterated.

"Mom, again I'm sorry. But this bastard is being an incredibly unreasonable asshole," she replied to her mother, but stared at her father the entire time she said it.

Shannon stood up, walked directly to her father, and snatched the drink out of his hand. "You and Mom gave me life. For that I am forever grateful. Do not for one second think the work you two have done raising me goes unnoticed. There are people in far less circumstances, I get that. But I have never lied to you, nor disobeyed you. I have never been arrested. I was a scholar. So tell me Dad, when are you gonna' finally get your head out of your ass and work on the _real_ issue since I was 12?"

Cheryl gasped, not knowing if Shannon was going to say something that she didn't want to hear, or most importantly have David hear. She hoped Shannon wouldn't elaborate.

"When are you and Mom gonna' get your shit together and make a fucking decision?" Shannon questioned, raising an eyebrow. "When are you going to stop treating me like some goddamn common criminal because I rather get kicked in the face instead of put on a surgeon's cap?!"

David was fuming. His honey brown eyes narrowed on Shannon liked they were trying to locate a vantage point for an enemy, not daughter. "Now you listen to me and you listen to me good," he said with his voice lowering into a dark pitch. "A physician is not allowed to perform on his relatives and loved ones if they ever get hurt because it's considered a conflict of interest. But if _you_ ever get hurt," David paused as his nostrils flared while he scanned Shannon's eyes one more time. "I won't come to the OR because of conflict of interest. I won't come because I am _absolutely disgusted_ by what you've become." His anger was so cold and dark that he did not even need to shout the last statement.

To Shannon, disappointment was probably the worst feeling you could receive from your parents, whether it was justified or not. After feeling that emotion, she grabbed her cardigan, purse, and headed for the door.

"I'm outta' here," Shannon said.

"Shannon, where are you going?!" Cheryl shouted as a single tear came down her face.

"Let her go," David snapped at Cheryl.

"Honey, please" Cheryl continued, this time as tears begin flowing on both sides.

"I said let...her...go!" replied David, who returned to his Scotch, turning his back to Cheryl, ignoring the slamming of the door.

He downed another shot before turning back to her. "If you were so hell bent on making her grow a penis, you could've done one better and produced me an actual male child!"

Cheryl, reaching her breaking point, hurried over to David and slapped him so hard that the side of his face grew red.

* * *

 **December 28th, 2015**

Lemmy Kilmster, lead singer of Motorhead, died earlier today, losing his battle with cancer. While the announcement was made public by news outlets earlier in the afternoon, the WWE didn't comment on their various social media accounts regarding Kilmster's death until a few hours before Monday Night Raw began. The WWE put together a nice tribute video on Motorhead during the broadcast, and highlighted Paul's relationship with Lemmy. The December 16th NXT Takeover used the featured track of Motorhead's latest album for their theme. Lemmy dying two weeks later was quite eerie to say the least.

Shannon was pretty confident Paul would jump at the opportunity to do the eulogy if Lemmy's family asked. While she listened to all of Paul's entrance themes during warm ups anyway-in addition to her other collection of rock and hip hop playlists-Shannon decided to listen to solely Motorhead songs for an entire week as tribute to Lemmy and his band from afar. It was a good thing she had four different Evolution shirts and the rare 2001 shirt of Paul's that actually featured the "I am your pain" lyric from his "The Game" entrance theme.

* * *

 **January 9th, 2016**

Every since Shannon and her father had that argument in June, she called her mom periodically, but never frequented her parents' home again. She moved out to an apartment in Dundalk, which was a suburb of Shannon's hometown of Baltimore, and the county where the MCW headquarters was located. She did find work, but not in her field of study as demanded by her father. Shannon was hired by both of her high school and college Alma maters as the amateur wrestling coaches for the women's teams. The female divisions were not started until her senior years of high school and college, and because she was with males for the first three, refused to compete feeling she would have an advantage on the women. This was why she ended up taking up powerlifting her senior years. She didn't make a serious commitment to powerlifting as she had no desire to compete in it in the Olympics. She wanted to stay in shape, and would at least benefit from the reps to bulk up a bit from mere lean muscle. Shannon also worked as an assistant coach to McDevitt's staff for more prospects enrolling at MCW. The schedule worked out that she would coach the high school students on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, the college students on Monday and Wednesday evenings, MCW students on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, working actual cards on weekends, and did her own tape study every morning after her workouts. It was organized chaos, but she was happy.

It is not a requirement for a training facility upon you graduating from wrestling school to find and schedule you bookings to compete in. In many cases, most new independent wrestlers book themselves instead of opting to hire an agent, especially if they had not yet found stability wrestling consistently. Fortunately for Shannon, she did not attend one of those training facilities. MCW did not have a "Fuck you. Make it happen kid," attitude, throwing you into a pack of wolves alone. While it was a training center, it was also its own promotion. Aside from hosting events, it also sent many of its roster to regional affiliates for bookings, as well as brought in other stars to MCW events, whether they were indie wrestlers bouncing around or wrestlers with notoriety released from WWE, TNA, ROH, or other promotions overseas.

MCW helped book Shannon in a show hosted by EVOLVE, a member of the World Wrestling Network, who began to have a loose scouting relationship with the WWE in the fall of 2015. The match was in the Manhattan Center, one of New York City's most renowned performance venues. Shannon was an East Coast girl. She'd been to New York before and wasn't in awe about being in the Empire State. However, Shannon was a nerd for wrestling history, and was absolutely elated that she had a match in the Manhattan Center specifically. She knew the ground floor was where ECW held events in the Hammerstein Ballroom. She also knew on the eighth floor-where she'd be-was the Grand Ballroom where the then WWF, taped 28 episodes of Monday Night Raw, the first of which was recorded 23 years ago to the date, two days from now.

"Making her way to the ring, from Music City, USA, Guns and Roses!" announcer Lenny Leonard shouted in the microphone as Shannon walked through the curtain to some generic blue grass music. She wore blue denim jean short shorts with a huge red rose across the backside of the them. She was not going to wrestle in cowboy boots, but did wear black chaps, a tan Stetson hat, and vest with a deep V cut to compliment the look. McDevitt wanted to see Shannon work the "Guns and Roses" gimmick, not because he hated "The Bruiser," but as a test to see how she'd adapt with an unexplained change. She was punished a few months ago and had not given the company any problems since. Despite personally not liking either of the gimmicks presented to her, she was going to make them her own. She thought she could get the crowd to boo her by presenting the character as a cowboy rather than a rock star. The group was hard rock heavy metal and being introduced from "Music City" which was Nashville, the birthplace of country music, was a big contrast to Guns and Roses' Los Angeles hometown.

Shannon wrestled Betsy Johnson, a half Caucasian-half Venezuelan woman, who competed as "Speed Demon." She was a great high-flyer and spent time in Shine and Shimmer. She was also in her mid 30s, and beginning to give up making it to a larger promotion. She had a tryout for TNA and just before signing and appearing on Destination America for Impact Wrestling, got injured. By the time she recovered from her injury, TNA was no longer interested. She was granted a tryout for WWE and received praise, but Creative had nothing solid for her. Despite the real possibility of never being able to catch a break, she remained positive working the events she did get booked on.

"Guns and Roses with her hands in the air here, edging Speed Demon on for a test of strength," said Leonard, who was pulling double duty as announcer and commentator. "Speed Demon with her hand intertwining with Guns and Roses looks like she's going to comply...oh wait no! She snatches Guns and Roses into a wristlock...Oh, but Guns and Roses counters grabbing Speed Demon's other arm wrenching it into the hammerlock...Speed Demon reaches back dropping Guns and Roses with the single leg take down."

After about five minutes of chain wrestling, Shannon and Betsy picked up the pace.

"Guns and Roses with the side headlock takedown...Speed Demon wraps the legs around her head...nip up from Guns and Roses...clothesline attempt from Guns and Roses, but wait Speed Demon catches Guns and Roses' arms with a beautiful crucifix pin...Referee Brandon Tolle with the count...one...two...kickout!" Leonard continued not skipping a beat. "Speed Demon bounces off the ropes and Guns and Roses grabs her for a tilt-a-whirl backb-no! Speed Demon reverses with a head scissors...no pin attempt as she heads back to the ropes and leaps forward...oh Guns and Roses catches her mid-air! Could this be a power bomb? No it is not! Look at the strength of Speed Demon's legs, who escapes the would-be powerbomb and counters with a hurricarana to Guns and Roses!"

Shannon rolled out of the ring yelling, "Dammit!" The crowd started to boo as they were enjoying the speed pick up in the match only to have Shannon stall it. She walked over to a section of the audience behind the announce table.

"I'm the Sheriff of this town," Shannon said pointing to the badge on the left breast of her vest. "I go back in when I'm good and ready." She flexed her arms to the crowd, not expecting much else from them. She was buying a little time for a later spot. Some man in the front row leaned forward and kissed her bicep. She wanted to laugh at the guy, thinking what he did was odd, so to avoid breaking character she quickly grabbed her Stetson from the announce table and put it on his head. He made a gun gesture to her with his hand.

"Guns and Roses, instead of lassoing rope, needs to lasso some offense because the Sheriff of Wrestling hasn't really done much in this match," said Leonard. Shannon made her way to another side of the barricade when Betsy took off running the ropes and from the return, dived over the top, crashing into Shannon. "Oh my goodness! It looks like Guns and Roses wasn't in a hurry to return, so Speed Demon decided to take the fight to her!" On the takeoff, Betsy misjudged the amount of inches Shannon was a part between the barricade and the ring. Despite Shannon catching Betsy and going backward taking the bump for her as she should, Betsy's own momentum sent her further forward, and she hit the side of her head on the barricade, unbeknownst to Shannon.

They both returned to the ring after the referee made a count of five and continued to compete.

"Speed Demon's carrying Guns and Roses to the top turnbuckle. Maybe she's going for a superplex, or wants to try that headscissors again, but from the top rope this time," Leonard remarked as the fans eased forward out of their seats in anticipation. "Speed Demon climbs up the ropes, but Guns and Roses grabs her in a front facelock...what's this...what the...Guns and Roses with the tornado DDT from the inside top turnbuckle to the outside of the ring! She absolutely drilled Speed Demon! And they're both down on the mat as the ref begins the count."

A few seconds later Shannon heard the crowd shout, "Please don't die, Please don't die." That told her Betsy had a great sell on the DDT, and she would return the favor on the finish.

As Shannon laid on the mats across from Betsy on the floor, the referee's count made it to seven and she noticed Betsy was still selling...a little too long. She crawled to the ring apron and rolled inside to break the count before rolling back out, grabbing Betsy's ring gear as she whispered to her ear, "What are you doing? Call a spot."

Betsy rolled her glossy eyes at Shannon, and stared up at the beaming lights of the ballroom, before finally responding, "Huh? What spot?"

It was evident now what occurred. Her opponent was concussed. It wasn't clear if Shannon caused the concussion with the DDT outside the ring or if Betsy's dive over the ropes was the catalyst for the damage, with the DDT giving her whiplash effect exasperating the impact. Pre-determined or not, this was a sport to Shannon. She felt terrible for possibly contributing to taking a fellow athlete out, even if again, it wasn't for certain that Shannon even caused it. Injuries were like bills. You knew it was inevitable that they were coming your way, and while you may try to speculate, you never could predict when they'd occur and how severe they could be.

"Fuck," Shannon mumbled. "The booker's going to either hate my fucking guts for taking over his show, or thank me later." _Hopefully the crowd will help decide my fate_. She exhaled a breath, crouched down even lower to her opponent and whispered, "I've got you. Follow my lead."

Shannon took over calling the match and the crowd-minus one or two folks in the front row who raised their eyebrows when it looked like her opponent was a little too still-didn't notice the condition of Betsy. She put Betsy over as planned but communicated to the referee the new change to the finish, which went over smoothly even if it was on the spot.

* * *

 **Moments Later**

When they got to the back, it was a different story. Gabe Sapolsky, booker of EVOLVE events for the WWN, was irate about the call.

"Hey, that wasn't the finish we booked. You don't go changing spots because you disagree with the fucking booking," Sapolsky shouted. "Especially when you're a damn guest! You're not in the World Wrestling Network family. You don't work for Shine, Shimmer, Dragongate, or Evolve. McDevitt and I go way back, that's why you're here!"

Sapolsky continued to berate Shannon a few minutes longer when Betsy, who returned from retrieving an ice pack, walked over to them.

"Hey Gabe, ease up on the kid," Betsy said raising the ice pack to the side of her head. "It wasn't her place to do what she did, but she wasn't being disrespectful. We had a good match. She didn't change _spots,_ only the _finish._ And that was because I got knocked out and couldn't remember what the fuck I was doing from middle to end."

"This true?" Sapolsky asked, turning to Shannon while he removed the pen from behind his ear to scratch his head.

"Yeah, just the finish," Shannon said nodding as she wiped sweat from her face with the hand towel Betsy passed to her. "She got concussed at some point in the match. I don't know if it was a direct spot that caused it, or just one of those things where stuff happens at the worst timing. The boys in the back were going to have a kick ass main event and wouldn't want to perform in front of a shitty crowd of 1200. We needed them pumped. The show must go on right? New York City is the epitome of that spirit of showmanship."

Sapolsky apologized to Shannon for his use of language, and before he left, complimented her ability to audible into changes mid-match. Even though it was only the final spot that changed completely, it was something veterans did without question or problem, but young wrestlers learned over time. They were likely to panic in that situation and the crowd would catch on that something went wrong. Shannon remained composed and followed through.

"You didn't have to do that," Shannon said to Betsy with humility. "I appreciate you defending me, but it's cool. I'm 22, not 12. I won't flip out. I don't know how the punishment works here, but if I get heat, I can take it."

Betsy smiled at her as some of the water dripping from the ice pack glided down her cheek and fell to her neck. "You've got balls girl. There aren't many of us indie folks who make it to the big time," she said referring to the WWE. "We're getting chances now thanks to that Hunter guy. But you, if the time comes, you just might."

"Thanks," replied Shannon. "I try to learn from everyone. Not just matches, but the intangibles too, like dealing with backstage drama. When I get that call, I'll be ready."

"Well see ya," said Betsy "I'm headed to North Carolina, a little town outside of Charlotte. Long trip ahead for the next gig. I'll shower at the hotel."

"Bye," said Shannon as she pulled the black "Paul Heyman Girl" hoodie over her head, and jogged down the hall heading for the stairs. She wanted to go to the ground floor to check out the Hammerstein Ballroom where ECW did their shows. Chances were the room would be booked or locked if not in use. Either way, in the event she never performed there, she wanted to see it in person before she died. She shook her head smiling as she thought about Betsy's previous statement. _That Hunter guy?_ _He's always been pretty good in my book too._


	4. Chapter Four: Ronda Who?

**Mid January 2016, Monday afternoon, 2:55 PM**

"I just received an email five minutes ago from staff at the school district stating that all extra-curricular activities this weekend are canceled due to inclement weather," Shannon said as she lifted her smartphone in the air to the students. "Now, the forecast is only projecting a half foot of snow on Saturday, but my guess is that in the chance people only shovel leniently on weekends, this decision was made as a safety precaution for you kids."

The students laughed and high-fived each other in unison, but not because they wanted their meet canceled. While not everyone placed at the amateur meet last month, they were a solid squad, and expected things to only go up from there. Because the snow wasn't expected to fall until the weekend when most of the school staff was home-minus those supervising extra-curriculars-there was a great chance the snow wouldn't be cleared by Monday, giving them a three-day weekend.

She continued, "But since you guys didn't know that beforehand and are already here, I am _not_ canceling practice. I'm not wasting it either. Now, even though you're high schoolers, there isn't any rule against me teaching you anything about wrestling the collegiate style. Just because you can't use those techniques in your current division, it does not mean I can't give you a jump start should you want to continue wrestling at the next level."

As Shannon removed her navy blue jacket with the word "Quakers" outlined in red, her college's mascot, one of the students, Janet approached her.

"Are you pushing us because you want to be the next Ronda Rousey?"

"No. I'm pushing you because you are good, as your instructor I have the right to, and more importantly, you deserved to be challenged and not held back," Shannon said not appreciating the Ronda Rousey comments, especially not when she was working to mold their minds and muscles.

Another student, Melissa, walked over to Janet and Shannon, throwing an arm over Janet's shoulder. "Yeah, we win and lose together. Just like my shirt. Right coach?"

If Shannon had a short fuse and an emotional disorder, she certainly would have snapped, tossing any and everything around the gymnasium in sight. She certainly was pissed off by her students reiterating Ronda Rousey in conversation. They were smart kids. It almost seemed as if they knew Shannon would be bothered by it, and were trying to see if she would crack. After all, even though she was their coach, she hadn't reached maturation numerically. Though she was older than majority of them by almost a decade, holistically, she was still young herself. So there was potential for her to have a fit. Thankfully she did not. The most they saw out of Shannon were slow rakes of her fingers through her hair, and pacing a couple of feet away from them, inhaling and exhaling for a few moments."

"Alright let's go, everyone take a place on the mats. Janey, Mel, come to the front," Shannon said while one of the girls removed her Ronda Rousey shirt from over her singlet, tossing it to the floor, and putting on her headgear.

"With collegiate wrestling, great emphasis is on controlling your opponent on the mat typically by the legs or torso. You may throw in this style, but it isn't emphasized as much as it is like in Olympic free or Greco-Roman. Should you both gain and maintain control of your opponent on the mat-restraining their power to escape- you will be in what's known as the position of advantage."

Shannon began to lecture the students. They were excited, but looking forward to actually sparring.

"Janey, Mel, center of your mat. On go, I want you both to try a takedown," Shannon said, pulling a whistle out of her pocket and hanging it over her neck. "One...two...three...go!"

Janet and Melissa grabbed a hold of one another. Melissa went low trying for a single leg takedown clinching to Janet's right thigh. Janet however, leaned into Melissa's momentum planting her foot, intricately intertwining her left ankle into Melissa's. Melissa fell backward on the ground and as she rolled on her stomach attempting to get up, Janet immediately crawled over her back, and Shannon blew the whistle.

"Stop. Alright. Good effort by both of you. Melissa, you went for a single leg takedown, and Janet used a complex technique, using your own legs to off balance you. It's a leg trip. It's like a leg variation of what people in pro-wrestling call a drop toe hold. Good start Melissa, I would've went for the leg too. What Janet did though is show you that you don't always have to be so eager to make the first move. You went for the leg, and from there, she waited and countered into a more strategic takedown," Shannon said as she walked around them, making sure they both remained in bounds.

"Okay, so Janet would've won the point on the takedown. What you have to do now Melissa since you are underneath Janey in the inferior position, is escape it completely, reverse it putting her into inferior, wait for the ref-which in this case is me-to signal that the period has ended, or react accordingly if a penalty situation has occurred. Again, whatever you decide, I will not react if you throw Janey," Shannon explained as the students nodded both attentively and happily. They were happy that they had a coach that would teach them, give them tips, but still let them make their own decisions.

She expounded, "We don't award points or periods here on your ability to take Janey through the air and slam her back down on her shoulders. This isn't international play. We're about dominance and control, not explosiveness. Defense might be less sexy, but trust me, in the long run, you will be technically superior. Wrestling is a parent to Judo and Jiu-Jitsu."

Shannon continued walking them through various positions, situations, and techniques for the next hour and a half, continuing the session until 4:30.

After their shower Shannon always waited at the student parking lot to see everyone off. She was only 22 and had no intentions to become anyone's mother anytime soon; but by not having any siblings of her own, could see her students as little sisters as well. It was a different world from the days of her grandparents. Hell, it was a different world when she was younger. She wanted to know that her kids were good students, good athletes, but most importantly safe.

Janet was about to exit the student parking lot when she turned off the ignition, left her car, and headed back towards the side entrance of the school's building, where Shannon was standing watching everyone.

"Hey Coach," Janet said as she jogged up the steps.

"Hey Janey. Did you forget something in the building?" Shannon asked pointing her thumb towards the school. "I have a key. I could let you back in."

"Nope. I didn't leave anything," she said shaking her head.

"Then what's up?" Shannon questioned, folding her arms at her chest.

"Are you jealous of Ronda Rousey?" Janet asked with a surprisingly serious stare at Shannon, which she noticed.

"No Janet. Not at all. I disagree with how her career began and ended, but I'm glad she had some success," said Shannon reassuringly. "Listen Janet, and I want to make sure you understand something. Women would be doing a lot more great in the world than we already do, if we weren't so damn catty with each other. It starts early on, but the teen years are crucial. You can despise something that another woman does, says, or doesn't do, but _never_ hate the woman herself."

"Okay. I won't," said Janet. She only meant to ask for Shannon's opinion on Ronda Rousey and her popularity, but ended up being moved by Shannon's overall attempt at instilling a life lesson. She looked at Shannon's Quaker jacket before continuing, "Coach, I'm applying to UPenn next semester. Can you write me a letter of recommendation?"

Janet was the only senior on the team. The female division on Shannon's high school team had existed for four years now, and the collegiate one at Penn had only been one year in existence since Shannon graduated. So despite Janet being the only student on the team competing for four years, it was her first year being coached by Shannon.

"I'd be honored too. Come here girl," Shannon smiled pulling Janet in for a hug. "Now hurry home before you make me late, and I change my mind."

* * *

 **Mid January 2016 of the same week. Tuesday, 12:00 Noon**

"Hey sweetheart. What brings you by?" asked Cheryl who greeted Shannon at the door.

"When my mom says she's taking the day off, how can I not swing by if I'm around to spend time with her?" She asked back, closing the door behind her after hugging Cheryl.

"Well it's a lovely surprise. I'm not sick or anything serious like that." Cheryl replied gesturing Shannon to join her on the living room couch. "Sometimes you just need a change of scenery. I needed a break from staring at scripts and cameras," said Cheryl referring to her job as a producer for a local news station.

"What are you watching?" Shannon asked looking up at the TV which displayed, "reading disc."

"The Theory of Relativity. Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar for it last year," said Cheryl.

"Ew, physics. Sounds like something Dad would enjoy," Shannon said twisting her mouth. "Speaking of Dad, how is he? Just because I don't lov...just because I don't lik...just because the situation is complicated...doesn't mean I don't care."

"Cheryl, I'm heading out to the hospital after having the morning off. Don't wait up," said David who stormed out from another area of the house, clinching his lab coat in his left forearm, grabbing his medical bag with the right hand. He saw his daughter on the couch with her mother. "Shannon, I don't want to hear it."

"But I didn't even say anything!" Shannon shouted.

"Then whatever you were _going_ to say, I don't want to hear it," David added as he slammed the door leaving the house.

Before she could make a comment about her father's attitude she heard the phone in her purse vibrate, so she checked it. The previews of the movie ended and the actual movie began.

"Team Rousey, Rousey Rage among top trends by the Internet Wrestling Community," Shannon said, reading aloud the headline of an article from a wrestling dirt sheet she subscribed to.

"Shhh! The movie is playing," Cheryl said narrowing her eyes at Shannon, who still had her head down, squeezing the grip on the phone even tighter.

"Ronda Rousey, WWE's most profitable star and undisputed greatest diva of all time, continues to remain in one of the top ten trends across all social media platforms since her departure from the company three months ago," she continued to read aloud.

"Enough!" Cheryl yelled. "Now I want to hear all about your wrestling progress, but not until this movie has finished. You said you wanted to spend time with me which is a great surprise. Now put the damn phone away! Just because you're an adult, don't act like I forgot how to take you across my knee!"

Shannon complied, putting her phone away and stared straight ahead at the television screen playing the movie. But she wasn't really paying attention. The article was still on her mind, but she remained silent with her thoughts.

 _The most profitable star? Yeah fucking right. She's not drawing Cena or Rock money, and for damn sure isn't doing Austin's numbers! The most profitable on their roster for the past seven months? Sure, I'll buy that projection of statistics 100 percent. The undisputed greatest diva of all time? According to who? Based on what resume of matches? She wouldn't even consider herself a diva! At least the technicians for the network finally stopped airing her commercials since she's no longer employed by them. I'm glad I'm not on social media because I could only imagine how insane the hype is there. It would probably make me start drinking._

 _I can't do much about it now. She's no longer with them, and I'm not there yet. Not that I'm ready at the moment. Egyptian China can't accomplish much drinking tea and tossing hieroglyphic ink pads at opponents. Guns and Roses can't do much prancing around with holsters on her hip from Music City. The Bruiser is one broken ankle away from hiatus if she keeps having matches wrestling in those heavy ass workman boots. No. I won't get there with that garbage. Something has to change before I'm granted the opportunity to answer the firestorm surrounding itself around Ronda Rousey. Wait a minute. Firestorm. That's it._

* * *

 **Mid January 2016 of the same week. Thursday morning, 11:00 AM**

Shannon returned to Baltimore to pick up some items for her new gear. She was proud of the progress she was making, getting bookings consistently, but was ready to evolve on her own. She didn't want to be another character, other than an exaggeration of the identity she already had. Some people underestimated the effect gear or merchandise could have on a wrestler. Shannon believed it shared equal importance as your name itself. It was hard, according to Shannon, for an audience to believe in a wrestler when the wrestler themselves didn't believe in who they were, what the wore, or what they were doing. Even if you totally hated your gimmick, in order to make it work, you had to have some ounce of care in presenting it to the crowd.

"Good morning, Welcome to Under Armor. How may I help you?" said the clerk at the checkout who greeted Shannon when she entered the store.

"Hey, I'm not looking for anything actually," said Shannon. "I'm here to pick up a special order that I placed online. I didn't need it shipped. I'm not lazy and I live close enough to pick it up in person," she joked.

"Sure thing," the clerk said as he signed back into the computer's system. "May I have your order request number please?"

"8675309," she complied. "I even printed off the receipt in case there's a mix up on your computer for some reason. I get that we're so consumed with tech, but it can still malfunction."

"Haha, right you are. Okay...8675309...it is in," the clerk replied as he finished typing, clicking, and clearing out all the information he needed to on their system. "Wait here a moment, and I will just head down to our inventory room to grab your box. Should be quick." Before he turned to leave his desk he stared at her a few seconds, then gestured for a worker who finished assisting another customer in one of the aisles, to take over his area in the event the line grew quick before his return.

As promised, he wasn't long and his colleague left his station when she saw him returning from the corner of her eye.

"Alright, here it is. Can you just show me your ID so I can confirm the name and address match?" After he returned Shannon's ID to her, he hesitated another moment before handing over the box. "I'm sorry. This is probably weird. But are you a pro-wrestling fan?"

"I've heard of it," Shannon began. "Not exactly sure if I'd call myself a fan though."

"Well anyway, I'm a big fan," the clerk said excitedly. "There's this local indie about 30 minutes or so from here called MCW. You kind of look like this chick named The Bruiser."

 _Among other things._ "My mother always said everyone has a twin. You just may never know who or where they are in the world," Shannon said with a smirk.

"She might be right. Because I swear you look like her," the clerk continued. "I took my cousin to a show two weeks ago, and she spit on his sign when he booed her."

Shannon grabbed the box and started walking away, but before she made it to the door spoke loud enough for the clerk to hear. "Thanks for the package. I'm sorry about your cousin, but at least I let him live."

The clerk raised his eyebrows in excitement and smacked the counter top.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He shouted. "Please if you have a second, come back. I have something to say to you." Shannon readjusted the box beneath her armpit, and headed back over to the counter.

"I knew it! I knew you were The Bruiser dude!" He said pointing to Shannon. "Hey have you talked to Kevin about an endorsement deal?" The clerk asked referring to Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour Athletic Apparel.

"Look uh, Charlie," she finally looked at the badge clipped to his shirt. "I'm bouncing all around the U.S. of A weekend to weekend, show to show, hoping one of the three primates sniffs around my ass to offer me a contract. I wouldn't turn down one from the orangutan or chimpanzee. But ideally, I'd like one from the gorilla. An endorsement deal isn't even on my radar."

"Yo, but think about it! Ronda Rousey got that deal with Addias! Fuck Addias, fuck Nike, fuck Reebok, and fuck TapOut! Everyone knows that Under Armour is the absolute _king_ of performance athletic apparel! We have been for years, and we're not even quite 20 years old yet," Charlie spoke passionately as he leaned forward moving his hands around like he was a politician delivering a speech at a podium. "The Rock signed a deal with us in October and his line alone is doing ridiculous numbers! The pre-orders for the next line he'll launch were sold out since last week when he made the announcement on Raw that he was coming to Wrestlemania! How badass would it be to have the next line of products endorsed by an athlete who was _actually_ born and raised from the company's global headquarters?"

"My man, I don't know what the pay is like for you as a clerk here, but you may one day be a damn good agent," said Shannon to Charlie reassuringly. "Hypothetically speaking, should I meet with Kevin, considering everything you've said, it would do nothing to increase Under Armour's already stellar success unless I'm already a WWE Superstar when I attend that meeting."

"Well I guess you have a point," Charlie said nodding. "Ronda's still making paper with Addias, and she's not in the E. I'm just saying if you got a deal with UA, man, you'd be set! Your family would be set."

"I've gotta' go. I appreciate the support though," said Shannon who pulled out something from the back pocket of her jeans. "Here. Those are two tickets to tomorrow's Rage TV tapings. Just don't tell your little cousin you got them from me."


	5. Chapter Five: Paying Dues

**Early February 2016**

Shannon postponed her of morning workout on Thursday so she could attend the funeral of Brian Knighton better known as Axl Rotten, professional wrestler of Shannon's hometown, ECW Original, and a former tag team partner of Dan McDevitt's co-owner of Maryland Championship Wrestling, Ian Rotten. Rotten wrestled for all independents across the country, and had a brief stint with WCW before joining the ECW roster in the early 1990s. He was a very underrated performer for his large size who could wrestle, despite being more infamous for his hardcore taipei death matches. While Shannon obviously didn't know the man personally as he was wrestling in his prime when she was a young girl, judging from his shoot videos he was a man of integrity. He didn't shy away from his vices: as much as he loved the wrestling business, he loved the partying side of it just as well. After struggling to finance surgery for a severe spinal injury he prolonged for a decade, the pain became too much; unfortunately on February 4th, Axl was found unresponsive in a motel bathroom in his wheelchair after a heroine overdose. August of this year would've been six years Axl was sober and clean.

* * *

 **Later that weekend**

Shannon was in Wheeling, West, Virginia at the WesBanco arena, formerly known as the Wheeling Civic Center. It was a multipurpose venue home primarily to the Wheeling Nailers ice hockey team. Oddly enough, this was finally a venue that Shannon didn't have to read too much information on because she was there before. This venue regularly hosted the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference wrestling tournament. While the University of Pennsylvania wasn't a part of that athletic conference, Shannon remembered traveling there with some teammates who made it to one of the semi-regionals in the NCAA tournament.

Shannon had been wrestling eight months now, three since being an official MCW graduate, and felt she earned the right to change. She wore black Under Armour Coolswitch Capris which extended four inches beneath the knee with a sheer, three-inch wide strip down each leg. Her last name was in grey capital letters, outlined in white across the buttocks of the capris. Her shin guards and knee pads were combined as a single unit. They were grey, and she personalized them with a bright, yellow lightening bolt on the center of the knee caps. On her feet were black Under Armour SpeedFit Hike Boots with yellow laces. Though they were actual boots, they aesthetically looked like high-top sneakers, but weren't heavy like a military boot, and stopped at the ankle instead of going up the calf. On her torso, she wore an all white Under Armour Muscle Bra tank top, which had a built-in sports bra, revealing the entire upper back in its butterfly back design. Shannon threw a few extra bucks in for a customization: Instead of the rounder crew neck in the front, she wanted a V Cut, revealing a respectable amount of cleavage for femininity. Her jacket, which she would remove after her entrance, was a black Under Armour StormWind Hooded Vest, with grey zippers and side pockets outlined in white. The back of the vest had a giant letter "S" on the left and right side with a huge, bright, yellow lightning bolt in the center separating the letters. Her wrists remained taped. She was no longer Egyptian China. She was no longer The Bruiser. She was no longer Guns and Roses. She was Shannon Storm.

The booker told Shannon to grab a microphone before the match started and cut a promo. She wasn't expecting it to be a homerun. She was expecting it to be rusty as this was her first time as Shannon Storm. She wrestled Takima Knicks, a dark-skinned African American woman with dreadlocks, who competed as "Ram-Paige." Knicks was similar in size to "Kharma," who also competed in TNA as "Awesome Kong." Knicks didn't have any WWE aspirations. She just loved giving and taking bumps, and looked at wrestling as a side gig or hobby.

The bell rang and Shannon leaned between the middle rope calling for a microphone.

"Hang on sec ref, hang on a sec. I heard the bell. You're on my time. Relax," Shannon began after tapping the microphone with her palm, making sure it worked. "Hey Ram-Paige. I see you come out here and look at you. Your shoulders are all tense, you're all puffed up, you're snorting, grunting like a wild boar, and pacing around the ring. Does that work for you? Is that your process of looking intimidating? I don't know if you're supposed to be these people's hero or villain. I mean are you suffering from Irritable Bowl Syndrome? Do I need to go to the back and get you some Rolaids, or are we going to actually have a fucking match here?"

Before Shannon got another word out, Knicks snatched the microphone and hit Shannon in the head with it, pounding her with fists repeatedly across the body after dropping the mic. Shannon fell backward into a turnbuckle and put her hands up in front of her face as Knicks continued swinging at the sides of her head.

"Hey, check my scalp. You stiffed me with that mic shot. Let me know if I'm bleeding," said Shannon to Knicks, who was cool with the blows, but wanted to know if there was color she couldn't see.

"No," mumbled Knicks; so while still grounded, Shannon grabbed her waist and pulled her into the middle turnbuckle pad where she sold being hit hard in the nose by it. A lot of fans think the turnbuckle pads have no impact, but they do. Overtime your body adjusts to it, but you still have to be careful when doing moves with running impact like clotheslines or bucklebombs. If you don't adjust your body going into them, you can suffer whiplash and sometimes even nerve or neck issues. Most wrestlers all have neck injuries at some point as a result of just wrestling over time. It doesn't have to be caused from one particular spot, but powerbombs and drivers can be the catalysts.

Mid way through the match, Knicks and Shannon did a double clothesline and sold its impact, which wasn't a whole lot of selling on Shannon's part because she still felt the very stiff mic shot to the head earlier. Shannon rolled over to her stomach and used time for the sell to communicate with Knicks. She mumbled, "when I make my come back, I'm going to leap frog over you. On the way down, I want you to snatch me mid air and powerbomb me. Like how Kevin Steen does, only you're not throwing me, I'll leap frog to you."

"What? I'm 5'11 and you're 5'3. Are you sure you can leap frog me?" Knicks quickly mumbled back in uncertainty.

"Look, I'm going over in this match, but I want you to look good too. The crowd will pop for you. Ref's at 8, just fucking do it," Shannon said emphatically.

Shannon performed her comeback with clotheslines, forearms, a scoop slam, and an elbow drop. She whipped Knicks, but Knicks reversed it, sending Shannon into the ropes. When Knicks grabbed Shannon's arm to whip her she said, "Now!" On the return bounce off the ropes, Shannon leapfrogged Knicks and as she insisted, was caught and powerbombed by Knicks from mid-air. Instantly, a "Holy shit" chant filled the crowd.

"Oh my Gaaawd! What a powerbomb by Ram-Paige!" shouted the Zachary Jones of the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference, helping out the booker with commentary for the event. "I have no idea what was on Storm's mind with that incredible height. A hurricarana, a frankensteiner maybe, but whatever it was, Access Denied by Ram-Paige! She's in beast mode right now- powerbombing her mid air."

Knicks went for a pin. Shannon selling the impact could not kick out, but got her leg on the ropes.

"Great ring awareness by Storm," said Smith.. "Her back must be in serious pain, but she maintains the wherewithal to get a body part on the ropes."

Knicks bent over to pick Shannon up, who countered with a dropkick to Knicks' knees, sending her backwards into the turnbuckle. Shannon climbed to the top rope and dove for a cross body, but the transition wasn't smooth and she smacked her hand on the canvas on the way down.

Knicks muttered "Finish here?" as they remained on the mat.

"No. Running Powerslam," Shannon replied.

Knicks grabbed Shannon in a front facelock for a standard suplex attempt, Shannon blocked it with her ankle and kicked Knicks in the mid section. When she bent over, Shannon lifted Knicks over her head as if she were about to deliver a scoop slam, but adjusted Knicks across her right shoulder, moving backward a few feet before running forward into a powerslam.

"Beautiful execution of the running powerslam by Storm! Shades of the late, great "British Bulldog," Davey Boy Smith. This kid seems to be a fan of everyone notable in her little pocket," Jones expressed, who may have seem clips of Shannon's other matches in preparation of the bout.

Shannon didn't hook the leg, but sloppily threw an arm over Knicks' chest. "One, Two, Three, ball game folks," Smith said and Fort Minor's "Remember The Name," the theme music for Shannon Storm, began to play. After the announcer declared Shannon the winner, she grimaced a little, and acknowledged the fans before heading to the back.

* * *

When Knicks made it backstage, she spotted Shannon clinching her fist and holding her arm close to her chest. She walked over to her.

"Hey Shannon," said Knicks to Shannon who turned around.

"Yeah," Shannon replied with the position of her arm unchanged.

"Nice match, but that finish was lazy," Knicks said smugly. "You didn't even hook my leg, you just got an arm over me."

Shannon laughed. "Trust me, it wasn't that I forgot to hook your leg. It was because I couldn't."

"What are you talking about?" Knicks asked.

"I'm pretty sure my wrist is fractured-partially or completely," said Shannon using her left hand to remove the bag of ice on her chest that her swollen right hand was hiding.

"Oh shit! Damn," Knicks said looking at it. "How'd that even happen?"

"When I did the cross body on you," Shannon started. "You never caught me. You took your bump before I came down. You're suppose to catch me before you go down. Because you didn't, I landed right on my wrist." Shannon adjusted the ice again. "The moment it happened, I slapped the canvas with my other hand, not on you, on the fact that it happened. That's why I told you we weren't finishing there, but with the powerslam. I didn't want the fans to pick up on the botch. There was no fucking way I could lift you, spin you, jump, and then snatch you down for the Be More Careful. My forearm barely supported you with the powerslam."

"My bad for the fuck up," Knicks said with some sympathy. "Quick thinking on your part."

"Thanks, but it's cool. I'm not mad at you," Shannon replied. "Shit happens. I got the win, and I got the crowd to pop for you on that powerbomb spot."

"Why didn't you tell the ref to throw the X up for a stoppage?" She questioned, placing her hands on her hips. "If you're not selling, they should know."

"Two reasons," Shannon started. "One, those people spent their hard-earned money to come to this show. It doesn't matter that their ticket stub doesn't say WWE, TNA, or ROH. They came, so that means we have to deliver."

"And the second reason?" asked Knicks, still trying to understand Shannon's logic.

"Right the second reason," Shannon said smiling. "The second reason is that there have been plenty of people who suffered worse. Kurt Angle competed in the Wrestlemania 19 main event against Brock Lesnar for the championship with a broken neck. Triple H finished the very first elimination chamber championship match with a crushed throat-not to mention the two matches he finished tearing his quads. Shawn Michaels suffered over a dozen concussions and competed three months with a broken back. Because he had to work a championship program to put Austin over at WrestleMania 14 to establish a new face of the company. X Pac tore his ass hole at an indie show when his opponent moved from taking a bronco buster, and he continued the match. Had he went another five minutes in the ring before getting medical attention, he would've died. That's how serious it was. Sabu tore his bicep in a barbed wire match for the ECW World Title. He duct taped his arm back up- in the middle of the match right on the apron- just to stop the bleeding, so he could continue. Vader's eye ball popped completely out of socket wrestling in Japan, and he put it back in. Daniel Bryan was partially blind in one eye, and didn't even remember how many concussions he had before he was murdered. The point is, while this hurts right now, I piss on _every single person_ that put it all on the line day after day, busting their asses going through a lot _worse_ than me-whether it happened in one match or a result of so many matches catching up to them-if I bitch about my wrist."

"Wow, that's passion," said Knicks. She never made it a quest to make it to one of the bigger companies. She was content with her regular job. This was why the indie schedule worked for her: limited dates, smaller crowds, you can accept or decline a booking that you weren't contractually obligated to appear. "I wonder why Connecticut doesn't have you on speed dial right now."

"Yeah passion, but also fact," Shannon said as she started down the hallway to shower. "And that's why my phone stays charged," she added in reference to Knicks' comment about Connecticut.

* * *

 **An hour later**

Shannon finished her shower, got dressed, and sat in one of the dressing rooms for a few minutes. Showering and dressing took a little longer than usual due to the pain from her wrist. She decided to take a picture of it and send it to David. Their relationship remained complicated, and arguably grew worse as she changed his saved name under her contacts from "Daddy" to "Him." It didn't take long for a reply.

 **Him:** What is this?

 **Me:** My hand.

 **Him:** Is this from wrestling?

 **Me:** I'm not going to lie. Yes, it is.

After 15 minutes of silence, she decided to text him once more.

 **Me:** Look Dad, I'm not asking for you to take me in the OR, and do the surgery. I know you're a Hematologist, not an Orthopedist. But all doctors go over the basics in medical school. Just give me your opinion before I go see someone else.

After another 15 minutes of silence, she gave up on her father. "Hate him. Such an asshole," she muttered in the locker room.

Still seated, she went to Plan B. Using the web browser on her smartphone, she entered her insurance information on the app to the family's coverage plan. She thought there she would find appropriate links to consult. She had all personal information such as her date of birth, social security, and policy numbers memorized but every time she entered them, saw the message " **ACCESS DENIED**." After the 10th attempt of repeating the log-in information, the following message displayed on her screen: " **We're sorry. But you have reached the maximum number of log-in attempts. The information you have entered is not in our system**."

"Fuck!" Shannon yelled, carelessly tossing her phone to the floor. Thankfully she had a screen protector and a strong case. _He canceled me from his coverage. How shitty is it that it took me getting injured to find that out?!_

* * *

 **Two days later**

After Shannon realized her father terminated her from the family's medical insurance coverage, she left the venue and headed home. She explained the situation to her mother and she worked things out, starting a new plan for Shannon on a secret credit card David did not know about. While Cheryl did not like helping Shannon in a covert fashion, she wasn't going to let her child-even if she was an adult-suffer indefinitely and potentially worsen the injury.

Monday morning she arrived at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She could've picked another hospital in the area, but she didn't. She couldn't help that her father worked there. She was born there. She got her first set of stitches there. She knew the building and its ever expanding department wings. So it was convenient that she went there.

Shannon suffered from an oblique, non-displaced, extra-articular fracture of the distal radius. She would need to undergo closed reduction to realign the part of the bone out of place. It was a nonsurgical procedure that did not require an incision.

She'd been sitting in one of the examination rooms listening for minutes and minutes to Dr. Chris Matthews, one of the orthopedists on call, go on and on about the variations of the injury. She had a high regard of respect for what physicians of every kind did and by no means meant any harm to Dr. Matthews; but really, all she wanted to learn was what injury she sustained, was it fixable, and how long the recovery process could be.

"Usually the distal compresses and displaces backwards or oblique, producing the common appearance of a silver fork deformity," said Dr. Matthews as Shannon sighed. "The goal of treatment of a distal radius fracture is to realign the displaced fracture and preserve fracture alignment, while minimizing stiffness and swelling."

"Translation Doc?" Shannon asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dr. Matthews laughed, taking the hint of her restlessness. "Splint today with a wrap, come back the day after tomorrow, and I'll realign it and give you a functional cast," said Dr. Matthews, who tried his best to convey the next steps accurately without her tuning out. "You're a professional wrestler, and I know you guys compete more often than the other traditional athletes. While I'm not encouraging you to rush getting in the ring, this type of cast allows limited or controlled mobility of nearby joints. You can absolutely continue lower and abdominal body workouts, but I discourage _anything_ upper body, other than some light stretching."

"So how belong before I can get back in there?" Shannon questioned anxiously as she tapped her foot. "I don't have tattoos. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. _This_ is my addiction Doc! When can I get my fix?"

"Four to six weeks you can start wrestling again, but I'd go light. It's an injury you can work through as you haven't displaced or shattered it in multiple places," Dr. Matthews responded. "But for your own good, _ease_ back in the ring. Don't do anything you don't have to do, if that makes any sense. I'll remove your cast week eight, as it will be 100% healed."

"Thanks doc. Just out of curiosity, am I the only wrestler you've worked on?" Shannon asked as she now looked down at the black sharpie marks Dr. Matthews marked on her wrist.

"While you're the first I've worked on personally, one of my colleagues performed brain surgery on Hack Myers mid November this past year," Dr. Matthews replied as Shannon raised her head. She was expecting him to say no one, but that wasn't the case.

He continued. "Unfortunately, he died three weeks later, two days before his 42nd birthday after complications from the operation. He was an ECW original, and had a fan base among the ECW faithful, but in terms of notoriety across promotions, he wasn't as popular as the notable names of Taz, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, RVD, Sandman, or The Dudleys."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. I know you guys are doctors, but you're people too. Losing a

patient has to be horrible," Shannon said with sincere sympathy.

"Yeah, it is," Dr. Matthews said as he nodded. "We certainly try our best. But you're right. We're not miracle workers. Listen uh, be careful with that splint, and I'll see you in two days for that cast."

* * *

Shannon reported back to Dr. Matthews as scheduled on Wednesday to receive her cast. Because the manipulation of bones was important and something quite painful, Shannon was encouraged to go under anesthesia. Shannon however was a straight-edge person. She did not even use cough syrup for the common cold. Nor did she take over the counter medication for pain unless it was absolutely necessary for something she deemed majorly serious. Ice, Epsom salt, battery operated massagers, essential oils, and discipline were all she preferred. She heard all of the stories of athletes getting addicted to painkillers, and did not want to fall victim to it. It wasn't as though she was trying to be a crusader or martyr against modern medicine. She just had a "tough it out" approach in life with injuries unless they were serious enough to the point were drugs and surgery were imperative. It was for this reason that she and her doctor compromised on conscious sedation rather than undergoing the typical anesthesia before he reattached the bones, so she could return to her everyday activities after the procedure of applying the special cast.


	6. Chapter Six: Sticky Situations

**March 2016**

On March 4th, legendary Japanese professional wrestler Eiji Ezaki, who performed as Hayabusa died as a result of sustaining a subarachnoid hemorrhage in his brain. It was not clear when various Tokyo Sports outlets confirmed his death if the brain bleed occurred spontaneously, or if Ezaki hit his head after a hard fall. Although he wrestled for quite some time, his career really rose to prominence in 1994 when he competed against fellow Japanese great, Jushin "Thunder" Liger. In 2001, he was forced into in-ring retirement after slipping on the ropes during a lionsault, and he became paralyzed. He was very bitter and depressed at the time as fellow wrestlers and wrestling fans could imagine; but eventually one of his real-life friends, and long time rivals, Hiromichi Fuyuki, convinced him to pursue running a promotion. Even though landing on his head was the cause for the paralysis, Fuyuki believed Ezaki had so much passion and wisdom still left for wrestling to impart onto others. That was what he did.

While Ezaki was a Japanese wrestler, much like Jushin "Thunder" Liger, he was an international star wrestling all over the world. Many future wrestling stars of the '90s such as Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero recalled crossing paths in territories Ezaki performed at-whether it be in Mexico or Japan-as they were trying to get their names out there before larger promotions gave them a chance. Shannon remembered Ezaki vaguely from ECW's "Heatwave '98" Pay Per View, when he and partner Jinsei Shinzaki, faced Rob Van Dam and Sabu. Shannon didn't see much else of him beforehand, but after finding out about his passing and influence on other wrestlers she respected deeply, thought she owed it to herself to order as many backlogs of '90s Japanese DVDS as possible to learn about the man through his work. It was a damn shame how much phenomenal international talent existed in the 1990s that were never hired long term in a prominent North American promotion.

* * *

Shannon didn't have much to say about Wrestlemania 32. She didn't like the Dallas Cowboys, gave zero fucks about AT&T Stadium, and most importantly Triple H lost the WWE Championship to Roman Reigns thanks to interference by The Rock. She never wanted that match. She didn't like the outcome. It wasn't a good day.

* * *

Shannon was napping on the gym floor after an early Saturday arrival for an independent show with Chikara Pro, another East Coast promotion like ECW, Dragon Gate USA, and Combat Zone Wrestling, based out in Philadelphia. Similar to Lucha Underground, Chikara, which Japanese's name translated to "strength," was a promotion that had a lucha-libre style, although not every single performer was considered a high-flier. They left their home base to do a mini tour of the mid-west.

She had a long drive-nine hours and twenty seven minutes to be exact-from Maryland to Indiana, so was catching up on some much needed rest. She contacted the Physical Education staff of the local high school that was using part of their building as a venue for the show ahead of time, and asked if it was alright to take a nap if she arrived early in the morning. The principal of the school and P.E. staff agreed that if she volunteered her time during the day to watch and provide tips to the students who were having an amateur meet that afternoon, she could sleep on the gymnasium floor. She of course agreed to the terms.

That morning while she slept on a blue mat, two high school males on the wrestling team arrived early to school to prepare, and noticed Shannon sleeping on the floor as they entered the gymnasium.

"What the hell? Who's that? Since when did Mr. Nelson let people crash in our gym?"said Jordan, one of the boys, who was irritated. "We have a meet in two hours."

"Fuck you, bro," said his friend Jason. "She's a beautiful bum. I don't mind her being here," he said laughing. "Shit, maybe she'd be impressed by our meet, and I can ask her out."

"C'mon, man. You don't even know anything about her," said Jordan, slapping Jason's shoulder as he guided him from the gym floor and headed towards the locker room.

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

Jason and Jordan were dressed in their singlets while the rest of their teammates wore their track suits over them. The teammates were mingling among themselves, but Jason and Jordan were distracted when a now awake Shannon, entered the gymnasium with Mr. Richard Nelson, the senior gym teacher with a salt and pepper mustache as thick as Tom Selleck, who looked to be north of sixty years old. They headed straight for the teens.

"Well hello there, gorgeous," said Jason. "You get your beauty rest? Do you need me to help massage those plump glute muscles of yours? You know I uh, wouldn't want you to get a cramp." Shannon just ignored him.

"Boys, this is Shannon Storm," Mr. Nelson started, as he lifted his glasses to scratch the bridge of his nose. "She's an independent pro-wrestler. There's an event that one of the independent promotions she's affiliated with at our school this evening. But she's here early to check you guys out during your competition."

"I guess that's alright," said the gingered hair, green-eyed Jordan **,** shrugging his shoulders. "She's not a judge though right? I mean, I don't remember the Board of Directors of the State Athletic Commission listing her name as a judge." Jason smacked Jordan in the back of the head.

"What the fuck was that for?" Jordan screamed at Jason.

"You and your damn technicalities!" "Can't you see I'm trying to set something up?," mumbled the charcoal-haired and blue-eyed Jason as he pointed his thumb in the direction of Shannon. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but knew he was referencing her.

"No Jordan. She's not a judge registered here, as she's not a resident of this state or applied to be a coach or board member here," said Mr. Nelson, who noticed Jordan sigh in relief. "But she made rank in high school state competition and was a regional collegiate champion."

Jordan swallowed in amazement. He was standoffish about her before, not knowing who she was and why she was there. Hearing that she was a professional wrestler also rubbed him the wrong way. But finding out she once did what he and Jason did changed his mind about her. Maybe they could benefit from another set of eyes watching them.

"Jordan Newsman," he extended his hand introducing himself to Shannon, and she shook it. "This asshole who can't seem to wipe the drool off his face since seeing you is my best friend Jason."

"Jason Johnson, but you can call me Jase, or 'Double J,' you know, like Jeff Jarrett, since you're a pro-wrestler and everything," he said as they shook hands. "Thunderstorms, Sandstorms, Snowstorms, Twisters. I love all kinds of storms," he added as he winked at her.

"Storm's just my ring name. You can call me Shannon though," she said. Shannon thought his not so subtle attempts to flirt were weak, but he was so consistent with it that it became almost pathetically cute. Almost.

The tournament went on as planned with Jordan coming in first place in his weight class, while Jason started off well, but ended up losing matches consecutively. After rankings and awards were announced, he spotted Shannon near a mat. He headed towards her.

"You know, when _you're_ pinned it's pre-determined, but when _I_ do it, it's automatic because my opponents know what's up," Jason said as he finally reached her. He licked his lips and pushed the tip of his tongue upward as if he were trying to impress Shannon with the fuzz of a mustache he started to grow **.** Shannon rolled her eyes, shook her head, and laughed. She couldn't believe what this idiot was talking about. He just lost back to back, whether it was because he _claimed_ she distracted him, or he just had a bad meet didn't matter. He needed his ego checked. If he came at her one more time when she clearly was unresponsive to his advances, she would send a message.

Pissed that he had her not alone, but at least without Mr. Nelson and Jordan in the way, and she still wasn't responsive, he thought of another method to connect. He tested her reflexes. Jason lunged forward attempting a double leg take-down, when Shannon instinctively hip-tossed him on the mat and put her leg across his throat to keep him down.

"You're upper body is good, but your lower is shit," Shannon said as they both lied on the mat. "You need to put the work in with your legs, or your opponents will use your momentum against you just like _I_ just did." Jason was both startled and turned on by Shannon's ability to get him down.

She continued, "That macho shit you've been trying to pull with me doesn't work. I'm _not_ fucking intimidated by you! I've always competed with guys, the lowest weight class obviously. By the time a female division was created at my schools, it didn't seem fair to me after competing three years each time with dudes."

"Alright, alright" Jason said squealing a little as he talked through Shannon's leg still being at his throat. "Let me up. I'm sorry." Shannon removed her leg and they both got up. She grabbed her purse and headed towards the exit.

"I'll see you later tonight Shannon," Jason said. Shannon didn't turn around, but replied with her back to him.

"No you won't. I don't do teenagers," she replied. "Only _men_."

Jason laughed at that comment. "Fine," he said, still into her, but playing it off. "But I was talking about your match tonight. I'll be there. It's only fair that I see you in action up close and personal since you saw me."

"Later Jase," she said as she kept walking. Jason noticed she acknowledged him with his preferred, shortened name, and smirked. He was breaking her down, or so he thought.

* * *

 **Flashback: Late February 2016**

Shannon was booked for Pro Wrestling Guerilla's "Bowie" show in their home base, Reseda, California. PWG was already phenomenal, and this card was no exception. Some of the matches included: "The Party Peacock" Dalton Castle vs. "The Kentucky Gentleman" Chuck Taylor, Chris Hero vs. Trent, "Calihan Death Machine" Sami Callihan vs. Jack Evans, Adam Cole vs. Andrew Everett, Trevor Lee vs. Zack Sabre Jr., "Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Evil Uno. The main event would feature Drew Galloway challenging PWG Champion Roderick Strong for the title.

She was supposed to be in a bonus bout on the card against Candace LaRae, who would be pulling double duty later in the night with her fellow recently engaged tag team partner Joey Ryan in a triple threat tag match against Redragon and The Young Bucks for the PWG World Tag Championships. Depending on how the match at "Bowie" went, she possibly would've been added to the second night of their "All Star Weekend 12" show in March. After her hospital visit, she informed Marc Letzman and Daniel Lyon, the co-owners and bookers that competed as Excalibur and Super Dragon respectively, that she wasn't going to be able to compete in her match because of her injury; but still was going to show up to the event. The people paid money for the event and she was advertised. She didn't like to no-show events, or bail on matches even if she got hurt in the middle of them. It just wasn't her.

When she arrived, Marc and Daniel wanted to know if she was interested in doing a spot with some legends for a nostalgic pop. This was the change they made at the beginning of the month to replace the LaRae-Storm match. As much as she wanted to be a star in her own right, she wasn't cleared to wrestle anyway, and was a fan first and foremost. She obliged to be a part of the angle especially when she was informed of who the legends were for the pop of nostalgia.

Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman were the three legends booked for the show and were doing the NWO Wolfpack gimmick. Technically, Waltman was back in the WWF by the time the NWO Wolfpack started in the summer of 1998. However, it was Waltman who adopted the Russian Wolf hand gesture with his real-life wrestling best friends in 1995; Hall and Nash used it when they left the WWF and started the NWO storyline in WCW in 1996. There was absolutely no way Shannon was going to miss an opportunity to do an angle-even if it was at an independent show where only a couple of hundred people saw-with three fifths of The Kliq. No way. These were her dudes from the very beginning. She liked them during the days Bret Hart would figuratively wish death upon them. She was a Kliq Chick _before_ it was cool to associate with them two decades later.

The NWO Wolfpack entrance music played, and she walked out with them wearing a crimson red shirt with a large black wolf's head on the front, doing the signature hand gesture. The three-on-two handicap match was a spot fest with them all hitting their signature maneuvers against opponents Matt Sydal and ACH. The second to last spot involved Hall clotheslining Sydal. ACH would try to re-enter the ring from the outside to make the save, as he saw Hall setting up for his patented "Razor's Edge" running powerbomb. Before he could successfully make the save, Shannon superkicked ACH **,** finding a sweet spot between his chest and throat, allowing Hall to perform the finish and get the win for his team. She hoped somewhere in Texas Shawn Michaels would be proud. She was determined to tell Paul this story in person whenever she made it to NXT.

* * *

 **Still March 2016, Later that night**

This was Shannon's fourth week with her cast, the time period where her doctor suggested she could start wrestling again, albeit a light load until week eight, where it could be removed after healing fully. While she did not request it and was cleared to compete, owner and booker Mike Quackenbush, decided to put her on the card first with a seasoned veteran of over two decades. Shannon did not want that. She wanted to compete with the younger talent and after seeing her debut at the 2014 King of Trios, as well as matches against some of the guys of the promotion, she wanted Princess KimberLee. But Shannon figured Quackenbush did not make the decision out of animosity, but out of concern: This was her first injury after all and she was only a pro for a year. Youth was one thing, having the smarts for your body was another. Perhaps he didn't want her to be careless at the expense of wowing the crowd.

So Shannon accepted it and was booked in the opening match against Jacqueline Moore, who competed under various versions of her name in WCW, WWE, and TNA. She was a talented and underrated women's wrestler that was perhaps overshadowed when sex and not so much wrestling, was emphasized with women during the early stages of the Attitude Era in the WWF. She was a great technician who like Chyna, feuded with men as well as women, in nearly every promotion she worked for. She was the only woman to hold the Cruiserweight Title in the WWE, and the WWE's first African-American Women's Champion.

Shannon already knew who she was as she watched her as a child. The fact that Jacqueline still competed at some independent shows at age 52 showed a testament to her discipline as woman, and as an athlete to remain in ring shape. A lot of athletes whether they came from the football, basketball, or even mixed martial arts world who looked at professional wrestling as something that ought to be easy as it was illegitimate, were sadly mistaken when they received tryouts and were not hired; or got hired but were released months later from developmental contracts. Wrestlers were artists _as well as_ athletes. Not everyone could abuse their bodies 300 days a year without the luxury of a three to six month off-season like the other sports. There was a big difference between being in great shape, and being in wrestling shape. Shannon just finished her regular routine of pre-match warm ups before she met Jacqueline in a hallway.

"Hi, I'm Shannon. You have me tonight at the top of the card. I'm from Maryland. Congratulations on the Hall of Fame induction! I bet it was awesome getting inducted in your home state of Texas! Do I call you Ms. Jackie? Ms. Jacqueline, Ms. Moore, um…" Shannon reached her arm out for a handshake, distracting herself from the embarrassment of talking at what seemed like a mile a minute.

"Hey there. And thank you. It's always nice not only to entertain the fans, but be recognized and honored by your peers for your contributions. You can just call me Jackie," she replied accepting the handshake. "You don't have to be nervous. It's just a match, and I'm just another worker," Jacqueline said. "What's up with the cast?," She asked looking at Shannon's arm.

"It's just a little wrist fracture," Shannon said as she stared at the cast looking forward to the day she could remove it permanently. "It comes off in another four weeks, but I can go. We're good."

"I'll take care of you," Jacqueline replied as she bent down pulling up her kneepads. "I'm one of the safest workers who competed in the WWE, and especially here on the indies."

* * *

"Hammerlock after my sleeper hold attempt," Shannon mumbled through Jacqueline's wrist, who currently had her in a side headlock.

"You sure? It's pressure on your wrist," replied Jacqueline who was protecting Shannon all match. Despite Shannon's wrist injury being a lot less serious than it could have been, when a wrestler was hurt, Jacqueline's philosophy was to protect your opponent as much as possible first-to prevent worsening the injury-while match quality, was the second.

"I trust you," was all Shannon said before pushing Jacqueline into the ropes, causing a break where she would attempt a sleeper hold on her as she came back. As soon as Shannon got her arms in position for the sleeper, Jacqueline ducked in between them, grabbing Shannon's right arm and placing it behind her back for a hammerlock. While Shannon was grateful she was in the ring with a seasoned veteran who cared about their opponent's safety, she knew if she had people avoid the hand, wrist, and lower arm area for too long, she may grow a phobia towards it even once she was cleared to remove the cast. Injuries were inevitable for any athlete, and if she didn't mentally prepare herself to deal with this one, there was no way she could continue her wrestling career because more would come and likely more severe.

Because Shannon was working heel and knew her cast was visible to everyone, she didn't see a point in avoiding it. She wanted to incorporate it in the match, so executed various shoulder and armbreakers on Jacqueline, before striking her with the cast when the referee had their back turned. The story she was telling here was that despite being obviously hurt with the cast, it was Jacqueline and not she, who ironically endured more pain, especially in the arm area of the body, making Shannon appear to be the more tough of the two competitors. Shannon was putting over Jacqueline, and for being so protective of her in the ring, wanted Jacqueline to counter her airplane spinning jumping cutter finisher, also known as the "B More Careful."

Before hoisting Jacqueline on her shoulders she mumbled as the two women were on their knees, "On the spin, jump down, and on your bridging German, finish." Jacqueline nodded and as she was span by Shannon, pushed off; once she landed she German suplexed Shannon with an arching bridge. Shannon did not kick out, and during the sell from the corner of her eye saw Jason blow a kiss at her from the crowd.

"Your wrist good?" Jacqueline said proudly to Shannon as they made it to the back. "Not bad for 52, huh?"

"Hell no. Definitely not, Jackie! You haven't lost a step. You're just more seasoned," Shannon said after grabbing a hand towel to wipe the sweat off her face. Shannon wasn't sure if she could go that long, but Jacqueline certainly was inspiration if she ever had the desire to. "And yes, it feels good. I appreciate you taking care of me out there." Jacqueline nodded and exited the hall, leaving Shannon to her thoughts. Her match was over, but she stayed for the entire card making sure she wouldn't run into Jason, who kept his word and was around for her match.

* * *

After the last match, Shannon showered, got dressed, paid, and headed outside to her car. She saw Jason, who was wearing a black Adidas track suit and light grey shirt of the same brand underneath, leaning against her car. "Why are you still here? And how'd you know this was my car?"

"I told you I would see you later tonight. So here I am," Jason replied cockily. "I saw a lot of people leave, but didn't see you come out so assumed this was you." Shannon put her ring gear in the trunk of her 2010 royal blue Chrysler PT Cruiser. It was a high school graduation gift that still rode smooth. Even if she wanted an upgrade, she didn't exactly _need_ one.

"What do you want Jason?" she asked as she unlocked the driver's side of the car and got inside.

He held her door open and said simply, "You."

This guy, who was a teenage boy really, annoyed her to no end. It wasn't scary to the point of being a stalker, and she respected his persistence. Still, it made no sense. He was a stranger. A minor. Sure, she was only maybe five or six years older than him, but he was a minor nonetheless. It was stupid. But she was horny so said, "What the hell? Get in."

He didn't need to be told twice. They attacked each other in her backseat as they hurriedly undressed one another. Shannon used her foot to drag her purse over to her, and while still managing to kiss Jason, reached her hand down long enough to pull something out. "Here," she said breaking the kiss, and holding a condom up to him.

"Girls carry condoms?" he asked. "I didn't know that."

" _Girls_ might not, but women do," Shannon said correcting Jason. "Unpreparedness can really kill the moment for me. Now are we doing this or what?"

Jason snatched the condom and tore the corner of the wrapper open with his mouth.

"Wouldn't want you to change your mind," he replied with a smirk as he got back in position before he ruined Shannon's giving mood. She knew this wasn't the best decision to make, but they were too far ahead to stop now.

 _You only live once._ _And I'm never gonna' see this boy again._


	7. Chapter Seven: Help and Humility

**April 2016**

Shannon finally made it to the Eldridge Community Center in Eldridge, Iowa for another show. She always liked arriving at venues a couple of hours before the shows started, just in case the booker wanted to change original plans for the card. While Shannon knew where Iowa was on the map of the United States, she'd never stopped there before, and unfortunately received bad directions from the GPS in the car that was supposed to be the expert. She did make up for lost time, but by the time she made it to the venue, she was five minutes late. She didn't exactly have Seth Rollins on speed dial, and this location was just north of his hometown of Davenport.

Shannon hurriedly put her gear on in the car after parking, raced for the entrance of the building and headed straight to the curtain, where she'd likely run into the booker.

"Where the hell have you been?" said Jacob Cass, the booker of this event. "You're late."

"Only by five minutes. I have my gear on," Shannon replied after panting a few seconds. "Has my spot on the card changed?"

"Hell yeah, your spot on the card has changed. Not from first, last, or even middle, but to fucking zero!" Cass shouted as Shannon's eyebrows' raised in confusion. "You're off the show. You've been replaced."

"But I, I'm already here. I'm ready," she said pointing to her gear. She sighed, realizing it was futile repeating herself, so sought to see if she could be used in some other capacity. "Fine, alright. I'm not leaving right away though. Do you need me to help take the ring down after the show? I could get paid for that."

"No, no, no," Cass said waving his hand. "You went to school before, right? What'd you study?"

"Communication and Pol-" he interrupted Shannon.

"Perfect!," he exclaimed. "We're five minutes into the show, but nothing's started. Music's just been playing to buy time. Our scheduled announcer is high in the bathroom as we speak. I doubt he'll return to planet Earth anytime soon. Here."

Cass tossed a small note pad to Shannon. When she opened it, it had several matches, wrestlers, and outcomes written in ink with lots of scratches on the page. When she opened the book to the final page, a cigarette blocked her view.

"Oh, I was wondering where that went," said Cass who grabbed the cigarette from the pad and placed it behind his ear. He pushed Shannon through the curtain and mumbled, "That's the card. You're announcing. Go."

Before she knew it, she was ringside with a roaring crowd anxious for the show to begin. There was no time to check over things to see if she pronounced talents' names correctly, or if the booker's handwriting was legible enough to read the finish to know when the time approached for her to listen for certain tracks, and announce the winner. Shannon was the one who was late, so she needed to make these two hours run as fun and as smooth as possible for the audience. Music started once again as she held the microphone to her hand.

"Helllloooo Eldridge! The following contest is scheduled for one fall with a 15 minute time limit!"

Shannon was determined to make the most of the opportunity, even if it meant announcing in ring gear, and on the fly. It was a unique opportunity to make fifty bucks to say the least.

* * *

After the event, Shannon started her car and drove for about twenty miles before the tank icon revealed an "e" symbol. "Shit it's empty." She checked her phone. The car wouldn't budge, and she knew she needed gas. She checked the Google Maps application on her phone for the nearest location of a gas station. It was ten miles away. It was dark. It was cold. She was in the middle of a road unrecognizable by anyone who didn't frequent it. But she needed gas.

While there was the possibility she could hitch-hike or hope a good Samaritan would pull over and bring her some gas, Shannon remembered all the horrific reenactments on shows like _America's Most Wanted_ and _48 Hours_ about scenarios where women in distress like this, got in rides with strangers. Most of the results weren't good: they were either never heard from again, or found dead with certain body parts severed. She placed her phone in her back pocket, pulled her keys out the ignition, tucked her clutch purse in the front pocket of her hoodie, and exited the car with her orange carton from under the backseat for gas. Her plan was to fill up her gas carton, put it in her tank, and hope no one stopped to steal the car that she had to leave on the road so she could do so. Shannon inhaled a deep breath, locked the car, and mumbled "Protect me God for these 10 miles." She began to walk.

She walked the miles, and despite her fears, made it to the gas station safely. Walking in between a few cars connected to gas machines, she saw a panhandler. Some of the people exiting the convenience store walked dismissively by, giving the man dirty looks. Shannon thought it was quite dehumanizing to treat someone that way. Even if they didn't want him to give him anything, the grimaces and snappiness she thought, was too much. Getting closer to the convenience store, the panhandler approached her.

"Excuse me miss. I'm hungry and homeless. Do you think you'll have any spare change when you finish up in there?" asked the man, who didn't look more than ten to twelve years older than Shannon herself. Despite the look of youth in his face, he had long untrimmed charcoal facial hair which made him appear older. A few strands of hair where his mustache and beard intersected blew over a few red, swollen, blisters around his mouth, which Shannon presumed were cold sores.

Shannon was touched. This wasn't the first time she saw a homeless person. She passed many as a child and as an adult. They always asked either for money, food, or sometimes both. But there was something different about him. Despite his situation, he was selfless. He asked her for money, on the premise _she had change left_ from shopping. She walked up to him, reached in her hoodie for the purse in her wallet, and pulled out the fifty dollar bill she just made for announcing. She handed it to him.

"Here you go sir," said Shannon as the man's eyes widened, possibly at the first positive reaction he received from someone all night, technically morning as it was well after midnight. "I don't know your circumstance or your story. But whatever it is, I hope you weather the storm."

"Oh, God Bless you!" he shouted excitedly. "I come by here a lot, but not many people respond when I ask," he said calmly. "It's like I'm invisible. But I didn't used to be. I used to be a soldier. Got discharged and fell on tough times. Thank you very much Miss."

Shannon started to tear up. This could be anyone at any particular moment. He didn't have to be a soldier to be in this situation. And he didn't need to say much else to get to her. "Well in that case, the pleasure is all mine," Shannon said before saluting the man. "Thank you for defending Old Glory sir. We may not always deserve it, but on behalf of the rest of America, I appreciate you doing it anyway." She headed for the door and entered the convenience store.

* * *

"Excuse me sir, how much is your gas?" Shannon asked.

"Depends on how much you need," the clerk snapped at Shannon.

"Well I need to fill this container up," Shannon walked closer to the clerk holding the carton up to him. He nodded and blew a bubble from the gum he was chewing.

Shannon started to exit after the clerk confirmed with body language she could fill her carton. "Hey, where ya' going? You need to pay here first before you fill," said the clerk.

"Okay, no problem," Shannon said walking back to the clerk, reaching for her wallet again. She pulled out her debit card and handed it to the clerk who shook his head repeatedly.

"Nut-uh, miss," said the clerk. "We take cash only. No ATM's!" Shannon sighed, knowing the only physical cash she had on her was the fifty bucks she gave to the homeless man outside. Desperate, she talked to the clerk.

"Listen sir," Shannon pleaded. "I don't have any cash on me. I gave it to the gentleman outside."

"No cash, no gas!" the clerk shouted adamantly, crossing his arms. He blew another bubble.

"Sir, I understand that. It's not that I'm trying to steal," she continued. "You have a mother. I'm not sure if you have a sister, a niece, or any female cousins."

"Your point?" the clerk snapped again at Shannon. She was too desperate to retort back in a sarcastic manner.

"You wouldn't want them wandering around stranded, alone late at night, not knowing if they were safe," Shannon reasoned. "I have money on my cards. But you don't have an ATM machine. Is it possible for you to give me the cash so I can fill up?"

"You want me to pay for the gas _you_ need?" the clerk asked.

"No. _Borrow_. You'd get me the money for the gas, I fill up my car, drive to a place that has an ATM when the sun rises, and bring your money back here," Shannon said trying to negotiate.

The clerk remained with his arms crossed in his chest. "How do I know you're not lying, and won't bring it back?"

"Sir, I'm a wrestler," she said as she reached in her purse and flashed her wrestling license at him. "For all intents and purposes, I'm a nobody right now, which means every dollar I make is valuable," she replied. "If I'm willing to pay you back while I'm still an indie wrestler, it shows you I'm trustworthy."

Taking money from his own pocket and slamming it on the counter, he shouted, "You better not fuck me over." He pointed a finger at her. "Your ass is on video."

"I'll be back, I promise," she said as she rushed out the door with the gas container. "Thanks."

When Shannon got outside, she saw the homeless man unmoved from the position she first met him.

"Still here soldier?" Shannon asked trying to appear warm, and not smug. "Didn't go in to grab a bite to eat?"

"I couldn't," the homeless, ex-soldier responded. "Hands too cold to grip the door and grab anything. People underestimate how cold a spring night in April can be." While his statement sounded disappointing, it gave her an idea.

"I have a proposition for you," said Shannon. "I'm going to fill this gas carton up. You walk me to my car ensuring I get there safe and in one piece, I'll grab a warm blanket in my trunk and have you sleep in my backseat. When day breaks, I'll drive to a place to get cash, take you back to the place I met you, buy you something to eat, _and_ I'll let you keep the fifty. How's that?"

The homeless man rose up, happy that he remained in his position as Shannon seemed to him, inviting and good-hearted. "I say, you've got yourself a deal."

* * *

Shannon made good on her word with everyone. She stayed up all night in her car after she filled it up, ensuring the homeless man got a good night's rest in her backseat. They drove to a mini-mart to find an ATM machine, grabbed a bite to eat, then finally drove back to the convenience store without the ATM machine to return the money to the annoyed clerk. The homeless man returned her blanket and got out of her car.

"Well I guess this is the end of our journey Sold, I mean Mr. Jimmy," Shannon said. He told her his name on their way to find an ATM machine. Shannon nearly called him soldier again.

"That it is," he nodded. "So what do you do when you're not taking care of people like me?" Mr. Jimmy questioned, rubbing the bags from his eyes. Even though Shannon assured he had one good night's sleep, from the looks of it, they came few and far between.

"I'm a wrestler. Shannon Storm," she stated. "Remember the name," she said only half joking.

"Come here," Mr. Jimmy motioned his hand after snapping the buttons to the fleece sweater she bought him at the mini mart before returning at their original meeting place. Shannon came to him. "Sign my cup. If I ever get on my feet again, I'll remember if I see you."

Shannon was just an independent wrestler, taking bookings whenever and wherever. She wasn't in the WWE, TNA, or even ROH. She didn't understand why this man wanted her autograph, but out of respect, pulled out a sharpie from her purse and signed his cup.

"Mmhmm," the man hummed. "A beautiful heart, a beautiful signature, and a beautiful face. You'll make some young man happy, if you haven't already."

"Someday Mr. Jimmy," she said as she went back in her car and turned on the ignition.

She gave him one last glance before leaving when Jimmy held up his cup now signed by her, and shouted, "Weather the Storm, Shannon!"

"You too Mr. Jimmy. Weather The Storm," Shannon said nodding. She pulled off and headed to the nearest exit home. She had a long drive ahead of her, but she made sure she had some cash on hand this time around. Mr. Jimmy was right: she didn't just have a beautiful face and beautiful signature, but a beautiful heart.

She never changed her mind about him keeping the fifty bucks.


	8. Chapter Eight: Universal Language

**May 2016**

Shannon was booked for an event in Japan. It wasn't just any event, but the May Wrestling Donkatu Pay Per View with Japan's largest and most popular wrestling promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling, currently chaired by Naoki Sugabayashi. Chris Jericho, Hulk Hogan, Eddie Guerrero, and many others competed in the Tokyo Dome, host of many NJPW events, most notably WrestleKingdom. Shannon's trainer McDevitt, wasn't able to book her with the NJPW show, but she reconnected with someone from Chikara a few months back, and their associate contacted her to appear at this show. Whether it be luck, good networking, or a little of both, Shannon was certainly appreciative.

When the plane reached a high enough altitude to use her cellphone, Shannon responded to a text she received from Bayley.

 **Pam** : Hey Shanny, did you catch that podcast?

 **Me** : Podcast? Who's not doing a podcast nowadays?

 **Pam** : You for starters.

 **Me** : Hahaha, good point. :) Who's podcast Pam?

 **Pam** : Austin girl! The clean one. Not the unleashed show.

 **Me** : I only listen to the unleashed ones. The regular shows are boring. Who's the guest anyway?

 **Pam** : Your girl. Rousey.

 **Me** : …

 **Pam** : She's been gone seven months now. Don't be that way.

 **Me** : …

 **Pam** : At least check it out. And if you're still pissed, that's fine.

 **Me** : Caught that ironwoman match with you and Becky last week. I was so pumped that Hunter gave you two the full 60 minutes, and not the lame half hour from last year. Should've been a PPV, but I suppose having that as the full NXT episode was a first, right?

 **Pam** : Thanks! Yeah, it was. So how are you liking Japan? Hit all the hot spots?

 **Me** : You know my broke ass doesn't have extra cash to spare. I'm stoked for the opportunity, but I'm in and out of here.

 **Pam** : You're like 12 hours up on us, so no spoilers! I'm streaming it tomorrow. Be a beast.

 **Me** : I'll make them eat defeat. Later.

* * *

 **The next day at Wrestling Dontaku**

This was not only Shannon's first time wrestling in Japan. It was her first time in Japan, period. Take away her nerdom for Pokemon, and she couldn't tell you much else about Japan other than knowing the women in the 1990s were putting on better matches than the men, and it was also known as "The Land of The Rising Sun." Despite Japanese apparently being a lot easier to translate to English than Chinese, Shannon did not travel there abroad for college, nor try to learn the language beforehand. All she knew was that there would be at least one English speaker doing commentary for the non-Japanese speaking audience streaming the event online, and that she was going over. She'd leave everything else to her instincts.

As the heel, she was announced first, but not to the correct theme music. She was announced to Hulk Hogan's "Real American," instead of Fort Minor's "Remember The Name." She was not going to remain backstage as it was time to come to the ring, but she was upset. Shannon was upset because it was embarrassing, but not to the point where she'd want to kill someone. Apart from the embarrassment, she was not a Hogan fan. Hearing his theme made her instantly think of Roddy Piper, Hogan's biggest foe, who died thirteen days later after appearing at Shannon's MCW event where she wrestled Bayley this past July. Piper would hit her in the head with the bagpipes like he hit Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka with a coconut, if she didn't walk through that curtain. She didn't want that-not even from wrestling heaven-so like a good little mark, headed to the ring.

Shannon was wrestling Kana who worked for six different Japanese promotions before coming to NJPW. She received an amazing pop during her entrance. While it was easy to presume the crowd would overwhelmingly be behind Kana, you could never be certain. After all, Shannon knew Kurt Angle was supposed to be a babyface "American Hero" during his debut, but the people turned him heel instantly after feeling he was being forced on them. That was the best instant turn she could think of because it worked perfectly for the maturation of his career. Here though, the thirty two year old Kana was beloved and a crowd favorite. Shannon hadn't competed in an arena this large, and wasn't yet naturally adjusted to the volume of the crowd. She really wished she had a pair of earplugs. It wasn't like she'd be saying much to Kana anyhow.

Shannon paced around the ring a few moments after the bell rung and every time Kana would try to charge at her, Shannon would climb through the ropes or slide out of the ring.

"I have no idea who punches in Storm's time card Joey, but from the looks of my watch, we've got under two hours to finish the Pay Per View," said Jim Ross who signed a deal with the AXS TV cable network in January to an exclusive contract calling both NJPW television and Pay Per View shows for the American audiences. "We don't have time for her stalling. Other business on the card needs to get attended to."

After the fourth time escaping the ring, Kana ran off the ropes and timing Shannon's return perfectly, executed a sick, bone crushing, dropkick, causing Shannon to swallow the gum she always chewed to the ring since adopting the Storm name. The crowd gasped at the cracking smack.

 _What the fuck! Shit! I know they do the strong style in Japan and shoot with intense full contact, but damn! Wish I had a freaking warning. I didn't even turn my face to the side so she'd connect with the jaw. Did I lose any...I quickly patted my mouth both on the inside and outside to find just two spots of blood dripping down my bottom lip. So I'm cut. Okay, I can deal. I'm too young to lose any teeth though. I have never been kicked so hard in my life until now. I am definitely getting a mouth guard from here on out._

"Good night Irene! Or should I say Shannon, who was annihilated by a fierce dropkick by Kana," said Joey Styles, who joined Jim Ross on the English-speaking broadcast.

Styles still worked for the WWE, but served as their Director of Digital Media, and like many of their older employees, had certain freelance privileges to do some projects outside of the company. Calling some NJPW events was one of those outside projects. He did not need the WWE as he had a job secured even when they purchased ECW fifteen years ago; so he had leverage with his contract negotiations. Shannon had no idea Joey Styles would be there. She was told at least one English speaker would be at the announce desk, but a second wasn't confirmed. But that's how things worked in the wrestling business. Things were _very_ fluid. Sometimes you were told things that were true. Some were lies. Sometimes the things that were true were changed on a dime, and the lies turned to truths. Only the strong survived in a business that could be as flexible as it was cut throat.

Shannon got up and the referee gave her a quick look. She didn't look dazed and though her mouth was busted in two areas of her bottom lip, she wasn't disfigured. So he clapped his hands, symbolizing his approval for the competitors to continue. Shannon locked up with Kana with a collar and elbow tie up, and Kana broke contact with a dropkick to Shannon's knees. It worked perfectly to Shannon because she flopped down face first; and in doing so, made Kana look good because Shannon was already busted open, and the impact of the fall could open up her cut even more.

Shannon pulled Kana's ankles as she had her back to Shannon, embracing the pockets of cheers among the crowd. When Kana fell down Shannon ran the ropes and delivered a leaping elbow to her lower back, followed by the Boston Crab. Shannon was clearly working the back, but had no idea where Kana wanted to go, and was getting irritated as the match went on several more minutes. She wasn't angry at her opponent, but herself. She didn't know Japanese, and didn't want to give Kana a poor match. She needed to figure out Kana's rhythm.

"Kana with the armbar, what's she gonna' do here...is Shannon gonna try to reverse it?" asked Ross. "Kana's been executing submission attempt after submission attempt with every offensive maneuver Storm puts on her."

"Wham! Kana nails Shannon with an elbow to the mouth as she tries to reverse the armbar, That can't be doing any favors to her lip!" said Styles."Oh jumping armbreaker by Kana!"

 _Wait a second...her hands. That's it. She's trying to communicate with her hands. One jerk and three fingers pointing to any body part and that's a strike. Two jerks and one finger pointed to any body part and that's a call for a submission! Three jerks and two fingers pointing to any body part is a grapple. That must be how she communicates to people who don't speak Japanese! Sweet. I think I've got it_.

When Shannon thought her instincts guided her along to master Kana's system, she went to work.

"Northern lights suplex by Shannon on Kana right into the turnbuckle! Joey I think Storm's getting into a groove now," said Jim Ross in a pleasurable tone.

Jim Ross by and large played the babyface supportive role on commentary, but the way he delivered that line it wasn't as if he were favoring Shannon, but speaking like a relieved coach happy their star player finally understood the playbook. Shannon never met Jim Ross personally, but he was familiar with MCW. He'd visited it before she was a student there. But he also had over forty years of experience. He knew the seasoned vets, those who were green, to everything in between. He could tell that she was struggling early on-but it wasn't until she pulled the match back together-that he realized she wasn't green at all, but trying to overcome a communication issue. It made him proud, and his passion showed.

"Torture rack backbreaker into the jumping double knee backbreaker. There it is! That's Evolution!" Ross shouted, and readjusted his headset as the cowboy hat underneath it nearly fell, after sliding from under the adjustable headband strap. "One, two, no! She kicked out. Kana kicked out of Evolution!"

"Yes she did J.R. and Evolution is one of Storm's signature maneuvers!" said Joey Styles who nodded his head in approval despite neither of the two women looking in his direction. "This isn't MCW. This is New Japan Pro Wrestling! Shannon Storm's gotta' bring it! Speaking of bringing it, she's back on the attack with a tilt-a-whirl bac-no! Kana turns the would be tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into the octopus submission! Fantastic showing of technique, here. But Shannon got to the ropes somehow. Damn."

"Kana releases the hold...and Shannon whips her into the ropes...what's Kana going to do on the return?" asked Jim Ross, who of course knew who was going over, but didn't know the specifics of the finish like he didn't know for any other match he ever called. He preferred it that way as it made his emotions more authentic in his calls.

"Oh, Shannon caught her on her shoulders...could be setting up B More Careful, that spinning, release, jumping cutter of hers. I'm told she calls it Weather The Storm now," Styles explained. "Here comes the spin...no! Kana pushes off and nails Shannon with a flapjack! Un-fucking-real! What a contest!"

Bull Nakano, one of Shannon's favorite heels and certainly her favorite opponent against Alundra Blaze in the early '90s in the WWF, was the Japanese commentator for this match. Shannon wasn't told she'd be there, or even make an appearance on the show, but marked out with a little smirk when she saw her from the corner of her eye. Suddenly, Kana climbed up to the top rope, presumably to dive on Shannon, when Nakano stood up from the commentary table glaring at Shannon and Kana for about ten seconds. Then she headed towards the ring.

 _Holy shit. She's heading over here. Why the fuck is she here? Shut up, Shannon. It's Japan, of course she'd be here. But why the fuck is she coming to the ring and climbing up the apron?_

Before Shannon could finish her thoughts, she missed Nakano grab the ring bell and strike Kana across the back with the wood side, leaving her now slouched over, sitting on the turnbuckle. An echoing "Aah" filled the arena.

 _No one told me she would interfere! What's going on here?_

She couldn't finish her thought because she saw the timekeeper twirl his index finger, and the referee repeated the action twirling a finger at his hip with a nod. She knew in the then WWF, in addition to ringing the bell and tossing Steve Austin beers, Mark Eaton, also signaled to referees when matches were coming to a close. Considering that referees had been wearing earpieces for over a decade now and having an actual timekeeper was no longer necessary, she figured that was why he was fired by the company last year.

Knowing that the match's conclusion was confirmed by both the referee and timekeeper and she was going over with no finish decided, she went back to her instincts. Back at MCW, she was working on ideas for a potential top rope finisher, but never used one in a match...until now.

 _No time like the present._

As Kana dangled over and bobbed her head side to side selling trauma like she was inebriated, Shannon wiped the remaining blood from her bottom lip with the back of her hand, and smeared it across her chest like war paint. Then she ran as fast as she could and in one single leap, joined Kana on the top rope.

"Kana was just hammered with the ring bell! What on earth is Bull Nakano's problem?" screamed Styles. "She was set to put Storm away and now Shannon could be possibly catching a break! Storm's up...she races to the corner, and what in the blue hell...Super Falcon Arrow from the top rope! Oh my gaawd!"

The crowd leaped from their seats and their voices erupted, not just for the move, but for Storm's victory as well. This was a Japanese crowd, and while fans loved their wrestling just as much as any other country where it was provided, they observed it differently. Japanese crowds were significantly more quieter than any other crowd. While you may hear murmurs here and there, ninety percent of the time they were silent-not because they were bored-but because it was their _custom_. The Japanese people looked at pro-wrestling, not just as entertainment, but as an _art form_. The concept of combining athleticism with storytelling was something they valued very highly. It was not to the extent of worshiping deities, but the respect level was pretty damn close.

Shannon's mind ran wild as they played the wrong music again. She didn't care the second time around.

 _This is Japan. The people aren't quiet. They're usually quiet. Bull Nakano interfered in my match. I won that match from her interference. And I didn't even know that was why she came. I just winged it. That move made them pop. Sure, they booed me after I won because their hero Kana, was built to be so indomitable and resilient; and an outsider just defeated her, but still. So many things happened in the past 60 seconds. It was like the perfect storm. Ha, that's what I'll call that! My falcon arrow from the top will be The Perfect Storm._

* * *

 **Moments Later**

Despite Shannon being at a New Japan show, this was not an one hundred percent Japanese crowd. For the past few years Ring of Honor had a working agreement where New Japan stars would appear twice a year at ROH Pay Per Views, usually the Global Wars Pay Per View in May, and the War of the Worlds super show of the same month. Starting this year, ROH stars would come to Japan for the first time and appear on NJPW Pay Per View cards, where championships from both brands would be defended. The first event the ROH roster appeared in was WrestleKingdom in January, New Japan's version of WWE's Wrestlemania. This Pay Per View was the second.

Shannon was the only American appearing on the show not contracted to the forty four year old NJPW, or fourteen year old ROH. Because that was a big deal, Shannon was going to cut a promo. Shannon wouldn't dare claim the title of math wizard, but to her, the crowd looked split sixty-forty, with sixty percent being Japanese and forty percent Non-Asian, possibly twenty percent Americans and twenty percent Brits. This was a joint Pay Per View. Forty percent of English speakers was better than zero, and with many Japanese people knowing some English, Shannon was willing to take a chance on the venue. Plus, it was the Tokyo Dome. Everyone didn't get the opportunity to go there. Even if she stunk out the joint, at least she had balls to fucking try.

She rolled out of the ring, grabbed a microphone, and rolled back in. When the crowd finally grew quiet, she walked to the center of the ring and raised the microphone to her mouth to speak.

"You people are so selfish," She started, pointing at the crowd. "You people are so selfish that it's unbelievable. You don't care how much or for how long I've been busting my ass town after town, bingo hall after bingo hall, gymnasium after gymnasium, auditorium after auditorium, in match after match. I give my blood, sweat, tears, and body parts to this damn sport, but you _refuse_ to accept me! You _refuse_ to appreciate me."

Shannon climbed between the ropes still holding the microphone, and exited the ring. She looked down and saw the ring bell that Bull Nakano hit Kana with still on the floor mat, and picked it up with the opposite hand not holding the microphone. She raised it just inches above an audience member's head in the front row, shouting in his face.

"And why? Is it because I'm heinous or sadistic? I don't think so! Is it because I'm deceitful or manipulative? That can't possibly be the reason. But I think, I know what it is." Thankful she hadn't dropped the ring bell on the audience member or shake it in nervousness in front of him, she walked over to the commentary table and dropped it there. Then she reentered the ring.

"You people are _jealous_ of me! That's right, you people are _envious_ of me! And it's not because of my beauty or body. If I can be serious for a moment, let's not kid each other folks. Plastic surgery, dentistry, and personal trainers have come a _long_ way. I'm sure most of you are willing to pay good money-if you haven't already-to buy a good face and get someone to whip you into shape. So no, that's _not_ why you're jealous." The English speaking audience began to boo, while the Japanese gestured their thumbs down in disapproval.

"You're jealous of my intangibles and that's talent! God-given talent that you do not possess, nor can even _fathom_ to aspire to acquire! Trust me when I say it's not a matter of _if_ , but _when_ I do make it to bigger and better venues in places that not only sell out, but are sanitary! Places where this 40,000 crowd will be a mere fraction of where I'll be performing next! You people will be missing out! When that day comes I don't want to see any of you in my merchandise, you hear me? If there's one thing I hate more than quitters and complainers, it's bandwagon hoppers. That's why I'm not bisexual. I'm quite decisive. I can ride a stick shift and stick with it! If I see any of you ingrates with my merch, I'll demand you to take it off! Not because I'm well-mannered, but to save the _embarrassment_ of me beating it off of you!"

Shannon caught a few pieces of trash that were thrown at her-plastic cups, Styrofoam trays, and streamers-and tossed them aside. Realizing that the Japanese portion of the crowd grew rowdy, but were never going to be as vocal as the Americans or English, she took advantage of the moment as though they were not cooperating with listening to her tirade.

"Hey, shut up when I'm speaking because I am not done talking! There was a time when ladies marched through the streets of Stamford, and kicked the doors down daring _anyone_ to deny them the opportunity to showcase their talent. But when the cage got a little rattled, the hierarchy in the animal kingdom became unstable, and the _chosen few_ became the _chosen one_ , what happened? That vigor, that fire, it all dissipated. The weakest army can still defeat their enemy if they maintain their faith, and never abandon the battalion. Instead of commanding the rest of soldiers or starting a revolution of your own, you hang up your wrestling boots to become housewives! Mrs. Brooks and Mrs. Copeland _chose_ to be deserters. And those that remained became complacent pawns. Well a rebellion is coming, and I'm on way!"

With that Shannon dropped the microphone, exited the ring a final time and began walking up the ramp. The people who booed continued to do so, and Shannon even heard a pocket of fans seated on the right side of the ramp shout, "Fuck you Shannon, Fuck you Shannon." She was tempted to stop and shout back at them, "Maybe later," but decided against it since this was a live show and didn't want to cut into anyone else's time.

Because Shannon was not signed to a major promotion, this was not only the first time she was in front of a crowd of 40,000, but perhaps the only time she'd be in front of one that size for awhile. Even if Dixie Carter and Paul Levesque weren't watching this Pay Per View specifically, she knew for certain people on their talent recruitment staff would be. It was their job. That fuck up with the entrance music, which she very well understood could've been an honest mistake, gave her the mojo to cut that promo. Part of having instincts wasn't just what you physically could do in the ring, but reading the crowd, sensing when you had them emotionally, and letting it rip vocally. That's just what she did.

* * *

 **Exiting The Tokyo Dome**

Shannon finished watching the rest of the show backstage, showered, and greeted a few people on her way out of the building to her car. As she loaded her rental car with her baggage, she looked up and saw Joey Styles leaving the venue. She slammed her trunk and jogged over to him, asking if he had a minute for advice.

"I really like what you said out there. It was one of the most raw promos I've seen from anyone new coming up in a long time. I'm not going to patronize you and say ' _for a woman_.' I mean anyone. You want advice?" Styles asked removing a card with presumably his contact information and handing it over to Shannon, who gladly accepted it. "Don't be afraid to be uninhibited. If there's something on your mind or you think that's relevant, go ahead and say it. _Fuck_ censorship and people's feelings! If anyone backstage bitches about what you say about them, then they don't have the balls to work in this damn business. Everyone rips everyone in some capacity whether it's on the mic, in a match, or backstage."

Shannon nodded, but had another question. "How do I communicate with the announce team to help them put me over?"

"That'll be easy for you," Styles said simply as he adjusted his glasses. "When I did commentary, Heyman threw a headset on me, and for the first few years I was _alone_ -with no sense of direction-and no one in my ear. I called the action as I saw fit. I called it for what it _was_ : dynamic athletes putting on amazing matches. It was raucous, and it was gritty. I didn't focus on 'storytelling.' The wrestlers did that with their bodies and _together_ , we put each other over. We weren't focused on WCW or the WWF. We were doing our own thing with our own niche fans. And when our fan base grew louder and louder, you saw both of those promotions get a little hardcore. Trust me, we were the smallest, but Vince _definitely_ knew who we were and what we were about. And they copied us, amping up the intensity in their matches. Whenever you see a big hardcore spot in any match nowadays-hell, or even from 20 years ago-do you hear WCW or WWE? No! You hear E-C-fucking W! It doesn't matter what promotion you're watching! That's an _undeniable_ , legendary impact. I have my haters as we all do, but that's a bona fide fact! So if you put in the work in matches, telling good stories with your body, the commentators will replicate that over the broadcast. Trust me, it'll happen. McMahon's not there anymore. Hunter's running the show."

"It makes sense. It really does," Shannon said while folding her arms at her chest. "But what about heat?"

"Heat? Fuck heat!" Styles said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders as if it was not a pressing matter. "That's how we _all_ get over. They don't like it? Then they need to grow the hell up, or get out of this line of work! Having real heat makes it all the better, but you gotta' keep your shit professional once you leave Gorilla. Don't worry about controversy or swearing. Leave that to the producers and production crew. If something needs to get cut or edited, let them do it. But _never_ start a promo and mid-promo think 'oh what will they think in the back? How is so and so going to take it?' You do that and that _pause_ -that false sense of security-will _lose_ the crowd; and any faith of momentum they would've bought into you deserving a push is killed _immediately_! You'd get boo'd not because you're a good heel _earning_ heat, but because you're a fraudulent, phony, soft ass, cowardly heel. And that's _not_ what you want. At least judging from your promo, it's not what you want to be."

"Right. I'm not a pussy just because I have one," said Shannon.

"My sentiments exactly. Anyway, good show," Styles said reaching his arm out for a handshake, and Shannon complied. "I'm headed to a local bar with good 'ol J.R. and some of the crew. Feel free to tag along if you don't have any other plans tonight."

"Thanks for the invite, but I don't drink. Besides, I'm on one of the first flights back to the States in the morning. I appreciate the advice though," she said with a smile.

"You're welcome for it," Styles said patting her shoulder. "Well alright. Best of luck to you. I'll keep you on my radar of rising stars on the independents. Keep grinding. I hope you get to Orlando someday."

* * *

 **Plane ride back to the U.S.**

On the plane ride back to America when it was safe, Shannon listened to Bayley and checked out the Ronda Rousey episode of the Steve Austin show on her netbook. She skipped through some of boring introductory pleasantries and promotional plugs.

" **If you look at it from WWE's point of view though, it didn't look good that every time there was a Divas match, everyone was standing there holding your wristbands up and chanting your name. It got fuckin' crazy."**

" **Whose fault was that?** "

 _Yours. And why are you shrugging your shoulders as though it were no big deal? This is your fault. That's incredibly disrespectful to the other talent performing in the ring even if you were following orders. This is not a military tactical unit. Everyone doesn't benefit when you follow chain of command. Everyone benefits when everyone on the roster is over-whether they're over as a face or heel._

 _But you know what? I adjusted the pillow under my neck and my feet on the footrest on the plane. I'm a reasonable person. It wasn't_ _ **just**_ _your fault. There's_ _ **shared**_ _responsibility in this. There was an amazing Money in the Bank ladder match for a future Divas championship match last year. I've seen what you ladies were capable of. But you all grew complacent. You bitched so much about hating that Rousey was on the roster instead of grabbing the brass ring yourselves! You hate Rousey chants? Well go make them chant your fucking name instead! If I wasn't always a heel, I'd fucking do it!_

" **They'd put you on Raw before you even refereed a match for them?"**

" **Yeah, Hunter was good about it. To be fair, Hunter was always good to me. That never happened, even with what happened in the end. I'd like to make that clear. When I got to Raw that afternoon, he'd made sure that I knew he was there if I needed anything, and he did a good job of making me feel like I belonged there."**

 _C' mon Austin! You're raising your eyebrows as though you were legitimately befuddled with the haste in which Ronda was pushed on the big stage! No Steve, there's nothing to be confused about! You_ _ **know**_ _it's bogus._

 _Hunter was good about it? Hunter was always good to you? Hunter was always there if you needed anything? Hunter made you feel like you belonged? Tell me, was there ever a time you gave Hunter his balls back? What the fuck is your problem Levesque? I don't love you that much not to remove your head from Rousey's ass and your fingers from her vagina! Paul, you're so damn attached to the woman that you're overlooking the big picture about this entire situation._

 _Would anyone expect to be pushed exactly like Ronda? Perhaps not. The idea that no one up_ _top-_ _ **and no one is higher up top than you**_ _-is_ _ **even considering**_ _creating another star on her level, or_ _ **working to elevate someone already around**_ _is insulting to the locker room-and me from afar-star or not!_

 _Look at it this way Paul: Austin following King Of The Ring '96? Over. Big draw in the making. But_ _ **once HBK put him over**_ _at Wrestlemania 14 two years later,_ _ **he actually became**_ _that big draw the company was hoping he'd be. Once he was massively over, Vince could've only just pushed him, like Ronda's the only one with a big push as far as the ladies are concerned. Austin was still pushed, but your father in law_ _ **didn't just stick with him**_ _! He brought_ _ **Rocky and you**_ _up to his level too!_ _ **You three were Vince's "Top Guy Nucleus"**_ _from '98-'02!_ _ **He started molding you all in '96**_ _and turned it up as the years continued, while the rest of the locker room became a supporting cast around you!_ _C'mon Levesque, no one knows more than_ _you_ _what it's like to have a push taken away and be held back_ _longer than you deserve! You're doing this with your current roster!_

 _Where the fuck would you be_ _ **if Austin was Vince's only guy?**_ _Or if Rocky was? I am not invisible to Rousey's fame, but what the fuck, man? More people need to be coming on board! Why was the the Attitude Era so damn successful?_ _ **Because every single motherfucker**_ _on the card-whether they had a championship or were curtain jerking-_ _ **was fucking over!**_ _There wasn't an arena not sold out and a superstar even if they were on a B show like Sunday Night Heat, Superstars, or Shotgun Saturday Night that wasn't getting a reaction!_ _ **Why have you stopped creating stars?**_ _I'm not wondering, "is Ronda a star?"_ _My question to you Paul is this_ _: **How the fuck are you expecting your company to sustain itself when she's the only draw you give a shit about?**_

Shannon closed out the window on her netbook ending the podcast and pulled her smartphone out for a video call with Bayley. After a few seconds of hearing the chime, she answered.

"Hey girl. I'm on the plane, so I can't talk loud," said Shannon who despite trying for years, could never conquer the task of not whispering loudly.

"Then why are you video chatting with me?" asked Bayley. "That makes no sense. There's not much to see on a plane anyway."

"Because I don't want to be one of those friends that just types their life away to you Pam," Shannon said pointing at herself with the index finger on her opposite hand. "People are so into instant messaging and texting I feel like human interaction, just like good penmanship, is becoming a lost art form."

"No need to get all dramatic on me, but I understand," Bayley said after a laugh. "So what's up?"

"I couldn't do it," Shannon said shaking her head as she reached in the pocket of her cardigan sweater to pull out an all natural strawberry fruit strip from the forty year old Stretch Island Fruit Company. Similar in texture to a Fruit Roll Up, this strip was not a candy but and actual puree of blended fruit shaped in the form of a strip for a convenient snack. There was no need to worry about peeling or slicing, and each strip represented one half serving of the daily recommended fruit for a normal person's diet. But hardly any dietitian would discourage anyone from increasing the amount of fruit intake in their life. "I tried like you asked, but I couldn't."

"Couldn't what?" Bayley asked raising an eyebrow.

"Finish the podcast," Shannon said turning her netbook forward towards her smartphone, showing Bayley the webpage of her browsing history, since she already closed the actual window of the podcast.

"Too much Ronda for you to handle?" Bayley questioned. She started to look back and forth at Shannon on the video chat, and forward, perhaps to a television.

"Yeah. Couldn't take anymore of the bullshit," Shannon said slouching further in the seat as she opened her fruit strip and began eating it. "Hearing her talk about Hunter made it worst. He'll always be my guy, but he's been a real dumbass with booking."

"I know Shanny. I want to be there so bad, but I was in no hurry to jump to the main roster when she was on there," Bayley explained after unfolding her legs and stretching out. For someone who technically shouldn't be having a video chat disturbing others on the plane, Shannon sure made this call long. So Bayley was getting comfortable. "You better get down here and keep me company!"

"Totally justified," said Shannon who nodded. "And I'm working on that. Hey, what time is it there?"

"5:15 PM. Dude, what the hell? You didn't tell me Bull Nakano was in your match! Her hair was like a hybrid of Marge Simpson and the Bride of Frankenstein!" Bayley shouted into Shannon's screen, who apparently was chatting while watching Shannon's NJPW show. "You one-hopped the top rope like Shelton Benjamin!"

Shannon smiled at Bayley's last comment. "I didn't tell you because I didn't know. Hey, it's a little past 5:00 am, the next day in Tokyo. I'm going to hop off here so I can go to sleep on the plane. I land in Cali when I step back in U.S. soil, then there's a layover East. If I don't call you, you call me to make sure my ass actually got off the plane departing Japan. Cool?"

Bayley paused the stream of the show and rose up from the floor, and Shannon grinned at Bayley's rainbow toe socks. "Alright. You better do the same for me when we go to London again for the December Takeover. Have a good siesta. Be a beast."

"I will," Shannon said before a yawn. "Wait. How am I making anyone eat defeat when I'm asleep?"

"Shut up!" said Bayley who placed her phone down on the end table to stretch again. They could still see each other. "You know that's what we always say! I'm hanging up now."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: A HEARTFELT UPDATE on APRIL 21st, 2016**

Between the last few updates there have been more notable deaths in the professional wrestling family. Rest in peace to Blackjack Mulligan, Balls Mahoney, and last but most certainly not least, one of my favorite and most influential wrestlers of all time: The Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna.

Regardless of the tension regarding her place of the WWE's roster, the allegations and opinions others have regarding a supposed "love triangle" with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, her drug abuse, or pornography career which many attribute to her downfall, I will choose to always admire Chyna for her undeniable influence on the professional wrestling world for young girls in the 1990s, including myself. While there certainly were women before her setting a standard, she broke a glass ceiling, and in doing so, set a new standard of her own for many to follow.

Thank you Chyna for reminding girls like me that women can contribute a lot more in the professional wrestling business than just eye candy for the male viewers. We don't have to stop at just being fans or writers. We can be strong, sexy, impactful, kick-ass workers, who can crossover to become pop cultural icons, win the same championships and obtain the same accolades as "the boys" too! I'll end with the chorus of your theme song: " **Don't treat me like a woman. Don't treat me like a man. Don't treat me like you know me. Treat me for just who and what I am. I'm so much more, I'm so much more, I'm so much more, I'm so much more than that**." I'm blessed to have be born in a period to witness you perform in your prime. You've cemented a legacy not just in the Attitude Era, but in my view, wrestling history altogether. I love you, miss you already, and say hello to all the greats in Wrestling Heaven for me. Eddie's probably thrilled to see his Mamacita again.


	9. Chapter Nine: Are you ready?

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: A HEARTFELT UPDATE on APRIL 21st, 2016**

 _For anyone who is reading and is already caught up in the story, you may not have had a moment to read my sentiments regarding the loss we suffered last week that I went back and added at the end of Chapter Eight. With that said, I am reposting it at the beginning of this chapter because I think these words too, are worthy of being read. While she has left us in this world, this story is in an alternate universe and I had plans for her (as well as Prince ironically) to be referenced in some capacity later in the story prior to hearing this devastating news._ _Without further ado, here they are (and Chapter Nine will immediately follow):_

Between the last few updates there have been more notable deaths in the professional wrestling family. Rest in peace to Blackjack Mulligan, Balls Mahoney, and last but most certainly not least, one of my favorite and most influential wrestlers of all time: The Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna.

Regardless of the tension regarding her place on the WWE's roster, the allegations and opinions others have regarding a supposed "love triangle" with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, her drug abuse, her alleged tumultuous relationship with X-Pac, or pornography career which many attribute to her ultimate downfall, I will choose to always admire Chyna for her undeniable influence on the professional wrestling world for young girls in the 1990s, including myself. While there certainly were women before her setting a standard, she broke a glass ceiling, and in doing so, set a new standard of her own for many to follow.

Thank you Chyna for reminding girls like me that women can contribute a lot more in the professional wrestling business than just eye candy for the male viewers. We don't have to stop at just being fans or writers. We can be strong, sexy, impactful, kick-ass workers, who can crossover to become pop cultural icons, win the same championships, and obtain the same accolades as "the boys" too! Just like the chorus of your theme song says: " **Don't treat me like a woman. Don't treat me like a man. Don't treat me like you know me. Treat me for just who and what I am. I'm so much more, I'm so much more, I'm so much more, I'm so much more than that**."

I'm blessed to have be born in a period to witness you perform in your prime. You've cemented a legacy not just in the Attitude Era, but in my view, wrestling history altogether. I love you, miss you already, and say hello to all the greats in Wrestling Heaven for me. Eddie's probably thrilled to see his Mamacita again. And who could really blame him? Easy on the low-rider though. You wouldn't want to mess up that sick paint job.

* * *

 **Early June 2016**

Shannon read an article midday from WWE dot com's corporate website regarding new signees to the company. She skimmed over all of the other names not because she was an asshole, but because another name drew her attention.

 **"WWE has signed a developmental contract with international wrestler 'Kana.' In addition to the many home promotions in Japan, Kana, real name Kanuko Urai, wrestled several events in the U.S. for Shimmer Women Athletes and Chikara between 2011-2014. She will begin her career under the new name of "Asuka," when she appears at NXT."**

 _Huh. You learn something everyday. We never crossed paths. I hadn't even started when she was here in The States last._

Shannon texted Bayley right away.

 **Me:** Hey.

 **Pam:** Hey, what are you wearing right now?

 **Me:** What the hell? Aaron, put the phone back in your girlfriend's hands!

 **Pam:** You caught me! Giving it to her now.

 **Me:** Hey.

 **Pam:** Hey!

 **Me:** How do I know it's you, and Aaron didn't just lie to me? Shit, we all wrestle. Say something about me that only you would know.

 **Pam:** Um, you like Tampax Pearl over Playtex?

 **Me:** Fair enough. Anyway, my opponent in Japan, Kana? Heard you guys just signed her.

 **Pam:** Who, Urai? I call her KoKo because there's a k and an o in her first name,which makes me think of knockout, as in what she nearly did to your teeth. Yeah we signed her.

 **Me:** What's up with her? Is she cool?

 **Pam:** Hell yeah, she's cool! She started wrestling as a face, and worked heel for the past four. She used to be a video game graphic designer and columnist for Microsoft. She loves American pop culture.

 **Me:** No fucking way! She played me! Dude, although it didn't show, I was insanely nervous wrestling her in Japan. I've never been to Japan, never had a huge crowd, knew she had a rep, didn't know any Japanese, and didn't know she knew English! Wow!

 **Pam:** LOL. Dude, tons of Japanese people know English. Surprisingly, translating English to Japanese is relatively smooth. Heck of a lot easier than Chinese.

 **Me:** Right, I get that. I guess I should've just asked. Haha, damn. I'm not hating though. That's a good heel there, right down to the communication. Tell her I respect her hustle. I'd tip my cap to her if I had one on right now.

 **Pam:** Will do. Hell of a match with her by the way. I rewatched it a few times. Anything else?

 **Me:** Thanks! You know me. I like to be in there with an equal or someone that's better than me. I don't want to be stagnant, or develop bad habits like being uncoordinated or lazy in the ring. Hey, don't steal all the good matches with her! Save some for me!

 **Pam:** Well you need to hurry the hell up with bouncing all over the place then! I love you though. The grind is real. Be a beast!

 **Me:** I'll make them eat defeat. Keep that locker space reserved for me. Bye.

Shannon wasn't sure if she had anything to do with Kana's hiring because she was an American talent working with her, but if she was, she remained humble.

 _HBK once said, "You are only as good as your dance partner." The honor was all mine Kana. Do your thing girl. Have a blast. I'll see you again._

* * *

 **Mid June 2016**

Shannon continued her little impromptu international tour in Mexico. Speed Demon, the high flying Luchador Shannon wrestled in New York, put a good word in for Shannon at the AAA promotion she worked for. Rey Mysterio worked at AAA for the past four years since leaving the WWE in 2011. In November 2015, he announced his departure from AAA and signed with Lucha Underground two weeks later. Lucha Underground was a wrestling promotion based in California and John Hennigan and Melina Perez, who competed as Johnny Nitro/John Morrison, and Melina in the WWE were top stars in the company since joining a few years ago. Lucha Underground was a unique alternative to WWE, TNA, and ROH, as it presented its wrestling show in a supernatural, sci-fi format. While characters were melodramatic, unlike WWE's bipolar booking which seemed to struggle with balancing realism and continuity, Lucha Underground was intentionally presented like bizarre cinema. Lucha Underground aired two three-month seasons a year, which enabled their talent rest or flexibility to commit to other independent dates if they so chose, instead of the typical, grueling schedules of other televised wrestling programs. Like ROH though, the in-ring action was stellar in every sixty minute episode.

AAA and Lucha Underground did a joint Pay Per View together in Mexico where each promotion benefited with increased viewership. Lucha Underground had an opportunity to begin an international tour with a successful show in Mexico. AAA would benefit from Lucha Underground's American viewers through its El Rey network broadcast. One of the featured matches was Johnny Mundo (the former Johnny Nitro/John Morrison), Rey Mysterio, and Melina defending their LU Trios Tag Team Championships in a hardcore cage match. Shannon competed against Evelisse, a great independent wrestler who was eliminated from the 2011 season of Tough Enough due to injury.

* * *

 **Early July 2016**

It had now been over a year since Shannon started training full time. Up to this point, she'd been wrestling people a year or two out of wrestling school, or veterans on the independents who hadn't made it to the WWE. Other than Jacqueline, she had not competed against anyone who had a notable stint in the WWE. While winning a match against a competitor with the reputation and caliber of Kana on an international Pay Per View was the biggest match she had to date, Shannon hadn't won anything _tangible_. She was grateful that she was networking: taking bookings from Lucha Underground, Evolve, and Chikara, but none of the promotions booked her to compete for a title of any kind.

Shannon returned to her training center and home promotion, MCW. Shannon never abandoned them. She continued to work for MCW whenever she didn't receive bookings outside the promotion. But since she was away for a while and had created those memories in her absence from MCW, she thought she deserved at least a conversation about moving up with something substantive on the card.

"Hey stranger, done walking the global red carpet?" asked McDevitt who looked up at Shannon after talking someone on the roster.

"Good to see you too Coach," said Shannon who quickly hugged the person McDevitt finished his conversation with before approaching the practice ring. When the other person in the large, multi-purpose room left, she climbed up the apron and slouched her arms across the top rope, remaining outside the ring. McDevitt remained standing in the center of the ring.

"You know I'm still in the family. I'm here every week, just been in other parts of the world for some particular weekends," she continued with a reassuring smile, patting her chest at the MCW tank top she was wearing, along with a sterling silver choker that read "Storm" in cursive around her neck.

"Yeah, yeah, kid. You've come back to slum it out with the B+ players," McDevitt joked. He knew who Shannon was a mark for and would get her to laugh at the label Triple H and Stephanie McMahon referred to the late Daniel Bryan as. "Anyway, what's up?"

"I want a championship match during the show at the end of the month," Shannon declared. Last July she _asked_ for a match with Bayley. This time she didn't plead with McDevitt, and just _told_ him what she wanted without stalling.

"Already booked Shannon," McDevitt said shaking his head. "You never learn."

"Who's the champion anyway?" she interrogated. Even though Shannon was a millennial and owned a smartphone, she was not one of those people that was a disciple of the digital age that remained in the know about every latest device, app, trend, or story. There were a few dirt sheet newsletters she subscribed to, but unless she heard from McDevitt specifically about anything on Rage TV or the shows at the end of each month, she ignored it.

"An alum of the school," he responded.

"It can't be Lita because she's at the E," Shannon squeezed the top rope tightly and narrowed her focus on a random spot on the ring canvas as she thought aloud. "If it were someone new on the roster, you would've told me...is it possible that it's…"

"Hey Mickie!" McDevitt yelled forward as Mickie James entered the room and made her way down the path to enter the practice ring. Shannon's back was to Mickie as she was standing on the apron outside of the ring slouching over the ropes. When she heard McDevitt call Mickie's name, she turned around instantly and sat on the middle rope, raising the top rope over her head for Mickie to enter. She didn't want Mickie to think she was being disrespectful with her back turned. Shannon honestly had no idea she would be at the facility today. Holding the ropes for Mickie to enter the ring to some might have been cheesy or viewed as kissing ass, but Shannon was simply trying to establish respect with the gesture. She didn't run away from paying dues. She embraced it.

"You have a problem mixing it up with anyone else for the title defense at the end of the month?" McDevitt asked Mickie with a raised eyebrow.

"No, why?" Mickie questioned back as she entered the ring. McDevitt hadn't mentioned anything to her before about any new stipulations. But she was a professional and would cooperate.

"Alright, you're defending it against this one too," McDevitt said nudging his head forward towards Shannon. "You took the Bayley match from Mandy last spring. I'm not going to take an opportunity from her here too. But what I _can_ do is _add_ to the match. So the MCW Women's Championship will be defended by Mickie James against Mandy Leon _and_ Shannon Storm."

"But I didn't compete in a number one contender's match for the title shot," Shannon said to McDevitt. "Do I need to do an angle on an episode of Rage TV to show it? That could get complicated."

Mickie, who was now in the ring, leaned against a corner turnbuckle and spoke to Shannon for the first time. "You wrestled in Japan and Mexico. That's your number one contendership."

"But what about fans who bitch and call 'bullshit' because even though they remember me on some weekly Rage TV episodes, know I haven't done one of monthly special shows in a while," Shannon inquired. "What then?"

"Did the fans go from wrestling school, to working actual cards both in and out of this promotion, to getting tours in Japan and Mexico in a one year span?" Mickie asked, staring at Shannon.

"No," Shannon said simply.

"Then they can shut the fuck up with what they think," Mickie reassured Shannon. "You weren't AWOL because you didn't care. You weren't released from this roster. You were grinding in other places as opportunities came."

"She's right," McDevitt said in agreeance with Mickie. "Besides, you're a heel. While the real Shannon may have a moral compass and want to justify point by point her actions, Shannon Storm wouldn't give a rat's ass _how_ she became number one contender. She'd do or say whatever she had to to sneak her way into a title match."

"Thanks," Shannon started. "Thank you both. That makes a lot of sense." Shannon shook her head not in confusion, but amazement. "You're always teaching Coach."

"Because you've always got something to learn kiddo" McDevitt said. "Now that you two are here, I can call Mandy and we can let her know about the addition." He dialed her number and put the phone on speaker. After three rings, Mandy Leon answered.

"Hello?" asked Mandy.

"Hey Mandy. What's that muffled noise? Can you hear me?" McDevitt would've left a voicemail on her cellphone if she didn't answer. But the fact that she did answer and he had difficulty hearing her through the distortion concerned him.

"Um, I'm driving right now, and my phone slipped," said Mandy. "Hang on while I pull over. Alright I'm back."

"Okay. I've got you on speakerphone with Mickie and Shannon. I'm adding her to the title match. You two switched with Bayley, but I'm not taking you out of this one," said McDevitt who couldn't help but notice Mandy's sigh of relief over the phone. There wasn't any bad blood between Shannon and Mandy, but Shannon-even with good intentions-in Mandy's view, politicked getting the rub from McDevitt, and had the match switched last spring. Mandy was a few years older than Shannon, and loved the business too. She didn't want to feel threatened by Shannon efforts to alter matches.

"You have any ideas off the top of your head on what you want done in the match?" McDevitt asked, then looked at Mickie and Shannon.

"To get some heat for Shannon, have her take out Mickie before the match and she and I can go at it," Mandy spoke, and Mickie interrupted her before she could finish her thought.

"How long though until I return?" Mickie asked.

"You won't be gone the whole match obviously," Mandy continued. "But you need to stay away long enough to the point where the crowd has forgotten about you, and legitimately believe the belt is up for grabs between _just_ Shannon and me."

"I like it" Shannon said. She snapped her fingers acknowledging she had an idea. "For the finish, I say I hit Mickie with the WTS and she kicks out."

"You sure?" asked Mickie.

"Yeah. I haven't had the crowd do that look of shock as the WTS has been mostly protected," Shannon affirmed. "I've had Jackie counter it _before_ I nailed it, but no one's ever kicked out of it _once_ I nailed it. So let's do it. You'd be helping me. I need that moment to sell frustration. Not getting the pin after a WTS is the catalyst for that."

"Then we could each hit finishers on each other back to back," Mandy continued as the conversation began to flow without murmurs of hesitation. "Shannon gets the WTS, Mickie kicks out. Shannon's bitching, but walks into Twist of Saint. When I pin Shannon, Mickie pulls me off during the cover, and does her springboard bulldog finish. She goes over and retains the championship."

"I like that!" Mickie shouted. "Shannon gets heat from an earlier attack, I look resilient returning to the match with a successful defense, and you legitimize yourself as a worthy contender and uncrowned champion. Because _not only_ did you have Shannon beat, but it leaves the window open for you to make a heel turn. If you turn heel, you could brag about being screwed. Had I just stayed in the back after the attack, you would've finished Shannon off effortlessly."

"Yep," Mandy nodded gripping her steering wheel even though they couldn't see it.

"I like it all," said McDevitt. "I love when I'm booking for people who aren't rookies. You just come up with stuff so quickly. Alright Mandy, well I'll see you when you get in. Bye Bye." He ended the call and stuffed the phone in his back pocket. "Ladies, I'm going to my office. I'll leave you two some time to get acquainted."

* * *

 **Late July 2016**

 **MCW Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup**

It was time for MCW's monthly July weekend show. The show, like all of the shows at the end of the calendar month, was essentially a Pay Per View. But because MCW's promotion wasn't even half the size of Ring of Honor, they never aired their monthly shows over a Pay Per View broadcast. Like Evolve, Pro Wrestling Guerilla, and many others, MCW made DVDS for monthly shows, or offered a service where fans could stream them live.

McDevitt decided to make the women's title match the main event. While to many wrestlers main eventing on a card at _any_ point is a big deal, it wasn't for Shannon. She wasn't in a hurry. She had the passion and desire to be great and felt when the time was right, the accomplishments would come. Shannon did not want to be misunderstood: She both wanted and was grateful for being last on the card, but at the same time had more concern about the match itself. Shannon was never in a triple threat match before, so this was a new challenge.

Multi-person matches could be tricky. While the bookers loved the dynamic of additional players in the match, as they would purposely unbalance the face to heel ratios, making fans question their allegiance during temporary alliances between certain wrestlers; for the talent themselves, it could be difficult. Wrestlers had to focus not only on getting their individual spots in, but plan specific moments when each other would exit, giving two opponents at a time a moment to shine in the match. It was for this reason, if wrestlers were booked to be in multi-person matches for titles, most of them preferred doing it at a downgraded Pay Per View, rather than a larger one like a Summerslam or Wrestlemania. You could make a title match have much more meaning at a larger Pay Per View if the contest was a singles match, as there would be more time to prep the actual match, as well as the construction of the feud itself surrounding said match. If the performers had a history, then that made it even better.

* * *

"It is now time for your main event! The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the MCW Women's Championship," said announcer Danny Mays as the crowd cheered in excitement. Although Mickie was from Virginia and wasn't a "hometown hero," she was a star in the WWE and trained at MCW before later getting further training at Storm Wrestling Academy in Canada. So the fans accepted her as a " _homegrown_ hero" making a homecoming, and looked forward to seeing her defend the championship.

Mandy Leon was introduced first and received a warm reception. Next was Shannon, who received a mixed reaction of cheers and boos. That wasn't what she expected. Perhaps the fact that she had an _actual_ first and last name this time around instead of a band or mashup of countries caused some fans to support her. It also could have been because this was her first "Pay Per View" appearance for the company in a while.

Once Shannon and Mandy were in the ring, the MCW faithful grew quiet as Mays announced Mickie James twice without her arrival.

"Let's go! What's going on?" Shannon screamed in the direction of the entrance ramp, which was still barren with no sign of Mickie. Mandy Leon placed her hands on her hips and paced around the ring.

Mays rose from his seat and entered the ring holding the microphone in his right hand, and touched his earpiece with the left. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have just been instructed by MCW staff to defer everyone to the monitors above."

"We are live everyone, but be that as it may, we're following along just as you are to the monitors and what's this...It's Mickie James making her way to the ring…" said MCW commentator Brent Tarring as the crowd grew irritated the longer the match went unstarted.

"Wait a minute...some figure is creeping up behind her with a clenched fist dressed in all black…" Tarring continued. "Oh man, a clobbering blow to the back of the head!"

"And the assault continues as they pounce on Mickie," said Credle, "with what looks like brass knuckles on that clenched fist! This person is drilling Mickie in the face!"

"What on Earth? Who is this person? Who let them in the building?" asked Tarring, whose voice shrieked as the onslaught continued. "Fans, we're trying to get a look on who this could be...Dear Lord! Olympic slam through a hall table! But they're wearing a skeleton-faced ski mask!"

"She brought this on herself Brent," said Credle.

"What? You've got to be kidding me!," Tarring shouted. "And just what in the hell would make you think that?"

"Mickie said she wanted to be a fighting champion! And someone's bringing the fight to her!" Credle responded. "When you put yourself out there, you've gotta' be prepared for _anyone_ and _anything_ at _any time._ "

"And they throw her into the wall for good measure before walking away...wait, they stopped mid stride...and they're turning around to remove the mask...It's Shannon Storm! That bitch!" Tarring whined. "Mickie needs some help back there! I'm glad the assault is over, but I want to know what's the status for the match."

The video ended on the television monitor and the cameraman focused the camera on Shannon, who was now leaning against the ropes as a smirk slowly emerged on her face.

Mays spoke back into the microphone. "Per MCW staff, due to Mickie James' current state, she has been declared unable to compete. Therefore, the match for the MCW Women's Championship will _not_ take place!"

The boos from the crowd escalated to an even higher volume. Shannon milked the crowd, allowing their disapproval to extend a few seconds before snatching the microphone from Mays' hand, delaying his exit from the ring.

"Oh you don't like what I did? You think I _care_ about what you people think of me? I don't give a _flying fuck_ about what you think of my actions!" Shannon yelled as she pointed out to the crowd. "Screw management. Screw McDevitt. No one's calling off this match. Mickie, bring your ass out here! I don't care if they have to drag you to the ring! Quit being a coward! I'm not a pussy just because I have one! You'd have to leave me me in a pool of my own damn blood without a pulse to get me to no-show this event!"

"Is Shannon _mental_? I mean seriously, has this woman lost her freaking mind?" asked Tarring. "Mickie didn't no-show! She's here! And you assaulted her!" Tarring shouted through his headset pointing in her direction.

The crowd shouted a "You took cheap shots, You took cheap shots," chant at Shannon.

"I don't take cheap shots! I smarten up! I'm strategic," Shannon retorted, pointing her index finger to her head. "A wise man said 'everybody's got a price' and unfortunately for Mickie, her price was an ass-kicking by me! It doesn't matter how loud you boo, or how cute you think you are with your little chants, you folks are just feces to me. And the thing about feces," she paused to prolong the rabid reaction even more.

"The thing about excrement is that it doesn't matter what you try to cover it or smear it up with, at the end of the day-like you people-it's just a piece of shit!" Shannon turned to Leon. "Since Mickie isn't woman enough to come down to this ring, whataya' say Mandy? Whataya' say you and I wrestle for the championship, _just_ the two of us?"

She held the microphone out to Leon, who said confidently, "You're on!" The crowd jumped out of their seats, excited that Mandy didn't back down from Shannon's challenge, despite watching the attack like everyone else on the monitor. They were also excited that they were indeed getting their match.

"Ring the damn bell," said Shannon, who stared intensely at Leon while simultaneously speaking in the microphone. She inserted her mouth guard and slammed the microphone into Mays' chest, before he finally left the ring for good to sound the bell.

* * *

"Shannon and Mandy lock up here in a collar and elbow tie up, and we are underway in this match," said Tarring who calmed down from his previous state. "Folks I'd like to remind you of what's going on here. Moments ago we were all ready to watch MCW Women's Champion Mickie James defend her title in a triple threat match where it was revealed Shannon Storm brutally attacked her beforehand. Now it seems 'The Exotic Goddess' Mandy Leon, and Shannon Storm are having the match without her."

"No one asked for a recap Brent. Fans are here and others are watching at home or on their mobile devices. They're already informed on what's transpired you idiot!" Credle remarked to his partner on the announce team after shaking his head. "Forget about what got us here and let's enjoy what Shannon and Mandy are going to bring to the table! I sure as hell will."

"Storm and Mandy still locked up...let's see who'll get the upperhand here...and it's Shannon Storm with the chinlock on Mandy," Tarring began, taking heed to Credle's demand of focusing on the match they did have instead of the match that was anticipated. "I don't think Mandy will be able to power out of it, she may have to fight her way through the escape."

"Oh, and that's exactly what she's trying to do with elbows to Shannon's abdomen," said Credle. "Though Shannon's starting to lean over, she's not giving way. That chinlock is still locked in."

"Hopefully Mandy continues to battle through like the fighter she is. I gotta' say Shawn, Shannon's at a vertical base now with the chinlock, but if she gets down to the mat with it still stenched in, the ref needs to watch her," Tarring replied with a sense of worry in his voice. "I don't trust that she'll keep it clean. When you're wrenching back that low on the canvas, it's hard for the referee to spot if the chinlock is still in place, or if the opponent is taking advantage and applying a rare naked choke."

"What is your deal with this woman Brent?" asked Credle. "You have been at her since day one! Are you implying she isn't aware of what a blatant choke is?"

"No Shawn. I'm not implying she doesn't know what a choke is, but the exact _opposite!_ She absolutely _knows_ what the rules are, and I highly doubt for a second she won't take advantage," Tarring clarified emphatically.

"Mandy continues to deliver elbows to Shannon's abdomen, and she finally releases the chinlock...Mandy runs to the ropes...no, Shannon pulls her by the tights and hammers her in the back with a clubbing forearm, then follows up with a sidewalk slam," Credle explained.

"Quick cover by Storm and the referee makes the count...one...oh Leon doesn't kick out but does get her shoulder up! While I question her tactics, I will admit this is great strategy. Shawn even though it's early on in the match and Shannon didn't get a three count, the more rapid covers she makes the longer the match goes, the more she'll tire out Leon," said Tarring who surprised Credle in his remarks.

"Well it's about _time_ you're giving the woman credit Brent, and I couldn't agree more!" exclaimed Credle. "Some wrestlers have superior strength, incredible speed, or elite technique. But at the end of the day, the best of the best in our sport-I'm talking about folks who are on many people's greatest of all time lists-all have great cardio and endurance. It's about who can suck it up and perform big when the stars are shining the brightest, and it counts the most! Shannon's testing Mandy's stamina with the quick covers. The more time elapses, the more Mandy's energy plummets as she forces her body to kick out at each quick pin attempt."

When Leon got her shoulder up after the pin attempt, Shannon grabbed her by the arm and whipped her hard into each corner of the ring, back and then chest first. Mandy collapsed every time.

"Oh my God! Incredible velocity on the four Irish Whips executed by Storm! Shawn tell us what that does to a competitor," urged Tarring.

"Oh man, when Shannon whips Mandy hard into the corner and Mandy hits the turnbuckles back first, she's putting a hurting on Mandy's lower back and kidney area," explained Credle. "I'm sure if she wanted to leave some bruises on Mandy she'd follow up with chops. But she opted to send Mandy sternum first into the corner of the ring; and with that, she's just trying to knock the wind out of her."

"Mandy reaches her arm behind her back, rubbing it in pain. She can't even get up on her own. Look at Shannon smiling as Mandy crawls and uses Shannon's own boots and kneepads to pull herself up! What disrespect! Mandy makes it to both of her feet finally, and Shannon sends her into the ropes...tilt a whirl backbreaker by Shannon Storm and here comes that power on full display! Mandy has yet to catch a break," said Tarring.

Shannon did not attempt to pin Leon following the backbreaker. She instead exited the ring and facing the audience, grabbed hold of the top rope with each hand.

"I don't understand why Shannon isn't covering Leon here," remarked Tarring. "She's leaving the ring...maybe she wants to try a dive...what on Earth?! Fans I don't believe what I am seeing! Instead of _capitalizing_ on a weakened opponent, Shannon Storm is doing reverse _pull ups_ from the outside!"

"Well you know in Shannon's defense, she's a special athlete," noted Credle. "Like Shannon, Scott Steiner was a standout collegiate amateur wrestler at the University of Michigan, who made the transition to the pros. He'd take a few moments to do some push ups when he felt like the competition in the ring wasn't up to par. So maybe that's how she feels about Mandy right now, that this match is a workout. So she's getting some reps in."

After the twenty fifth pull up, Leon got up and did a sliding dropkick to Shannon, who went flying into the announce table in front of her.

"Oh no! Baseball Slide by Mandy Leon and Shannon Storm collides right in front of us as this raucous crowd erupts," said Credle. "Maybe this is the break Mandy needs."

"Shannon grabbed her face after bouncing off our table seconds ago. I know she wears a mouth guard, but maybe she hit her cheek or forehead. It happened so quickly. Could you make it out Shawn?" asked Tarring.

"Looks like we're about to find out as Mandy rolls out of the ring to grab Shannon," said Credle. "Wow, swinging neckbreaker by Mandy to Shannon right on the mats outside! There it is, I see blood trickling across the bridge of Shannon's nose. Shannon pushes Mandy backward, and she crashes into the metal guardrail…"

"Now she's removing one of the mats from the floor...Shannon no, that covering is there to protect you!" shouted Tarring.

"You think she gives a damn because _you_ tell her not to remove the padding?" asked Credle. "She knows what she's doing. She knows the risks. Not that the padding is _that_ much help when you're tossed or slammed on it by a professional athlete."

"Shannon places Mandy between her legs and raises her above her head...powerbomb on the ring apron!" Tarring yelled. "But she doesn't relinquish the grip and raises her again...powerbomb on the apron by Shannon Storm for a second time!"

"Shannon rolls in the ring at the referee's count of seven," said Credle. "She's being relentless right now with the assault on the spine, look at Mandy _thriving_ in pain! Mandy crawls back toward the ropes...wham! Shannon with a running knee to the side of her jaw, blocking Mandy's entry."

"Shannon exits the ring again and grabs Mandy Leon by the hair, guiding her back along the section where the covering was removed...she raises Mandy above her above her head...I know her last name is Storm, but her demeanor mirrors that of a raging pitbull," Tarring conveyed. "A third powerb...no! Holy fuck! Mandy countered the would be powerbomb into a frankensteiner! Shannon's skull just said hello to the concrete!" Tarring yelled.

A "Mandy's gonna' kill you" chant reminiscent of the "Joe is gonna' kill you" chants Samoa Joe received during big spots in his matches filled the crowd.

"I know this is a championship match, but I think she's done," said Credle. "Shannon's out. The ref might stop it."

Leon shook the barricade and shouted at the crowd who reciprocated her energy as Shannon remained down listening to the referee's count. Leon walked over to Shannon and picked up her seemingly limp body, tossing her back into the ring. She hooked both of Shannon's legs right away, but Shannon got a shoulder up. Leon then DDT'd Shannon into the second turnbuckle and Shannon made sure to get contact with her nose on the turnbuckle pad to get more color on her cut. The referee didn't count Mandy's pin attempt as both she and Shannon were too close to the ropes.

* * *

The match continued for another ten minutes with Shannon selling Leon's dominating offense. Shannon tried to distract the referee attempting first to introduce weapons into the ring, then pushed the referee into Leon, but Leon countered every attempt Shannon made to regain the upper hand. Five minutes later, Mickie James, now with two black eyes, limped down the entrance ramp and the audience exploded in cheers.

"What's this? I forgot all about Mickie!" Tarring screamed. "I thought after the attack she wasn't cleared, and we were going to have a title match as is with Storm and Leon. I guess Mickie James had other ideas."

"What are you doing?" Shannon screamed at Mickie on her knees as she used the middle ropes to help herself up. "This is between me and Mandy! Get out of here!"

Leon pushed Shannon into Mickie who entered the ring, and Shannon's face connected with Mickie's forearm. Leon and Mickie exchanged blows as Shannon bounced back and forth between the two for several moments. After receiving four strikes from each woman, Shannon ducked Mickie's fifth strike, with the punch landing on Leon. As Leon went down, Shannon raised Mickie to her shoulders, tossed her mid air, and jumped with the cutter.

"Weather The Storm! Shannon got it on Mickie! One, two, kickout!" shouted Tarring. "What just happened? Has _anyone_ kicked out of the WTS when Storm nails it _without_ a hitch?!"

"No they haven't! The crowd is on their feet and are just as wide-eyed as us," said Credle. "Man oh man, she got _all_ of it. I thought she had the match! Unbelievable! And look at her-she's absolutely livid-pounding the mat and kicking the ropes in frustration. No Shannon! Don't remove the turnbuckle pad, you've got to keep your cool. Keep your head on straight! This is _not_ the time to lose it! A championship is on the line tonight! Don't turn aro-Twist of Saint! Mandy Leon with the Twist of Saint neckbreaker!"

"Mandy Leon's gonna' do it! She gonna' become champion!" shouted Tarring. "One, two, _what_? Mickie pulls Leon off Shannon Storm and connects with her springboard backflip bulldog! One, two, three!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, your winner, and _still_ MCW Women's Champion, Mickie James!" Mays announced to the crowd.

Shannon and Leon remained on opposite sides of the canvas while the referee stood in the middle of the ring raising Mickie's hand, acknowledging her victory. The show closed with the audience applauding Mickie and shouting, "That's a champion, That's a champion, That's a champion!" Mickie climbed to the second rope and returned the applause back to the audience.

Shannon was proud of herself. She didn't mark out during the match, thought it went great, and was glad to finally put to test if she was ready for the big stage as much as she talked about it.


	10. Chapter Ten: Getting Closer

**Early August 2016**

Shannon hadn't heard any rumblings on dirt sheets or from McDevitt himself about any interest from the WWE. But he did inform her that Ring of Honor might be interested and asked her to consider it. She was unsure. Ring of Honor for years consistently had the best overall wrestling product, but they didn't have the massive platform or budget that the WWE had. Sinclair Broadcasting, the principal owner of Ring of Honor and a company worth 350 million dollars, didn't go all hands on deck budgeting their entire resources to the wrestling product they owned. They had other investments and made very calculated decisions to not only maintain the incredible roster they had, but finance semi-contracted international stars that they had global partnerships with such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling. It was never that Sinclair Broadcasting didn't care: they knew about Ring of Honor's fourteen year history, but were aware of some of the problems of TNA, and the previous owners of ROH faced.

Doing too much too soon sometimes in business could do more harm than good. So rather than aggressively pursue a major network cable channel long term, or pursue venues that were triple their usual booking size, they purchased larger LED titan tron screens, better lighting, and invested in more performers-signing a talent exchange deal with California independent wrestling promotion, Pro Wrestling Guerilla in November of 2015. For many die-hard fans, this was fantastic news. Many ROH greats such as Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Chris Hero, Kevin Steen and others had independently competed at PWG in addition to their ROH schedule. This new deal allowed the entire roster of Ring of Honor to do the same. This deal-make no mistake about it-truly made them live up to the moniker of being "the best damn wrestling on the planet."

As a fan and as a worker, having "the best damn wrestling on the planet" was a great thing. But more important than a stacked roster, specifically for women wrestlers, was eyeballs. It wasn't that Shannon was after the money, but the audience. She wanted to be a part of the big crowds that the WWE had. In addition to the smaller size of venues, while ROH did have a women's division, they rarely showed them on television as of late, but always did online, and of course in DVD compilations. A three minute squash match on Raw at the end of the day, was still shown on Raw.

Despite those concerns, Shannon drove to Chicago, Illinois. Even though Ring of Honor's headquarters were located in her hometown of Baltimore, ROH's dojo remained in Chicago. She went there and participated in the tryout camp. Prior to traveling to Chicago, McDevitt also told her that Shimmer Women Athletes-one of three of all-women wrestling promotions in the United States-was also offering her an opportunity for a tryout. Shannon contacted both companies beforehand and was grateful when they arranged the schedule of the particular sessions she'd attend so she could have her tryouts back to back. Because both promotions were in Chicago, she would have one tryout on a Friday and the next on Saturday of the same weekend. This way she wouldn't have to travel back and forth from the Midwest to the East Coast different weeks, which would possibly alter the independent dates around the country she had already booked weeks in advance. That was something that Shimmer and ROH did not _have_ to do. But they knew how hard the grind was for young independent wrestlers who had not yet been signed to a company. It was much easier for a talent to get booked wrestling freelance if they established a reputation in a promotion already, such as A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, and others. At the end of the day though, ROH and Shimmer wanted their talent to be as seasoned as possible, so cooperated with Shannon's request. Shannon loved the fact that these promotions-despite their small size-were companies full of class and weren't dicks.

* * *

 **Monday, Mid August 2016 in Chicago, Illinois**

Shannon ended up staying an extra two days after her weekend tryouts in Chicago to check out Monday Night Raw. She was dressed in a knee-high black denim skirt, a red "What a Rush" Legion of Doom t-shirt, gold bangles on her wrists, gold wedge sandals with a toe loop, and a red headband through her long wavy black hair that she didn't straighten today. Shannon was a total mark. Even though she wanted her character to be a brash prick, she wasn't in reality. Shannon wasn't one of those wrestlers that rocked their own merchandise twenty four/seven. She had an appreciation for lots of wrestlers' impact, reputation, and history to the business. As she parked her car in front of one of Chi-town's designated hot spots, she texted Bayley.

 **Me** : Yo! I had some tryouts this weekend.

 **Pam** : For who?

 **Me** : ROH and Shimmer. That's all I heard from.

 **Pam** : Slowly making your rounds I see. Maybe they're not the only ones watching you. :)

 **Me** : No way to know for sure. :( But it's possible you're right.

 **Pam** : How'd the tryouts go anyway?

 **Me** : I'll call you and tell you about them later. I'm checking out Raw soon. I just wanted to give you a brief update.

 **Pam** : Well okay, I can't wait to hear it. Hey, I need a favor. *Makes a sad, puppy dog pout*

 **Me** : Name it. And you know you don't have to whine. LOL

 **Pam** : Well that was easy! :P Anyway, at the next Takeover, I'm defending the title in a ⅔ falls match. We have a meeting tomorrow and Hunter wants to discuss finishes, but I have nothing. Give me an idea.

 **Me** : You take the first fall, your opponent the next. You're about to take the third when a big spot happens (you can decide what that spot is), and the final fall ends in a double count out. You keep your title. People question whether or not Bayley just "got by" in that match's aftermath. And from there you can work Creative in a multitude of angles, playing on that ambiguity. You're welcome.

 **Pam** : I like it, and I'll pitch it to him. You might run a promotion one day. ;) Good booking.

 **Me** : Haha. I'll conquer one quest at a time. Ahem, I said, " _you're welcome_." :0

 **Pam** : Right! Thank you! Bye. XOXO

Shannon locked her phone and put it in her bosom. She then exited the car, put on a shiny black pair of "Jealous Games" Le Specs sunglasses. She entered The Squared Circle. The Squared Circle was a professional wrestling themed sports bar and restaurant. Created and owned by Lisa Marie Varon who competed as "Victoria" and "Tara" for the WWE and TNA respectively, The Squared Circle, which had been open for three years, had a diverse menu, but many visitors frequented the restaurant for their signature gourmet burgers, brick oven pizza, and craft beers. In addition to serving food and beverages, the venue was also hot spot for wrestling fans as they hosted weekly watch parties for ROH and WWE events; for a small fee, fans could receive a bus ride to and from The Squared Circle to the All State Arena whenever WWE was in town for Raw, Smackdown or a Pay Per View, or to the Chicago Ridge for ROH shows in the area.

* * *

When she walked in the restaurant, she headed straight to the full bar. Shannon wasn't going to order a drink, but there was a great view of one of the larger television screens near the bar. She saw a bowl of pretzels on the ledge and started snacking on a few. She'd been watching Raw for about a half an hour or so before a huge C.M. Punk chant was heard over air as the opponents in the ring were taking rest spots. Raw was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that night, but the fans were repeatedly shouting C.M. Punk's name anyway. It didn't take long before the actual Chicago crowd that Punk was from joined in with the chant at The Squared Circle.

"Bullshit man, why's the crowd doing this to these guys?" Shannon said aloud as she gestured her hand towards the television. "Okay, so Dean did an elbow drop from the top rope like Punk. So what! Macho Man and HBK did it too, and theirs was _much_ better! They _glided_. They didn't flail around like a fish when taken out of water. Kevin and Dean are great workers. They were _over_ at Dragon Gate and ROH, were once over _here_ , but the fans are killing their chances to elevate to the next level chanting for Punk. He abandoned you fans. Screw him!"

"You're a worker?" asked the tall, tanned Puerto-Rican and Turkish decent woman. She was collecting some mugs and throwing them into the dishwasher while refilling some of the bar dispensers.

"Yeah, indies though. I'm not signed anywhere, but I had some tryouts this we-" said Shannon distracted by a vibration, so checked her phone for a notification, while talking to the woman. When she raised her head and looked up, she recognized just who she was speaking to.

"Oh shi-It's great meeting you Vic-" Shannon was interrupted by Lisa, who was drying a glass with a hand towel.

"Lisa. Call me Lisa. I'm out now," Lisa said referring to being retired from the wrestling business and now living a normal life. "I'm Lisa to everyone here."

Shannon nodded. "You were one of my favorites growing up. When Chyna left, Trish and Lita were doing their thing; but you, Gail Kim, along with the others were God sends in those years before Mickie, Nattie, and Beth Phoenix came along. I probably would've gave up on wrestling if all I watched was Smackdown. The 2002-2006 era of bra and panties matches on that brand was just horrible. I could only imagine how many girls who loved wrestling like me gave up on the product because they didn't have cable to watch Raw and thought that was all women had to offer in the company. I had access to see Raw. I knew about the Women of Honor in ROH, and TNA's knockouts. But there's a bunch of people who likely didn't."

Lisa left the bar area and went to another section of the restaurant. Shannon didn't know what she said or did wrong. Lisa told her she was out of the wrestling business and urged Shannon to refer to her by her actual name. Perhaps Lisa was pissed that Shannon marked out and continued to talk about wrestling.

"Here. Free slice on me," said Lisa who returned to Shannon and gave her a plate with a supreme slice of pizza, complete with sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and diced veggies. It was apparently a gesture of gratitude for Shannon's kind words moments before.

"No thanks, the carbs," Shannon said shaking her head staring at the plate. "This is Chicago. You're the masters of the 'Deep Dish.' And you've got some Italian roots too. I know you'd hook me up with flavor, but I'd regret it later."

"If you kick ass in the gym, you can eat whatever the fuck you want," Lisa said, who then bent down under the bar and passed a bottle of water to Shannon. She just met Shannon so didn't know whether or not she consumed alcohol for sure. But because Shannon sat at the bar forty minutes without ordering a single drink, Lisa made an educated guess that she didn't.

"I hear you. But yesterday was my cheat day," Shannon said, still staring at the pizza which smelled incredible with the perfect balance of oregano, parsley, and other herbs Shannon was too distracted to think about because she was intoxicated by the scent of the slice.

"It's going to get cold soon, and that's an insult to me if you refuse my food, especially when it's on the house. Take it," Lisa said now lifting the plate and holding it mere centimeters from Shannon's face.

"Fine, fine," replied Shannon who grabbed the plate and finally took a bite. "Damn this is great. The sauce is fantastic!"

"Thanks. I can give you a jar of the marinara on your way out," Lisa said with a smile. "You won't get my recipe though."

Shannon placed the plate down and humorously placed her right hand over her heart. "Scout's honor. I wouldn't dare ask."

"Your tryouts go ok?" Lisa questioned.

Shannon took another bite of her piece and swallowed before addressing Lisa's question.

"They went well and I even have these two mice as a receipt," Shannon said using slang to informally refer to the two discolored, swelling bruises caused by blows to the eye, as she removed her sunglasses from her face.

"Ahh, they don't look too bad. Maybe and inch and a half, or two big," Lisa remarked with a a laugh. "My cat could take care of that for you."

Shannon smirked. "I'll respectfully decline the offer for the feline's assistance. I don't need bruises _and_ scratches to the _face_ in a 48 hour period. It was so much fun though. I got the one on the right taking a springboard reverse elbow from 'Crazy' Mary Dobson in Shimmer's tryout. Then the one on the left from Veda Scott doing a high clothesline in the ROH tryout. I even got to mix it up in a triple threat with Kelly Klein and Deonna Purrazzo. I wasn't pissed. I love my warrior wounds. It's like a friendly hazing as I'm coming closer to an opportunity to get a contract. Fingers crossed, anyway."

"Yeah, you're definitely one of us. That's the life. We're always _beat up_ to some extent as long as we're on the road, but try our best to avoid getting injured. There's a difference between being beat up, hurt, and injured," Lisa said removing the plate at the counter as Shannon finished her slice and reached for a napkin. "Those should go down in a few days, maybe a full week to disappear. If it were UFC, officials would've used some tool squeezing them-to stop the swelling and prevent the impairment of your vision-but shit, you can still see! It's not pretty, but you're not blind either! Besides, if you're anything like I was, you didn't want to mess up the flow of the match."

Shannon shook her head, giving Lisa a non-verbal "nope," confirming her assertion, as she gulped down some more of her bottled water.

"Fuck, that was great!," Shannon shouted at the conclusion of the Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose match. Kevin tossed Dean in the air for his patented pop-up powerbomb, but on the drop down, Dean grabbed his neck for the "Dirty Deeds" swinging neckbreaker. "Should've made that finish for a Pay Per View though. Stone Cold would've been pissed. They gave it away on free tv. Damn."

"So when do you find out?" Lisa asked.

"Well I got good feedback at both tryouts," Shannon started. "The Shimmer staff said they would give me an update in about a month because they hosted another tryout camp the week before, and are in the process of reviewing footage. And ROH said they'd contact me close to their 'Field of Honor' Pay Per View at MCU Park in Brooklyn."

Shannon turned her body to the television and saw that The New Day was doing a segment mocking Budweiser beer, which headquarters was in Milwaukee.

"TNA used to do shows at MCU when we came to New York, but I think ROH has outdrawn us there to be honest. And _we_ had the better TV deal," Lisa added, shaking her head.

"Think I need to go to Nashville and talk to Dixie?" Shannon inquired after texting Bayley that she was talking to 'Victoria.' "I know where I want to be, but I'm humble. Whomever I get a call from first, I'm willing to jump."

"I wouldn't," Lisa started contorting her lips as though the thought of Shannon pursuing TNA was pure disgust. "Pay issues. TNA's headquarters are in Tennessee. Panda Energy, their parent company, is in Texas. There's a lot of unknown in the happenings of that promotion. You're young and need stability. You need to be able to answer to one lion for awhile first, before you can handle being thrown in a zoo full of anarchy and ambiguity."

Shannon turned back to Lisa as The New Day finished their segment and Raw took a commercial break.

"So are you saying there's no structure in TNA?" Shannon asked, trusting Lisa would give her an honest answer as she had stints in WWE, TNA, and a brief run in ROH.

"I'm not _saying_ it. It just _isn't_ ," Lisa replied raising an eyebrow and the lines in her forehead stretched for emphasis on her words. "If they'll fuck around vets in the business, sweetie, they'll definitely take advantage of you. And sooner rather than later."

"Yeah, I read stuff online about what happened to Jay," Shannon said as she disappointingly turned back around to see yet another commercial, and one from a company that wasn't even a sponsor or partner with the WWE.

"You mean Lethal?" Lisa turned around to the machine and made her a mug of beer before she leaned back facing Shannon at the counter. "Yeah, when I signed with them in '09, he was there. After I had issues in the spring of 2010, I told Dixie I wasn't re-signing without a pay increase. I went away for awhile and there were loose negotiations, nothing formidable. They released me a year later. As for Jay, he got injured, healed up, and was just chilling in Tampa for six months. No one from the office called him checking up on his health, and he hadn't been paid in awhile. No one called to say, 'do you want a gimmick change?' Or 'here's the new Creative we've got for you.' He got _nothing_."

"So what'd he do?" Shannon asked, but quickly smiled, not at Jay's story but because the room roared with boos when Raw returned on air and Roman Reigns entered the arena. There was nothing she had against him personally. She never met him. But as a fan, she thought his character was dull as a top guy.

"Did what he should've done a lot sooner. Told TNA to kiss his ass, went back to ROH, and now look at him," Lisa said, projecting her voice so Shannon could hear her over the boos, then drank more beer.

"Yep. He's the man, and so gracious too," said Shannon with a nod. "He and Adam are doing their thing, for sure. I'm happy for them. I'd love being in a locker room like that."

Roman was talking about starting from the bottom in his promo, which the Raw Milwaukee audience shouted "Bullshit," noting not only his family ties to the business, Vince McMahon's love for his "look," as well as the huge push The Shield received since debuting at Survivor Series four years ago. He'd been the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for three and a half months and would be defending his title in two weeks at Summerslam. And this crowd could care less.

"Hey, can I ask you about injuries?" Some froth from the beer created a mustache on Lisa's face, so when she rotated her hand forward, Shannon saw that as a sign to continue. "I haven't had anything major. I broke my wrist, but other than bruises and cuts, nothing serious. But I know it's coming because it happens to everyone. How do you cope when it happens?"

"I tore my ACL in a Chicago Street Fight I had with Trish," Lisa began as she brushed her wrist against her face to wipe the froth of the beer. Shannon interrupted her.

"I think I remember that," Shannon said squinting her eyes recounting the event. "Was it Survivor Series, '02 or '03?"

"It could've been, I've had so many matches. Fans will tweet you and remind you of anniversaries of different matches. I try not to be rude, but in all honesty, it's the _moments_ in matches, not necessarily the event, venue, or how many minutes it went that we remember most," Lisa answered before grabbing a few pretzels from the bowl that Shannon snacked on earlier. "I slammed her on a trashcan lid. She rolled out of the way, and I landed on the trashcan, but my knee went into the trashcan part that doesn't bend."

"Yep, that's the street fight I remember," Shannon said with a smile, before raising her eyebrows again. "Did you even rehab after surgery? Weren't you on Raw right afterwards?"

"No surgery. And I didn't take any time off. I just started wearing a brace on my knee during matches," Lisa clarified, and Shannon clenched her fist and raised it to her bosom, tapping her chest as a sign of respect for her. "Austin's wrecked both of his knees and wears two. I talked to him for advice and he inspired me. He told me, 'As long as you wear your brace and train your muscles to work out your ACL, you're fine. Just be aware of what you're doing.' "

"Yeah Stone Cold is one of the toughest dudes in the business," Shannon remarked when The Square Circle faithful cheered as the Swiss man himself, Antonio Cesaro, who was now once again heel and the number one contender for Reigns' title, entered the arena, and interrupted Roman's promo. Cesaro came to the ring in a black pin-striped suit, with a dark grey J. Crew turtleneck sweater, and dark sunglasses. Even though it was August, the building was air-conditioned, and Shannon liked the look on him. It made her think of Cesaro as action movie villain Jason Statham.

"Not to compare myself to Stone Cold or anything, but if he can do it, _I_ can do it," Lisa affirmed, and offered a bowl of peanuts to Shannon, who shook her head in refusal. "Right before going down the ramp, I always prayed to God that I didn't hurt myself, or that the other person didn't get _really_ injured. But my main thought is that I want to kick some butt and entertain the fans. Really, injury is the _last_ thing on my mind. So all I can tell you is, they happen. If you love what you do you don't think about it, and take care of it the best way you see fit when they do happen."

 _The Four Horsemen Challenge, Slobberknocker Pizza, The Garden Calzone, Gail-Kim Chi, Hillbilly Paradise and Mac Attack Burgers? Shit, I'm marking out just with the references on the menu alone! I've gotta' come here again when I'm back in the Windy City._

* * *

 **September 23rd, 2016**

Ring of Honor fans were wrestling fans first and foremost. So of course they knew about the mainstream promotions like TNA, and of course the _king_ , WWE. ROH was one of those weird ones where recognizing them as the third major professional wrestling promotion or an independent one really depended on who you asked and what their criterion was. ROH didn't have a television deal with a major network like the WWE did with its main shows, but one with a B-level channel in Destination America, and later Comet TV. They also had a cult following digitally with people who did not have a channel affiliated with ROH's partners in their viewing area, but remained fans of the product since its birth in 2002. To their credit, there were several little independent companies that tried to get off the ground running to be in a position to be considered as a number two or three alternative to the WWE, once ECW and WCW were purchased in 2001. Many of them failed to sustain any momentum and went defunct. ROH in that respect, was a lot like ECW. Despite the size of the company and the diversity in the talents' styles-which were more aggressive than mainstream-you'd always manage every now and again to see some smark fans either start an ROH chant, or sneak a ROH sign in an event before WWE or TNA would alert security to confiscate the sign, or ask the fan to leave.

Shannon was set to compete against Rachel Collins, who competed as MisChif, and was married to Aaron Frobel, also known as Michael Elgin. She signed with Ring of Honor at the end of August, two weeks after the "Field of Honor" Pay Per View. Shimmer offered her a deal the second week in September, but she made a commitment to whichever company called her first. She thought she ended up making the right decision: Before Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Antonio Cesaro were stars in the WWE, they were Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black, Kevin Steen, and Claudio Castagnoli in Ring of Honor. The same for C.M. Punk and A.J. Styles. ROH seemed to be a prerequisite for brighter lights. MisChif and Shannon Storm were squaring off at "All Star Extravaganza IX" at the San Antonio Shrine Auditorium in San Antonio Texas.

* * *

" **For those of you that want to know what we're all about, it's like this y'all:**

 **This is ten percent luck, and twenty percent skill.**

 **Fifteen percent concentrated power and will.**

 **Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain.**

 **And one hundred percent reason to remember the name!"**

"This next contest is scheduled for one fall and it has a fifteen minute time limit," ROH Ring Announcer Bobby Cruise spoke in the microphone, after the first few seconds of Shannon's theme music "Remember the Name," by Fort Minor played. "Making her way to the ring, from Baltimore Maryland, weighing in tonight at one hundred fifty five pounds, Shannon Storm!"

Shannon missed the old school days of the WWF in the late 1980s and early 1990s-when they announced women's matches exactly like the men-complete with names, hometowns, and even weights. She thought that was a nice touch with Ring of Honor and felt the more wrestling promotions would do that, they could really help women confront and overcome their body image issues. She was comfortable in her muscular, yet not overbearingly so, frame; and whatever frame any young lady currently watching her had, she would hope they'd grow to love theirs as well.

As Shannon walked through the curtain and stood at the ramp when her music continued, she remained standing with her head down, just taking the moment in. Just before the chorus repeated in the song, she lifted her hood from above her vest and shouted in the main camera, "I have arrived!" then proceeded to head to the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is one of ROH's newly signed talents, Shannon Storm," commentator Kevin Kelly. "She'll be taking on MsChif tonight. Folks, she's not the seasoned veteran that MsChif is, but she makes up for that in desire and ability."

"Yeah that's right Kevin Kelly. MsChif's been around: She's competed in Shimmer. She's competed in Shine. She's a world traveler," said fellow commentator Steve Corino. "But I've heard positive reviews from some of the ROH wrestlers in the training dojo about this young lady, and they've indicated she's a great prospect to have. We're always looking for young talent."

Collins made her entrance to the ring and the referee gestured for the women to shake hands.

"Alright, we're just about under way for this Women of Honor contest. Let's see if MisChif adheres to the Code of Honor," said Kelly. "I doubt she'll want to as she hasn't done so in the past."

Collins did her patented scream at Shannon as she usually does to all of her opponents as well as referees who stand in her way with her banshee gimmick. Shannon kept her hand out and Collins howled again-this time not at Shannon specifically-but at her _hand_.

"She's never been a nice lady, this MisChif," said Corino, who reminded fans who may not have seen MisChif in awhile that she was a heel in a subtle fashion. "She has yet to adhere to the Code of Honor...but wait a minute, she's raising her hand towards Storm's now...they're centimeters away...maybe she's had a change of heart…"

The crowd was beginning to cheer and woo because the bell had rung, yet the match continued to stall. They were anticipating something fun to happen, but weren't sure when it would happen, or what it was going to be.

"What a vicious slap by Storm to MisChif...and MisChif immediately responds with a debilitating headbutt to Shannon knocking her off her feet and she rolls to a corner!" Kelly shouted and the fans cheered. "Neither of these ladies seem interested in adhering to the Code of Honor! Shannon appeared as if she were trying to sucker MisChif in with some cunning plan to get a quick advantage, and MisChif saw it a mile ahead, and retaliated in aggression."

"Yeah, you're right Kevin, it's like two sides of a rotten tree with these two," said Corino. "It doesn't matter which side you explore, one side's going to be bad, and the other worse. MisChif could've knocked Storm out. I mean, I see her getting up, but it doesn't mean she knows where she is right now."

"MisChif with another headbutt and Storm goes down," announced Kelly. "Forearms to the jaw! It looks like she wants to disfigure Shannon's face for that vicious slap from earlier. MisChip whips Storm into the ropes, and flings her with a perfectly executed hip toss. The referee makes the count...one...two...kickout! Steve tell us why Storm versus MsChif looks to be a good match up."

"Well Kevin, you've got a vet versus a rookie," Corino said nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders, though the only people who saw it were those fans seated directly behind the guardrail. "Sometimes, competition isn't motivated by a title, but by _competition itself._ Shannon Storm's out here trying to prove a point: not just that she's arrived in Ring of Honor, but that she can hang with the likes of MsChif. MisChif on the other hand is a veteran. She doesn't _have_ to prove anything. She's got a reputation, but it doesn't mean she doesn't _want_ to remind this kid of who she is and what she's capable of. Sometimes those things bring out the best in people."

"Thank you very much Steve. I appreciate the insight," said Kelly whose voice varied in volume during various spots in the match. "Front facelock applied on Shannon Storm by MisChif, oh a thumb to the eyes by Storm, who then delivers a spinning heel kick to MisChif's midsection!"

"Thumb to the eyes?" asked Corino in confusion. "I didn't see a thumb to the eyes. MisChif had Storm in the front facelock, her grip gave way, and Shannon countered."

"I have to wonder why then Steve, did MisChif immediately put her hands to her face _before_ Shannon kicked her," Kelly expressed frustratingly to Corino. "But be that as it may, Shannon follows up with a great swinging neckbreaker, and gets a one count."

"Maybe MisChif has allergies we don't know about Kevin," Corino remarked in defense of Shannon. "Looks like Storm is frustrated-almost _insulted-_ that she didn't even get a two count on that exchange...she climbs to the second rope and sits on the top turnbuckle."

"C'mon! Get up! Get up dammit!" Shannon screamed and raised her right hand three consecutive times, urging Collins to get to her feet so she could deliver a move to her from the turnbuckle.

As Collins stirred and Shannon eased her hips to climb to the top turnbuckle pad, Collins ran towards her, grabbed her ponytail from the back and delivered another headbutt. As Shannon sold being dazed by the third headbutt in one match, Collins joined her on the second rope and drove her head to the canvas, in the X Factor, a signature maneuver of former WWE superstar X-Pac.

"Obliteration! The kneeling piledriver from the second rope…she hit Obliteration! That's gotta' do it Steve!" yelled Kelly. "Storm was goading MsChif with the taunting, and it came back to bite her!" shouted Kelly. "One, two, oh the ropes! Storm got her foot on the ropes."

Shannon sold the move great, getting her legs straight in the air before taking the bump, similar to RVD's selling of a spiked DDT from the ropes or ring apron.

"Oh man, that's what I'm talking about when I say the kid's special," said Corino. "The Obliteration is definitely a devastating maneuver that would take anyone out. But Storm had the awareness to get to the ropes when she was too out of it to forcibly evade the pin attempt."

Collins kneed Shannon in the midsection and she bent over. When Shannon bent over, MisChif charged into the ropes and leaped in the air.

"MisChif with the springboard elb-No!" Kelly yelled so loud into the headset that some of his wording was disjointed in the over the air broadcast for Pay Per View viewers; but the live audience in the venue felt his excitement. "Shannon Storm dropkicks MisChif directly in the elbows and she crashes down face first, just after her throat connected with the top rope.

Fans in the front row began hitting the guardrail with the Ring of Honor logos, indicating their appreciation of the effort thus far in the match and began chanting, "ROH, ROH, ROH!"

"There's those instincts again Kevin Kelly," Corino looked on ahead in the ring, as ROH's crew did not rely on television monitors. "Anyone can go in a gym and train to pump iron, but there's two things you can't coach and both of these ladies have them: experience and speed. And we just saw the latter with that counter."

"MisChif, shaking off the sting from Shannon's dropkick to her elbows is now up...she turns around, runs right into Shannon…Oh my! What a combination!" Kelly yelled as Shannon delivered dual strikes. "Running jumping knee to MisChif's face, and follows with a jumping enzurguri to the back of MisChif's head with the opposite leg. She calls that combo Whirlwind. Cover, and one, two, no!"

"Shannon now pulling MsChif by her dark green hair, tosses her through the middle rope...I wonder what she has on her mind Kevin…" said Corino who was enjoying what he was seeing. "Storm with a running dropkick to the face...and MisChif hits her head on the outside as her legs are trapped through the middle ropes."

Shannon was aware of Collins' great flexibility as she remembered seeing ROH footage of her selling a great Boston Crab applied by Sara Del Ray, so asked Collins if she could get a submission spot in the match, which she agreed.

"What's this?" asked Kelly, who was unsure of what Shannon's intentions were with MsChif's body literally divided from the ring, to the outside. "This is some unique tree of woe position...Storm Shield _through_ the middle rope? That's Storm's modified Figure Four leglock...and she's doing in _between_ the ropes...my God and look at the position! She could break MisChif in half...look at the bridge on MisChif's neck and shoulders from the outside!"

"One, two, three, four, come on Shannon, break the hold! She's on the ropes!" shouted ROH referee Todd Sinclair to Storm. Surprisingly, Shannon complied and pushed the rest of Collins' body outside.

"Oh Kevin, I think that was incredible," said Corino nodding his head as the crowd started a "This is Awesome" chant. "We haven't seen something like that before. Lots of people do the Figure Four. We know Ric Flair's made it famous. _Few_ do that Indian Deathlock modification, and for Storm to do it from the middle rope _is_ something special. For the past four years, we've had people from the New England region win the Top Prospect Tournament. From Donovan Dijak, to Hanson, Mike Bennett, to Matt Taven. This year Lio Rush won it. And Storm comes from the same training facility as that young man. These East Coast, Mid Atlantic kids are quite the innovators. You may think the Figure Four is just an attack on the lower leg, but with that tweak on the ropes, Shannon is doing damage to the patela-to the various ligaments in MisChif's knees-with that leverage."

Todd Sinclair made a count of eleven before Collins limped towards the ropes and rolled back in the ring.

"Shannon with a kick to the tem-No! Desecrator! With Storm's leg suspended high, MisChif nails her scissored DDT!" Kelly shouted. "Now on to the cover!"

"Yeah Kevin, but I don't know if she really got all of it," Corino said with uncertainty in his tone. "We saw the damage Shannon did to the knee. She took her time getting back in the ring, and no matter how tough she is, it's got to be bothering her." Sinclair made a count of two and Shannon got her left shoulder up.

Collins battled back and in frustration let out another howl; and the fans clapped, egging her on. Even though they both were heels, ROH crowds weren't just smarks in the "smart towns" like Philadelphia, Chicago, or Brooklyn. If they wanted to cheer heels, the ROH crowd did it regardless. Shannon loved every bit of it.

"MisChif drives Shannon Storm into the corner of the ring and thrusts her shoulder continuously into Shannon's midsection, possibly trying to injure Shannon's ribs in the same fashion that Storm likely has done damage to her knee," Kelly explained as the crowd cheered when MisChif raised Shannon to the top turn turnbuckle. She joined her moments later, and delivered a superplex. MisChif could not cover Shannon because she rolled out of the ring and crawled to another side. When she approached the apron from another side, MsChif grabbed her in a front facelock and executed a slingshot suplex from the outside, back into the ring."

"Suplex City, Suplex City, Suplex City," was chanted throughout the auditorium after Collins' second suplex to Shannon, and it bothered her a little.

 _It's not that I have anything against Lesnar. I never met the guy, but I'm sure he's a good dude. I know Sable thinks so. But this chant is pissing me off. Lesnar's not in this match._

Shannon kicked out of the second suplex, and MisChif delivered a delayed vertical suplex to her.

"Uh oh, front facelock and she raises Storm in the air for a delayed vertical...and she keeps her up as the fans count, shades of her husband, "Big Mike" Michael Elgin," said Corino. "Elgin usually keeps the guys up twenty, thirty seconds, but MisChif doesn't bring Shannon down until sixty. A full minute's _gotta_ ' do damage to her as all the blood rushes to the brain!"

The "Suplex City" chants started again.

 _Besides, Lesnar does multiple Germans most of the time. The real "Suplex City" should be Scott Steiner. These assholes need to watch tape of him from '89-'93 before the 'roids and the "Big Papa Pump" gimmick. Lesnar wasn't the only collegiate stud. The Steiner brothers were beasts at Michigan._

The crowd started a "One more time" chant, indicating their desire for yet another suplex.

 _Fuck this shit. I'm turning this crowd._ MisChif knew their finish, but it wasn't yet time in the match for that to happen.

Shannon mumbled to Collins as she lied underneath her body, "Submissions coming, three in a row." When they rose to their feet, Collins whipped Shannon into the ropes, and as she returned, she leaped at Collins, grabbing her in a front facelock-body scissors combination, also known as a guillotine choke. Collins sold for a minute, fading on both knees. As the referee raised Collins' hand for a pass out on the third attempt, she grabbed Shannon by the waist and slammed her down to break the hold. Shannon sold the impact the maneuver took on her back for a few seconds. Collins got up and raced for a clothesline, but Shannon ducked it and nailed a drop toe hold, transitioning into the Achilles Tendon lock, which was a modified, inverted version of the Ankle Lock. Collins crawled within an inch of reaching the ropes, Shannon rolled over her back, sliding Collins' left arm between her legs as she applied a crossface.

The crowd was in awe by the action and started a "You are awesome! This is wrestling!" chant.

When Shannon thought she turned the tide with the audience she shouted loud at them, "Submission City, bitches!" It didn't take long. Seconds later, the crowd started shouting "Submission City" followed by a five-count clap.

 _Hell yeah! That's how you turn a fucking crowd, girl! That shit would get over astronomically if I were a face! But fuck it, I like it as a heel too._

"We don't brag here at Ring of Honor," Corino said passionately. "We don't pipe in noise to get reactions. The people tell you how they feel, and they're absolutely excited about what they're getting with these athletes leaving it all in the ring."

"I don't know what else Storm can do Steve. Three submissions back to back, not to mention the other one from earlier through the ropes. And MisChif never tapped," Kelly expressed compellingly. Meanwhile, Collins climbed to the top rope again. "MisChif with the cross body-No! Another counter! Whoah, what elevation! MisChif went for a cross body and Shannon caught her, adjusted her over her shoulders and delivered her torture rack, jumping double knee backbreaker combo, also known as Evolution!"

"One...two...oh my God, what a match are we seeing!" Corino yelled. "What do they have to do? What are they going to do to put the other away? What fighting spirit from both women!"

Shannon smacked the canvas of the ring, and as she got up complained to the referee about what she felt was a slow count. She didn't strike him, but Collins pushed her into him, and he took a bump from the corner of the ring.

"The ref's down. Someone's gotta take advantage! This is their chance!" Corino continued. "Storm turns around...ah...she got her in the...I'm trying to be careful of what Sinclair Broadcasting will allow me to say...MisChif has got a hold of both of Shannon's ta-tas, and shoves her down after squeezing them!"

"ROH certainly is no stranger to the eccentric. Ring of Honor Television Champion Dalton Castle is a bizarre one himself," Kelly said in response to MisChif groping Shannon's D Cup breasts. Neither woman was homosexual. They were entertaining, and Shannon agreed to allow MisChif to do it. She knew Goldust would be proud.

Both ladies left the ring on opposite sides and grabbed steel chairs. They swung at the same time and the chairs smacked against one another instead of connecting with Collins or Shannon. When they saw the referee began to stir, they both flopped down and dropped their chairs. The referee walked to the center of the ring noticing the steel chairs, and that both ladies were down. Todd Sinclair stood next to Collins and faced the audience while pointing at Shannon, miming to the crowd with his hands as to ask if she brought one of the chairs that was now in the ring. With his back to her, she sat up like The Undertaker, shaking her head violently, urging the audience not to snitch on her cheating tactic. When she saw Sinclair proceed to approach her from the corner of her eye, she immediately flopped back down. Once Sinclair reached Shannon, he repeated the same gesture to the crowd, directing his inquiries to Collins about the questionable behavior. She too, shook her head in defiance to the crowd denying her involvement, and flopped down when the referee returned. He stood in the middle of them, not resolving the deception and not knowing who to disqualify, so he shrugged his shoulders. He removed the chairs from the ring, and the crowd erupted in laughter at the silliness.

Shannon really enjoyed that spot. It was in her opinion that you could have a good match with anyone who was capable of having a good match. It didn't have to be a babyface and a heel squaring off against one another. Nor did she believe each heel had to use dirty tactics throughout the entire match, or even any time in the match at all. Those conscious little decisions of when, why, and how to do something could elicit reactions from crowds, and that was important to Shannon. It was always cool to her to sometimes see a serious heel do something comical and not badass; just like it was neat for a babyface every so often to unleash a mean streak. To her, that separated the good wrestlers, from the great ones.

"And now we're back at square one with these two-just gutting it out-connecting with rights and lefts as they fight from their knees," Corino explained while the ladies duked it out before eventually making it to their feet once again.

"Storm with another right...but the hand is blocked by MisChif...MisChif leans forward...mist!" Kelly shouted! "MisChif just spat out that green mist, shades of the "Japanese Buzzsaw" Tajiri, but Storm ducks, and it goes right into the referee's face!"

"Tough break for Sinclair," Corino laughed. "Here it comes, Code Green, MisChif's senton powerbomb. Shannon can't kick out. MisChif traps her opponents' arms underneath her legs on the rotation."

"One, two, three," shouted the crowd after Collins connected with the pinning combination. But unfortunately for them, they were not the referee.

"The referee is still trying to clear his eyes up from that green mist," Kelly whined with sympathy. "Here comes the official pin, finally...one...two...oh Storm grabbed the hip section of MisChif's tights...her arms were trapped but her wrist was at least free...She rolls through MisChif's grip and now she's in the pinning predicament...one...two...wait a second...Shannon has her legs on the ropes...hey ref...three."

"Here is your winner by pinfall, Shannnnon Storrrrrrm!" ring announcer Bobby Cruise said as her theme music began to play, and Todd Sinclair, who was still trying to clear his impaired vision, rubbed his eyes with one hand, while raising Shannon's hand with the other.

"Oh man, what a match. You've gotta give it to both of them. They brought it," Corino said as he was seen applauding from the announce table when the camera angles focused on their table. "Kevin, I know you mentioned her foot on the ropes, but it doesn't _matter_. You gotta' give her credit. She probably scouted her from afar, knew that mist was coming, got out of harm's way, and capitalized. I'm not mad at her at all! It's MisChif's fault the ref couldn't recover quick enough to count Shannon's shoulders to the mat. She was _outsmarted_ by Storm. Hell of a debut for the young lady! Great match, and a _huge_ win!"

* * *

Shannon exited the ring and began to walk up the ramp backwards so that she could stare at Collins, whose face was frowned, and let out a growl in disappointment. Shannon smiled back at her, removed her mouth guard and clipped it behind her ear, before raising her own arm mouthing the words, "My hand was raised." She then looked to the crowd that were putting their thumbs down, booing at her, and told them, "Shut up! I won the match. It doesn't matter how."

As Shannon continued to celebrate and taunt the fans, ROH Matchmaker Nigel McGuiness, who was also ringside during the match, grabbed a microphone and Shannon's attention, when he walked up the ramp to her. Her music stopped.

"Shannon Storm, I want to talk to you for a second," Nigel began as he touched Shannon's shoulder. "Shannon, first of all, congratulations on your win, and welcome to Ring of Honor. That was a fantastic showing. Despite the reaction from these fans, I don't think you took the fifteen year veteran _too_ lightly."

"Nigel, you are correct. Congrats are in order because I was victorious. As I've been trying to explain to this idiots in San Antonio who are either bitter or stupid-and I wouldn't be shocked if it were _both_ -I mean we are in Texas after all," Shannon responded and as the crowd's booing grew louder, instinctively she raised her arm again to belabor the point of her win, and the noise subsided so she could continue her interview.

"Normally Nigel, I would say 'thank you for the opportunity,' but I'm not going to. The pleasure was all yours, and you're quite welcome by the way. I sincerely mean that from the bottom of my heart. Yeah, MsChif's a seasoned vet and a fighter. I would tip my cap to her, but honestly it's not even worth the time because she didn't get the job done tonight. _I_ did. MsChif may be from 'Dante's Inferno,' but Shannon Storm just put out the flame. I got the victory. My hand was raised. This is a young woman's game, and I'm the youngest!"

Shannon turned away from Nigel and headed up the ramp as her music replayed.

* * *

The main event of the evening was ROH World Champion Adam Cole defending against Jay Lethal in a ladder match. They both were still heels on the roster which Shannon liked, and Adam defeated Lethal for the title at the August "Field of Honor" Pay Per View. Adam retained the title tonight when the Young Bucks superkicked Joey "Whose your Daddy?" Daddiego off a ladder, and he fell out of the ring through the commentary table. Corino and Kelly finished calling the match standing up. Joey had Lethal on his shoulders and was climbing the ladder for him, when The Young Bucks took him out, and proceeded to clean house on the rest of "The House of Truth."

Following the Pay Per View, Shannon went out with Adam, Matt, and Nick Jackson. The date was strictly platonic. She was a fan of all of them, didn't know if Adam was interested, and besides Matt and Nick were married anyway. She wanted to know what their thoughts were about pitching to Creative the idea of her joining their "Elite Club" stable of Adam and The Young Bucks. Taeler Hendrix was the only female in "The House of Truth," and she thought she could be the female in their stable. Taeler wasn't wrestling, just serving as a ringside valet in the H.O.T. Shannon thought if she joined the "Elite Club," it would give Hendrix a reason to get back in the ring, especially since these stables had a reputation. Perhaps ROH would add a few more Women of Honor matches on television as well instead of Pay Per View or live tour bouts.

* * *

So today is Friday, the 13th. For anyone that is superstitious, I hope you have a safe one. For anyone who isn't, watch your favorite horror movie for me! :)


	11. Chapter Eleven: Demons and Disaster

**Author's Note:** Typically, I usually update bi-weekly. But in honor of this Saturday being the second leg of the Triple Crown in horse racing and with this chapter being one of two parts, I'm feeling rather generous and am posting a week ahead of schedule. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

 **Mid October 2016, ROH TV**

Creative had agreed to the pitch of adding Shannon Storm to The Young Bucks and Adam Cole's "Elite Club" stable and just wrote her in, extending their feud with "The House of Truth." Since Donovan Dijak turned face and left the House of Truth, "Mr. ROH," Roderick Strong, returned to the H.O.T. after dropping the Ring of Honor World Television Title to Dalton Castle. Roderick teased a heel turn during his mini feud with Bobby Fish of Redragon earlier in the year, and his assistance in a previous match on ROH TV to help Jay Lethal win a number one contender's match-securing another shot at Adam Cole-cemented that turn. Dijak was over as a face now. Ring of Honor wanted Roderick to help Joey Daddiego grow more in the ring, so decided to put Roderick in the tag team division. Roderick had no problem with that, but insisted instead of turning Joey face, have him complete his heel turn since "The House of Truth" was already assembled. That was what occurred.

Adam Cole and Shannon Storm with the Young Bucks faced Roderick Strong and Taeler Hendrix with Jay Lethal and Joey Daddiego in the television main event. The Bucks and the rest of the H.O.T. was at ringside while Truth Martini was on commentary. The match was already in progress for about thirteen minutes, and the finish was soon approaching.

"'Truth, what do you think of this 'Elite Club' faction?" asked commentator Kevin Kelly.

"Are you kidding me right now Kevin Kelly?" Martini asked arrogantly. "You have Truth Martini joining you out here on commentary and that's the juiciest question you can come up with?" He continued with his patented, grim laugh. "The 'Elite Club' is full of talent, especially the one they've added with the hooters, but they're not 'The H.O.T.' They don't follow the Book of Truth, and they don't have the hoopla that we possess."

Taeler had the upper hand in the match against Shannon and tagged in her partner, Roderick Strong. With Roderick now in the ring, Adam Cole wanted to enter in Shannon's place. But before Shannon crawled completely over to her side of the ring to tag him so the referee could admonish the switch, Joey Daddiego slid in the ring and with the referee's back turned, picked up Shannon, and powerbombed her.

"You wonder sometimes why there aren't two referees," said Corino who was a fan of both teams, but especially of Cole and The Bucks. "Daddiego drilled Storm with that powerbomb."

"You gotta' be kidding me!" Kelly shouted "He's not even a part of the match. The referee is blocking Cole from coming to the aide of his partner instead of maintaining order with the outside interference! Why are Daddiego and Lethal even out here?"

"Excuse me Kevin Kelly," Martini began again in his deep, antagonizing voice. "Just where in the hell do you get off telling 'The House of Truth' when and where they don't belong? The Bucks are out here and you're not talking about them!"

"Well yeah, that's because they haven't interfered in the match. The H.O.T. has," Kelly retorted.

"Nonsense Kelly. I don't call it interference. I call it following the Book of Truth," Martini said following another one of his infamous laughs. "If Adam Cole and Shannon Storm can't tough it out and compete, well I guess we know what else doesn't measure up."

Adam Cole managed to slide past the referee and enter the ring, but before he could reach Roderick Strong who was taunting Shannon, he was intercepted by Jay Lethal who slid in the ring, and connected with the Lethal Combination, Lethal's backbreaker/DDT combo. Cole rolled out of the ring.

"Come on ref, this is getting out of hand," said Corino. "You've got the stripes. If you can't maintain control, you need to call for the disqualification."

"Is this Ring of Honor, or Ring of Complaints?" asked Martini. "All the 'Elite Club' is doing is delaying the inevitable. They need to accept defeat now because that's _exactly_ what's going to happen when Strong and Daddiego take the Tag Team Championships from The Young Bucks, and when Lethal gets _his_ Ring of Honor World Title _back_ from Cole at the next Pay Per View."

Roderick got Shannon up for his vertical double knee backbreaker, but she she escaped his grip, launched herself in the air, and landed on her feet. When this happened, Roderick walked right into double superkicks from Matt and Nick Jackson. Matt and Nick were wearing their faction's latest shirt, which was a black tee with words, "The Elite" written in white capital letters surrounded by four silver golf clubs with Adam, Shannon, Nick and Matt's initials for a slick finish. The back of the tee shirts had the number two at the shoulder blades, with a spoon full of sugar in the center. It was one of ROH Wrestling dot com's top sellers. The Young Bucks were Kliq and DX marks-as was Shannon-so instead of shouting "Too Sweet," or "Suck It" to the crowd, they each pointed one of their hands to Shannon's crotch and shouted "Suck her!" The crowd erupted in excitement as they left the ring.

"I've gotta' go boys. It's been a pleasure. But the H.O.T. needs me," said Martini who dropped his headset and approached the apron. Before he could even approach it, Adam Cole, who now recovered from Jay's Lethal Injection nailed Truth Martini with the Shining Wizard shin kick to the outside, and The Young Bucks nailed another set of superkicks to Lethal and Daddiego who tried to come to Martini's aide.

"It's total chaos and pandemonium here in Ring of Honor!" yelled Corino as the fans cheered wildly. "The fans are loving the superkick party as am I! Roddy's back up...as is Shannon Storm...is she gonna...no way! Weather The Storm on 'Mr. ROH!' "

The audience rose to their feet as they saw Shannon lift Roderick for the Weather The Storm, and shouted "Elite Club, Elite Club, Elite Club!" Adam climbed back to the apron, and Shannon made the tag to him. While Adam was measuring Roderick, waiting for him to stand, he looked out to the crowd holding his index finger on each hand up and shouted, "Adam Cole Bay Bay!"

"Shannon finally gets a tag to Adam," said Kelly with relief. "Roddy's out from the WTS. He can just cover him now...no...Adam gets him to his feet...Florida Key! Bridges out...one, two, three!"

"Ladies and gentlemen your winners of the match: Shannon Storm and Adam Cole, 'The Elite Club!' " Bobby Cruise announced for the fans, while Todd Sinclair raised each of their hands acknowledging the victory.

As the fans applauded the match and everyone in "The House of Truth" remained down selling their beatings, Adam and Shannon joined The Young Bucks outside the ring and they all walked over to Corino and Kelly. Matt Jackson grabbed the headset off of Steve Corino and placed it on Shannon's head. She wrapped her arms around Cole and the Young Bucks.

"Hey girl, tell them how great we are," said Nick Jackson who didn't have a headset, but because he was close to Shannon, his voice was picked up on the microphone of her headset.

"This club isn't just elite. We are too, damn, sweet!" said Shannon and the rest of the members of the stable all smiled and raised their hands in the air doing the Wolfpack gesture. Shannon removed the headset and dropped it back on the table and repeated the gesture to the fans as the episode of ROH TV went off air.

* * *

 **November 18th, 2016**

Shannon was having an excellent time at Ring of Honor for the past three months. The locker room was great: there was a nice balance of independent talent who were chomping at the bit to finally get signed to a prominent North American company, seasoned veterans who returned to ROH from TNA, as well as some of the original ROH faithful. The talent exchange program with Pro Wrestling Guerilla was stronger than ever and the company was in preliminary talks of starting an East Coast talent exchange program with either Combat Zone Wrestling or Chikara Wrestle Factory. Shannon got to experience quite a bit of television time as she was member of a stable with a top singles star and top tag team.

But in addition to the "Elite Club's" feud with "The House of Truth," she also started an individual program with the 125 pound, undersized, extremely thin, crowd favorite Brandel Littlejohn, who competed as "Cheeseburger." Cheeseburger had been in a feud with "Brutal" Bob Evans last autumn, and had been on a losing streak ever since. He was growing strong in that beloved underdog role to that of Mick Foley, Spike Dudley, and Daniel Bryan. Tonight, at the "Survival of Fittest" Pay Per View at the Turner Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they would have a singles hardcore match where the winner would be declared "more man than the other." Shannon had been cutting promos for the past month and a half berating Cheeseburger's manhood and pride, and defeated him numerous times in singles, and tag competition, thus causing him to challenge her to this forthcoming match.

Although it was a gimmick match by design, it served the purpose of getting Littlejohn the payoff of finally winning a match. By not only winning a match-a Pay Per View one at that-snapping his losing streak, it would give him the momentum he needed to solidify himself in that top underdog role on ROH's roster. Will Ferrara was chasing him for that spot. Littlejohn had no problem having a hardcore match with Shannon, and she had no problem putting him over. Shannon was the heel. What she loved most about being one was _selling_ -making people look great as you put them over-creating a star in the process. Sure, she loved wins when they came, but any great heel would tell you it's the dirty work you enjoy the most. Coming up with creative ways to make the opponent look good, or innovative ways to "barely sneak by" with a win as a villain-the stuff that fans under appreciated-she _loved._

* * *

 **Thirty Minutes until the Match**

Shannon left the locker room area after finishing her chewy harvest berry granola bar from Cascasdian Farms. Founded in 1972, the company prided itself on creating the best organic, whole grain bars. This particular one that Shannon ate had raisins, cranberries, and blueberries, providing a much needed blend of fiber, protein, carbs, iron, and a limited amount of vitamins A and C. She walked down one of the hallways. She was bored from watching the Pay Per View back there, so came through the hall to get a vibe from the rest of the boys and girls checking out "The House of Truth" and Young Bucks finish, doing their thing. While she was there, Maria Kanellis, wife of Michael Bennett, walked by. Bennett had a match coming up against Donovan Dijak in between the tag title match and Shannon's match with Cheeseburger. Shannon was doing some lunges when Maria spoke to her.

"So is this supposed to be a stepping stone for you?" Maria asked with a condescending tone as she chewed gum.

"Excuse me?" Shannon questioned back, not distracted from her lunges.

"Oh don't play dumb," Maria commented shaking her head. "You're using your time here to get to the WWE. The grass isn't always green on the other side. They don't treat women right there. I would know."

"Is it that women aren't treated well, or some of the women hired there couldn't _work_?" Shannon asked in arrogance, matching Maria's pretentious tone, showing no intimidation in her implications, as she switched doing lunges on the other leg.

Maria ignored Shannon's interrogation. "I don't know why you'd bother though," Maria said with a shrug. "They had Ronda Rousey run through the rest of the Divas when she was the _least_ deserving of them. What makes _your_ pussy any different?"

Maria then smirked at Shannon and walked away, looking for her husband. Shannon had gone several months without thinking about Ronda Rousey. It touched a nerve with her because Maria was correct in Ronda's undeserving pushes, but was out of line with the random tirade. Shannon was fine where she was and would continue her journey wherever path it lead her to.

 _First Donald Trump won the United States Presidency two weeks ago, now what the fuck is her problem? I've never had heat with her before. She's just probably trying to start shit. And for what? She's out of here in two months anyway. I heard about her and Bennett's contract with TNA. Taven returns next month. I wonder if he even likes her, or just put up with her shit when "The Kingdom" was still together. Whatever, I've got business to take care of._

* * *

"The following contest is a Fight Without Honor Match!" ROH announcer Bobby Cruise shouted into the microphone and the volume of the fans' cheers increased. "Which simply means, this match will have no count outs, no disqualifications, and falls _will_ count anywhere! The only way to win is by pinfall or submission. Per the added stipulation agreed upon the two participants, whomever is victorious must then retrieve the microphone and declare to their opponent that they are 'more man than the other.' "

Shannon made her entrance first and then Cheeseburger who entered the arena with a shopping cart of weapons that included a kitchen sink, 2X4 strip of wood, trashcan, cement block, and a shovel.

"Kevin Kelly, it was Cheeseburger who issued this challenge to Shannon Storm. But why is he coming to the ring second?" asked Steve Corino in disbelief. "Maybe he had second thoughts?"

"Oh no Steve, I don't think he's changed his mind for a second!" Kevin Kelly said excitedly. "Look, he's bringing out a shopping cart full of goodies, and he's parking them at the bottom of the entrance ramp, near ringside. The young man came prepared!"

"What the hell is this?" could be heard from Shannon, who yelled out to Littlejohn as she raised her eyebrows and pointed to the shopping cart he left down the aisle during his entrance, while receiving a warm welcome from the crowd. She of course was aware of the weapons beforehand, but was selling confusion to the audience.

"Fans as a reminder," Corino began seriously, as if he were to warning the crowd about a pending, legitimate threat to their own safety. "This is a Fight Without Honor match. There will be no handshake. There will be no countout. There will be no disqualification. Falls count anywhere, and there's a possibility the action will be very close to the ROH crowd. We ask you respect the athletes, and don't disrupt them from competition."

"And the bell sounds...Storm races to Cheeseburger, grabs him in waistlock and raises him above her head trying to adjust him on her shoulders...Weather The Storm attempt...no, Cheeseburger wiggles off as Shannon tries to put him away early," said Kelly who kept up the pace calling the action. "Storm charges for a clothesline, but Cheeseburger slides between her legs...she turns around into an armdrag…and another armdrag...a third deep armdrag by Cheeseburger!"

"Cheeseburger's taking Shannon off her game right now," Corino said compellingly. "We all know they're fighting without honor. And Shannon saw that shopping cart full of toys, so I'm sure _wrestling_ Cheeseburger, and not _fighting_ him was the last thing on her mind. She's gotta' regroup to slow the speedster down."

Littlejohn whipped Shannon into the ropes and on the return, she ended up catching him in a sleeper hold.

"Oh as much as Storm would probably love to get a submission victory tonight, I'm not sure the fans would enjoy seeing their beloved Cheeseburger go down this way," Kelly said in disappointment, hoping the match wouldn't end as quickly as it began. "Oh he's fading...he's fading...the ref may have to call it...Storm's loosening her grip on the sleeper, but why? Oh, Whirlwind to Cheeseburger!"

"That was intentional Kevin! She put him to sleep, then woke him back up!" Corino said with a laugh. "She loosened the grip from the sleeper to get some separation from Cheeseburger. Just as he was about to go out, wham! She hits him with that running jumping knee/enziguri combination. Good Lord, the smack to the side of his head was sick!"

Shannon grabbed Littlejohn by his tights and threw him out of the ring through the middle rope. As he sailed through, he extended his legs and arms as if he was doing a dive of his own, so he could connect going face first with the shopping cart that was parked less than five feet away from the ring at the bottom of the ramp. When his body collided, it forced the cart to roll backwards a bit, and the crowd wooed at the sound the collision made. Shannon then picked up Littlejohn and held him sideways, where his head rested against her forearm, and her other hand was between his legs clenching his buttocks. While holding him in this position she slammed his back against all four ring posts twice, before returning to the front of the ring, dropping him to the floor a few feet away from the shopping cart.

"Now is when the party _begins_!" Shannon said, pointing her index finger downward as she shouted at the crowd, walking to another side of the ballroom.

"Maybe this was the strategy of Shannon Storm all along, huh Steve?" Kelly directed at his broadcast partner as he grimaced at the smacking noise of the ring post connecting to Cheeseburger's body. "Torture and punish the man, delaying the inevitable. She is one of the more physically imposing women on the roster. She may not have the twenty seven inch pythons of Hulk Hogan, but she's got a serious gun show of her own that may be half of that."

Shannon taunted the crowd some more before making her way back to Littlejohn. When she did, he made his way to the cart and pushed it forward, driving it straight into her abdomen, and all of the weapons fell out except the cement block and sink.

"Oh Cheeseburger may be finding his break now," Corino remarked as Shannon bent over in pain. "Cheeseburger charges at Storm...but she bodyslams him into the cart! I guess I spoke too soon!"

With Littlejohn in the cart after being body slammed, Shannon turned his body so that his head was no longer resting near the handle of the cart, but the lower half of his body. She then pulled his leg through the carrier seat of the shopping cart while his head rested against the kitchen sink inside the cart.

"What on God's green Earth is she doing?" Kelly asked in irritation. "She had an opening...oh my! Storm Shield through the damn shopping cart! That's dangerous!"

"Yeah Kevin, dangerous, effective, but most important very _legal_ ," Corino corrected Kelly. "Remember anything goes in a Fight without Honor. The referee's only job is to count a pinfall or call for a submission. And he can make that call in the ring, out the ring, in a parking lot, wherever! Remember the last time we saw Shannon do something like this was in her debut match against MisChif through the ropes. She must really like doing submissions in strange places."

While Littlejohn was in the cart, screaming in pain, Shannon dangled off the handle portion of the cart, continuously doing sit ups to increase the magnitude of pressure on the hold. It was a testament to the leg strength in her quads, hamstring, and glute muscles relying solely on her lower body to support her weight as she hung on a mere portion of the shopping cart.

"Cheeseburger, do you submit?" asked referee Todd Sinclair, to which Littlejohn shook his head ferociously. "Can you continue?" Littlejohn, with his eyes closed shut, nodded to confirm he would indeed go on. Moments later, he clenched and shook his fists in an effort to engage the fans who started chanting, "Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger!" Shannon rose for one last sit up and Littlejohn bit her scalp gently, but she sold it like it was more severe. She broke the hold and fell to the floor.

Littlejohn, still in the cart, sat up and rubbed his legs while Sinclair removed the sink from the cart, dropping it to the floor. He then leaned his head backward in the cart while Sinclair removed the cement block from the cart to the floor. The gesture to the audience looked as if Sinclair was aiding Littlejohn's safety, preventing Shannon from causing anymore damage to him with the two weapons that remained in the cart while he was still stuck in it; but really, Sinclair removed the items because he knew they were going to be used later at some point in the match, so provided an assist to the two wrestlers.

While Littlejohn prolonged his time stuck in the shopping cart, Shannon picked up the cement block and carried it to the ring, pushing it under the bottom rope. She repeated the same steps with the 2X4 strip of wood, and the shovel. The noise in the arena, which quieted down after Shannon released the Storm Shield became loud again, which befuddled Shannon. When she turned around from the apron to retrieve Littlejohn she found her answer. He climbed on top on the cart and delivered a diving clothesline to her.

"Well that's certainly a bright way to escape from the cart," said Kelly with a smile on his face. "Down goes Storm! They nearly made contact with that trashcan."

It was as if Kevin Kelly was in Shannon's ear because moments later when the crowd thought she was crawling to get away from Littlejohn, she removed the trashcan lid from the can itself. As Littlejohn made his way over to her and grabbed her hair, she hit him in the crotch with the lid, buying herself enough time to grab hold of his arm.

"Ahh, there she goes again!" shouted Corino. "Shannon just inserted Cheeseburger's little arm through the handle of the trashcan lid, and has applied the Kimura Armbar. I don't know about you man, but it's sexy to me how she's so consistent with these innovative applications of submissions. She just pounces on people like a mosquito, and is so relentless at breaking down body parts. It's _very_ hot."

"Well I'm a married man and won't speak on that Steve," began Kelly who looked on intently at the action. "All I know is that Cheeseburger can't grab the ropes. We're outside. Even if he had the ropes, there would be nothing he could do about it as this match cannot end in a disqualification."

"Please don't tap, Please don't tap, Please don't tap," was the chant the audience started as they were unsure if their hero would survive.

"Aaah!," Littlejohn screamed at Shannon. It wasn't a scream of pain, more like a primal roar of determination as his eyes widened and he began delivering kicks to Shannon's chest, shoulder and head. She released the hold and they remained on the floor for several moments. After about two minutes, Littlejohn shook off the pain from his arm and removed the trashcan lid from it, tossing it down closer to Shannon's face.

"Cheeseburger helps Shannon to her feet and I don't think it's to take her out on a date," Corino said humorously. "Swinging neckbreaker on the trash can lid...Shannon doesn't even have an opportunity to brace for impact as Cheeseburger makes our first cover of the match...Sinclair flops down for the count...one...two...and Storm kicks out!"

"Shannon Storm gets back on her feet but Cheeseburger delivers the Shate' palm strike taught to him by Japanese great, Jushin 'Thunder' Liger," Kelly remarked as the crowd participated in calling the move as they saw Littlejohn's hand signal for it. "The Young Bucks got the job done tonight...Cheeseburger's trying to play the role of spoiler and make 'The Elite Club' one for one...Oh and she hits the back of her neck on the lid as she goes down!"

Littlejohn attempted to make another cover but just as he crawled atop Shannon she jabbed a thumb to his eyes, preventing him from doing so. Still on the floor, Shannon rolled over grabbing her neck with both hands and rubbed it. Littlejohn eventually got up, grabbed the trashcan, and raised it in the air to work the crowd. He climbed over the guardrail and raised it in the air once again. The fans slapped their hands against it, and encouraged him to kick Shannon's ass. Littlejohn noticed Shannon was finally crawling down the ramp making her way towards the ring, so he climbed back over the guardrail with the trashcan and entered the ring. The shovel that Shannon pushed in the middle of the ring hung outside a little bit, and Littlejohn wanted to take advantage of it. Shannon continued to crawl and he placed the trashcan on the handle of the shovel.

"I have to say Steve, I am surprised. Cheeseburger made the challenge and Shannon accepted, but to be honest, I thought it was a mistake," Kelly remarked to Steve who turned to him in anticipation of the point he was trying to make. "I thought this match was going to be _all_ Shannon, but no one has had firm, commanding control of it."

Littlejohn climbed to the top rope and once he saw Shannon's head underneath the metal portion of the shovel, leaped from it delivering a leg drop to the trashcan that was positioned on the handle. This caused a see-saw effect where the shovel connected with the right side of Shannon's head, busting her open instantly.

"Fuuuck!" Shannon yelled at the impact. She felt the side of her head and knew it was a fairly significant gash after touching the blood, and repeated the swearing: "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" It hurt, but that was what they wanted. This was no blade job. He found a sweet spot, and got her good.

"Oh God, he's put a hurting on her now," Corino said with a contorted mouth, illustrating the queasiness by the sight. "Look at that cut extending from about the temple to the eyebrow. She's gonna' need some help when all's said and done."

When she pushed the shovel completely inside, the fans got a good look at the damage and chanted, "ECW, ECW, ECW!" The commentators did not protest or ignore it. They took it as a compliment as they respected the legacy of Extreme Championship Wrestling, and were honored that their reception mirrored the now defunct promotion.

Littlejohn grabbed the back of his leg, caressing his hamstring at the impact of delivering the leg drop to the trashcan. While he put a considerable dent in it, it wasn't completely ruined. Shannon slid in the the ring and took advantage of the pain Littlejohn put himself in by piledriving him on the trashcan, completing destroying it at this point.

"Piledriver! Piledriver on Cheeseburger!" Kelly exclaimed. "It's eerie Steve that Shannon's wearing red and black gear tonight, because as the blood continues to pour down her shredded epidermis, she looks like the villainous 'Two-Face' from the Batman series after delivering that blow."

"But the devil's never looked so good! Hell hath no fury like a woman busted open Kevin," said Corino who played off of Kelly's dark analogies selling Shannon's viciousness as the match progressed. "There's something about seeing your own blood that takes you to another level. Oh man, she collapses before she could make the cover. Another break for Cheeseburger!"

Littlejohn kicked the trashcan out the ring and headed towards the top rope again. As he climbed to the top Shannon looked to her left from the corner of her eye. Littlejohn descended from the the top turnbuckle to deliver a frog splash, and momentum changed again.

"Frog sp-no! Something split! Can we get a replay of that?" asked Corino, who gasped as Shannon at the last possible second reached to her left for the 2X4 strip of wood and placed it against her knees, which connected with Littlejohn's abdomen and split completely in half after delivering the frog splash. Shannon hurriedly pushed the wood out of the ring as the sawdust faded, and lazily flopped an arm against his chest.

"Cover...one, two...Shannon covers again hooking the leg this time, one, two...Cheeseburger kicks out again...Shannon hooks both legs...one two…" said Kelly. "Shannon now with a forearm to the bridge of his nose...and Cheeseburger kicks out for a fourth time!"

Shannon sat up, wiped some blood off her face, and reached for the middle rope to help her stand. Littlejohn got to his feet at this point, so when she turned to him she grabbed hold of his waist, and raised him in the air to apply the bear hug.

"Oh Storm with the bear hug now, smart strategy," said Corino who appeared finished channeling his inner Jerry "The King" Lawler with the superficial comments about Shannon. "With that hold, sure she could get the submission victory if Cheeseburger quits. But what she mainly cares about is eliminating the oxygen supply to his lungs. Every second she squeezes him, she's doing damage to Cheeseburger's ribs and kidneys. The longer she keeps it in, the harder it is to breathe from his nose, and he'll have to breathe from his mouth."

The crowd started clapping repeatedly trying to get Littlejohn back in the match. They watched him suffer through his third submission now with this hold, and wanted to see him make a strong comeback. He did not reach down to his waist to release himself from Shannon's grip. He instead delivered forearms to her face. With so many kicks to the face, in addition to her laceration, it didn't take many for Shannon to relinquish her grip, and drop him to his feet. Littlejohn ran the ropes, but Shannon caught him and delivered a spinning spinebuster on the cement block. The block didn't break, but Shannon managed to get back to him to attempt a pin.

"Another kickout at two!" Kelly exclaimed. "She's tried to make him tap. She's tried to pin him, but neither has worked Steve...Oh Cheeseburger just DDT'd Storm on the same cement block his back just became friends with!" The block broke this time as Littlejohn carefully got closely near it to have his forearm smash it in pieces because Shannon already agreed to get stiffed in the head with the shovel. Enough of the cement did connect with her head though to knock her out for a few seconds and reopen the cut. He remained on his back to buy her some time. Moments later, he grabbed her legs and when she got her shoulder up at two, it reassured Littlejohn that she gained her faculties back as her instincts returned. He climbed out the ring to stall some more, as he wanted to guarantee Shannon was indeed "back" in the match. When he returned, Shannon who was now resting on her stomach, felt him kneel and pull the shovel from underneath her. When she sensed him nearby, she mumbled, "Thirty two" to him.

"Look at Cheeseburger with the shovel and he's measuring Shannon," said Corino who raised his eyes in skepticism. "Why is he taking practice swings on the ropes? Son, you better do what you're going to do and soon! This isn't Major League Baseball. It's Ring Of Honor, and you're in a fight brother!" When Shannon rose again and turned, Littlejohn charged at her with the shovel, but she ducked, raised him to her shoulders, and delivered Weather The Storm. Littlejohn dropped the shovel on the impact.

"She's gonna' do it! A pitch perfect WTS...the hay is in the barn Steve as she makes the lateral press immediately," said Kelly. "One...two...oh my god! It's not over. How many people have kicked out of the WTS?!"

"Holy Shit! Holy Shit! Holy Shit!" emanated from the crowd who absolutely lost their fucking minds at the moment. Shannon went ballistic pulling the scrunchy out of her ponytail, and ran her fingers through her hair with her mouth wide open before she pounded the ring canvas repeatedly with her taped right hand.

Littlejohn on his knees, grabbed hold of the shovel once again, and when Shannon spotted him, she rapidly crawled to the opposite side of the ring and on her knees, plead for forgiveness, not unlike "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Still with the shovel in his hand, he turned to the crowd and they shouted to him, "Take her Out, Take her Out, Take her Out!" He obliged and struck each of her legs with the shovel. Shannon got up, but he caught her arms. Then she fell to her knees, and he hit her back repeatedly.

"Shit, Shit, Shit, Oh God, Fuck, Fuck! Aaah!" Shannon yelled at Littlejohn who didn't hold back the velocity of his swings. Littlejohn hit her twice on each arm, twice on each leg, and twenty four times across the back. She remembered Sheamus hitting The Big Show a week before the 2012 TLC Pay Per View with thirty one chair shots, so wanted to outdo them by at least one. The first ten shots to the back hurt the most, the last fourteen became a constant burning sting. Midway through the last fourteen, she could feel the shovel tear through the back of her tank top and into her skin. So Shannon now had cuts to both her back and head. Though the gash to her head was significantly deeper, the cuts to the back weren't, and the blood dried rather soon. No matter how loud she cried out, how hard she gritted her teeth through the mouth guard, how much her feet kicked out to block the suffering, it didn't make the pain or marks on her back disappear any faster.

The fans cheered emphatically, not just for the fact that Littlejohn followed their orders of "taking Shannon out," but that he did so with such ruthless aggression.

"Just pin her dammit!" barked Corino in support of Shannon. "Come on Cheeseburger! You've hit her thirty two times! You have her beat! I know you think she's a bitch Burger, but show some damn mercy!"

Littlejohn rolled out of the ring with the shovel and tossed it on the floor, narrowing his focus on the kitchen sink referee Todd Sinclair removed from the shopping cart after Shannon applied the Storm Shield Indian Deathlock on him. He squatted down to pick it up, stumbled a bit with his balance carrying it, before finally pushing it through the bottom rope. Once in the ring, he pushed it in the nearest corner. Shannon could be seen adjacent from Littlejohn, lying on her stomach with her head turned to the side, and her mouth opened slightly sucking wind in exhaustion.

"Steve he deserves retribution!" Kelly bellowed with passionate sympathy. "This is for all the bullying, the name-calling, the embarrassment, the losing streak! Tonight's Cheeseburger's night to seek revenge and take back his pride! We may be a month from winter but he's got a storm in the ring that needs to be out of his life!"

Littlejohn powerbombed Shannon twice on the kitchen sink. As he drove her on it, she made sure to elevate her head and neck area to avoid the knobs. Littlejohn did not pin her however. He decided at the very last second to get her back in position and execute a running "Razor's Edge" Scott Hall powerbomb on the sink. Shannon let out another painful growl as the final powerbomb hit right on that cut to her back, and literal tears fell from her face. She knew that she was doing a hell of a job and that it was almost over, but she still felt like a victim of a car wreck. Littlejohn pulled her off the sink, got the three count, and his music started to play. He exited the ring and announcer Bobby Cruise handed him the microphone. He tapped the ROH logos on the guardrail, climbed on top of it where the crowd proudly embraced him, and shouted, "Shannon Storm, I am more man than you!"

Shannon's eyes were closed as she just remained on the mat taking in the moment of the raucous crowd who then chanted, "Burger's Over, Burger's Over, Burger's Over!" Shannon was in pain, but smiled through it.

 _That's what I wanted. That was best for business. You're welcome buddy._

* * *

 **Ninety Minutes Later**

Following her match, she didn't want to be numbed, so the medical staff backstage gave her a large leather belt to bite as they applied fifteen stitches to her head and covered it with a patch to address the gash she sustained as a result of a shovel to the face. She also received some gauze and tape across the area of her back that was lightly cut.

It's not uncommon for some people to hang around a little while backstage after a show concludes. Nor was it unusual that every talent didn't always stay to watch an entire show after they finished their own matches. Some talent would shower, exit a venue immediately, and settle in the hotel of the next town. Others would remain where they were to rest, and have an early bird departure the next morning. After Shannon got taken care of medically and showered, she decided to head upstairs to the Turner Ballroom's gym area for a quick workout. It was fifteen minutes before Lethal and Cole would finish their main event, so if anyone needed to see her she was still in the building at least. She'd been tossed into barricades, guardrails, and steps before, even took a chair shot, but this was her first real hardcore match. Shannon was in an excruciating amount of pain that warm wraps weren't quite relieving her quick enough at the present time. Every wrestler who tried DDP Yoga said they had results. Chris Jericho specifically, said he felt even better when completing the workouts-especially when he did them consistently-before and after matches. With the digital version downloaded on her smartphone, she tapped start, slipped the phone through her wristband sleeve case, inserted her earbuds, and went to work.

Shannon did an hour's worth of yoga when a large six foot three man with a solid frame and slight pudge of stomach that hung over his waist entered the room. This man, who was dressed in a navy blue workman's suit left unzipped a few inches beneath the collar, was Mike Knox, the facility's head janitor. He was aware that Ring of Honor rented their venue for the Pay Per View, and he was making sure each room was left in the same condition it was before the talent arrived. He was in charge of locking up the building when everyone left.

"Maintenance Man! Maintenance Man coming through and locking up soon!" Knox shouted, swinging his keys as he made his way through the halls and eventually to the room where Shannon was. Shannon couldn't hear him with her earbuds in. Dallas had her focus at the moment as she continued to painstakingly follow his various yoga positions.

"Maintenance Ma, oh what do we have here?" He asked aloud, realizing the occupant was both unaware and female. "Looks like I'm going to get a two for one special: a check, and some action," he added, licking his lips with a grin before he closed the door behind him.

Knox walked further in the room, but kept a reasonable distance away as he creepily stared at Shannon who currently was executing a one-legged squat lung pose. As she held the position for several moments, her athletic shorts started to ride upwards, and he began rubbing his dick through his workman suit. Once she released the pose and stood up straight, presumably a rest break as DDP gave the introduction to the next exercise, Knox zipped his suit down some more-not completely down to step out of it-but enough to grab hold of what he needed to perform the obvious task on his mind.

Knox finally walked over to Shannon, grabbed her by her waist with one hand, and she instinctively attempted to turn to him. However as she tried to pivot, he simultaneously wrapped his hairy forearm around her throat preventing her from doing so. Shannon assumed at this point she was the very last person around so attempting to yell would be ineffective. She lost track of time doing the yoga workouts because she really wanted to relieve the tension in her body. If anyone was there, they likely would be in the parking lot, if not already at their hotels. Shannon tried to shift her weight to escape Knox, but he tightened his grip around her neck, which hindered her ability to breathe. If he squeezed any tighter, he'd probably crush her larynx.

Shannon's earbuds popped out of her ears as well as the head jack port of her phone before falling to the floor. As Knox shuffled his body through Shannon's attempts to break free, he ended up backing up and stepping on them, crushing them instantly.

"Quit protesting sweetheart," Shannon heard Knox remark with his warm breath against her ear, and untamed beard tickling her cheek as her head dangled to his right shoulder. He undoubtedly had the leverage with a complete foot advantage of height on Shannon. "So you're a wrassler huh? Well there's nothing fake about this dick, and I plan on stretching you all over these benches." He lifted her in the air as his nipples pressed against her back. His left hand that held her waist ventured down to her shorts and pushed aside the cotton material of her panties.

Knox started to aggressively finger Shannon; and she began to lose consciousness the longer she remained choked in his right arm. Sure this man was six foot three, around 270 pounds, and there might have been a decent chance even without seeing him enter the room, once he did, that she could have pulled off a hell of a flee attempt on any other day. Not only was Shannon at disadvantage in not spotting Knox and the height disparity, she was weakened from the match she had earlier. Yes, she was stitched, wrapped, and doing yoga afterwards, but she wasn't a superhero. She couldn't just perform a mind trick and be at 100% to combat a rapist.

Fortunately, Shannon's "fight or flight" instincts engaged her somewhere in the subconscious. Before she completely passed out, she raised her left leg backward and kicked him deep in the balls. She wished she still had her ring boots on instead of sneakers to hurt him more, but it wasn't like she had an option to retrieve alternate footwear at this particular moment. Knox finally dropped her, releasing his grip, and crouched over in pain. Shannon panted heavily once on the floor, and crawled around to another area of the gym. She had no particular destination of the gym to be. Her current goal was to get some distance away from Knox to get her breathing back to normal. The next was to shake out the cobwebs as the loss of oxygen supply didn't just affect her lungs with breathing, but her brain's ability to focus.

"You bitch!" Knox yelled as he massaged his manhood. "I am going to give it to you so fucking hard now. You'll be in tears when I'm finished! I'm unloading _all_ I've got in you! Every single drop!"

Mike Knox charged at Shannon, and whether it was luck, or an angel placing their hand on the situation, when she spotted him through her peripheral vision, she was on the floor in front of a rack of weights. She grabbed an 80 lb dumbbell and struck him in the head. Knox fell to the floor, and she struck him again with the dumbbell.

"You sleazy, cowardly, motherfucker! Fight me now you bastard," Shannon shouted at the man before climbing on top of him. She grabbed a handful of his greasy, chestnut brown hair with her left hand, and delivered twelve consecutive, unpadded, elbow strikes to his face with her right arm. Blood begin to splatter in her face-and some was already on her hands and elbow-but it wasn't her own. A significant puddle of blood began to form a small lake down the floor. Seconds later, Shannon heard footsteps approach the room, so she got off of Knox and grabbed the dumbbell again, bracing for another attacker.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Demons and Disaster PT 2

**Author's Notes** : Before we get two part of this chapter, I begin with a brief message.

 _For the fresh faces that have given this story a look this past week, followed, or favorited, thank you, and welcome. To the kind guest reviewer hoping that this story continues, fear not, because it definitely will. Trust me, I have some pretty cool things planned in the future that I hope you'll all dig. Hang tight because it should be a fun ride with a full tank of gas. I appreciate the love folks, and it's absolutely reciprocated._

 _To my American readers, or anyone who has a friend or relative of any kind that was an American veteran, have a very happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend._

 _Oh, and for any of my fellow Kliq marks out there, shout out to the 20th anniversary of the Curtain Call last week. :D_

 _Hope you guys enjoy the last update of the month!_

* * *

 **Still on November 18th, 2016**

Shannon's heart raced rapidly as the pile of blood which now formed a small lake ran under her shoes. With the 80 lb dumbbell still in her right hand, she clutched it tighter as the doorknob turned and a person entered.

Kevin Kelly, who in addition to being a commentator on camera, was an talent relations executive with Ring of Honor. He traveled with the company on the road not just for television tapings or Pay Per Views, but for tours, and helped organize the training camps that were run outside of the Chicago dojo. The Pay Per View finished and he knew the maintenance personnel were locking up the building, so he made one final round through it to make sure his talent, staff, and crew were gone. When he opened the door he could not believe his eyes.

"What the…?" Kelly asked as he saw Mike Knox with his workman suit unzipped to his midsection laid out on the floor with blood underneath. He didn't even bother shutting the door behind him as the sight of what he saw took precedent. He continued to follow the trace of blood not even another two feet in the room before he spotted Shannon near the body with a dumbbell in her hand. Kevin looked at Shannon, then the body, then at Shannon again.

Shannon was relieved when she saw Kevin enter the room, but didn't realize she still had the weapon in her hand. Kevin's arrival-and not another potential attacker-temporarily made her escape reality. But once he walked further in the room and glanced at her in between looking at Knox, Shannon dropped the weight immediately, and raised her hands to her face. Staring at her own crimson palms and calloused knuckles for the first time, she froze.

Kelly hurried over to Knox and instinctively placed two fingers at his throat and then his wrist.

"Is he...is he...alive?" Shannon asked with her chest heaving. She was no doctor, neither was Kevin. She didn't know if it was the state of shock that made her mind believe Knox stopped moving. But to her, he looked as still as a statue.

" _Barely_ ," Kelly remarked, nodding in response to Shannon's question but keeping focus on Knox, who was obviously in bad shape. His pulse was going in and out. "But he won't be for much longer _._ You're done. Get the hell out of here."

"I'm what?" Shannon asked looking down at the blood again. The blood itself didn't scare her: between having a hematologist as a father who specialized in infectious diseases and being a wrestler, she saw her fair share of it. It was the circumstances that led to the blood being there in the first place, and what her fate might be that frightened her. "He tried to…"

"I said get the hell out of here...Now!" Kelly repeated, shouting this time. "I'll take care of everything. Just go!"

* * *

 **Flashback: November 2006**

It was a month before Shannon's thirteenth birthday and she was coming home from school following her amateur wrestling practice. Cheryl ended up signing the permission slip and waiver forms because David did not want her to take part in any combat sport. It was his hope that refusing to show support in the activities that he did not finance or approve of, would help Shannon get through her head that they weren't something she should do at her leisure, let alone take an interest in, period.

When Shannon arrived home she saw her parents walking rapidly like they were strategically focusing on a mission currently in progress. She stood at the front door looking at them in awe as they bobbed and weaved diagonally between rooms carrying boxes. They were moving things from their bedroom to separate areas of the house.

"Um, Mom, Daddy? I'm home. What's going on?" She asked trying to speak to them, but not knowing what to think.

"Not now!" David shouted at Shannon. Cheryl was in tears and just looked at her daughter.

Shannon just didn't understand, and after shaking her head, went to her room to do homework. She didn't bother coming out of her room for dinner. She had a microfridge in her room, so made a BLT sandwich, sliced up some mango, and grabbed a bottled water. A few hours later her mother knocked on the door and entered Shannon's room. It was Cheryl and David's home. They didn't have to knock, but respected their tween's privacy and it was just a part of their decorum.

"All finished with your studies?" Cheryl asked before taking a seat on the edge of Shannon's queen sized bed.

Her room had a ivory and mahogany color scheme with white as an accent color. She had eight-by-ten framed photos of Serena Williams, Danica Patrick, Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Halle Berry, Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie, Michelle Kwan, Eva Longoria, Alex Borstein, Margaret Cho, Rosa Parks, Shonda Rhimes, Julie Chen, Connie Chung, Margaret Thatcher, Megyn Kelly, Katie Couric, Sheila E, and Tina Turner randomly placed along her walls. She didn't organize them by politician, entertainer, journalist, or athlete. She did so on purpose: these were powerful and influential women to Shannon on their own merit, with their own stories. Their specific career didn't necessarily define who they were, just helped classify them to the public. Shannon also had two bookshelves. She wasn't more studious than the average responsible teen. The other bookcase held her collection of wrestling DVDs. A mere zipper sleeve could no longer contain the amount she acquired. Though her bedding was beige and white, she had an extra custom made jet black comforter that had an array of Degeneration X and Evolution pictures painstakingly embedded on each side. Whether she wanted the rebellious Triple H, or the arrogant one didn't matter: she could sleep with both, either way.

"Pretty much. I mean there's a paper I have due at the end of the week, but I figured there's no harm in starting it sooner, at least make an outline for it," said Shannon after closing the laptop on her desk and walking over to her bed to join her mother. "Mom, what's going on with you and Dad?"

"Your father and I will be sleeping in separate rooms indefinitely," Cheryl said after a long pause.

"Are you two getting divorced?" Shannon said, asking the most natural question on a twelve year old's mind after seeing her parents' interaction from earlier.

"No," Cheryl said simply.

"Have you stopped loving each other?" Shannon asked hoping the answer to her second question would give her clarity on the first.

"I haven't," said Cheryl after a cough. "But I can't say the same for your father."

"Why?" was all Shannon could come up with. She knew David didn't like her competing in contact sports, wrestling being the most specific one, but whenever that subject wasn't brought up, they got along great. Shannon figured there had to be more to this development.

"I haven't been intimate with your father in over a month," said Cheryl who noticed Shannon narrowing her stare and raising her eyebrows.

"Does it...does sex _hurt_ all of a sudden?" Shannon had no clue. She was twelve, going on thirteen. Even though she knew all about sex, contraception, STI's, and pregnancy, she never participated in the activity that typically brought the conversation up.

"No," Cheryl replied placing a hand on Shannon's knee, caressing it in comfort.

"Is Dad having an affair?" Shannon inquired. It wasn't that she was trying to play detective or private investigator. But these were her parents. She deserved answers, and was expecting to get them one way or another.

"Not that I know of," Cheryl replied with a shake of the head.

"Are _you_ having an affair?" Shannon asked. This was becoming more and more confusing to her by the minute. Every question she asked, Cheryl answered. Yet the story remained ambiguous to Shannon.

"No," Cheryl said, repeating the shaking of her head.

"Well why?" Shannon wished she asked this question a lot sooner. It would've saved her a lot of time, and perhaps a bit of sanity too. She had nothing else at the moment: out of leads and out of questions.

"I'm having an abortion tomorrow," said Cheryl after taking a deep breath. Shannon was mature for her age, but it was Cheryl's natural instinct as a parent to brace for Shannon's reaction.

"Does Dad not want the baby?" Shannon asked with some concern, but felt a little better that she now knew the reason for the separation. She slid closer to her mother on the bed.

"Your father doesn't know about it," Cheryl said to Shannon without blinking.

"Dad _should_ know about our family expanding Mom," Shannon responded with some frustration in her voice for Cheryl's secrecy.

"It's not _our_ family," Cheryl said making Shannon feel guilty about her previous tone and even more perplexed in the process.

"Wait, I thought you _weren't_ having an affair?" Shannon questioned raising her palm to her forehead and rubbing her temple. The confusion just would not end, and if it continued, she would probably have a migraine.

"I'm not," Cheryl clarified.

"Then you mean...?" Cheryl interrupted Shannon when she saw her eyes widen and blink heavily.

"Yes sweetie. _It_ happened," Cheryl replied and immediately grabbed Shannon and held her close to her chest as she saw her daughter lean forward and start sobbing. They cried together in Shannon's room for several minutes. Cheryl didn't cry for herself, but for _Shannon._ At one point they were a solid family. There was some distance between Shannon and David at the present time, but perhaps that could be healed. What happened to Cheryl couldn't be reversed and likely would damage Shannon in some way. But not everything in life was easy and painless, and she refused to shield Shannon from the realities of life. Should her one and only baby girl ask for details, she would provide them. Because Shannon was entitled to them.

"Who Mom?," Shannon finally broke the silence, sniffling for a few seconds, before speaking through her tears.

"Muhammad Hasaan," said Cheryl who felt Shannon stir and break their cuddle at the mention of the name.

"That's Dad's…" Cheryl interrupted her daughter again, committed to answer Shannon's questions, and not pacify her by sugarcoating the magnitude of the events she was curious about. There would be nothing to speculate.

"Yes, your father's best friend," Cheryl started and grabbed hold of Shannon's hands before she continued. "Who also happens to be my boss. I couldn't tell your father because he's already having tension with you. It would destroy the family completely."

One weekend in the fall, Cheryl was working in the news station. She didn't normally work on the weekends, but it was not out of the ordinary for people to casually drop in during the weekend if they worked the regular five day schedule and wanted to get a head start on the upcoming week's work. Hasaan was there and noticed it was not the normal day for Cheryl to be at the station, and certainly not at the evening hour she was. Cheryl wasn't behind on any pieces, but with David working a double shift at the hospital and Shannon at a sleepover with a school mate, she decided to come in. Hasaan invited Cheryl into his office, insisting he'd value her opinion on a certain matter. There was some small talk about the fun he and David had as undergraduates at Georgetown before they parted ways with David attending Johns Hopkins University for Medical School, and he remained in the nation's capital for Graduate School at George Washington University. The issue that Hassaan wanted Cheryl's opinion on was extremely minute, and as her superior he could overrule it even if her opinion differed from his. On her attempt to exit, she was overpowered and he proceeded to rape her.

Cheryl never reported the rape to the police. Nor did she take a rape kit at the hospital her husband worked at. She went straight home and relived what transpired in her head before leaving the home again and visiting a different local hospital. Cheryl ended up pregnant hence her explaining to Shannon the reason for the pending abortion. She never had sex with David since Hasaan raped her. Cheryl always felt guilty, even if the other man that touched her, did so by force. She was traditional on the moral scale: She lost her virginity to David. The fact that she would abort a child that was Shannon's sibling not conceived by him was unfathomable. Even more unfathomable was that this unborn child was not just her boss', but her husband's best friend's. Cheryl and David never discussed the possibility of divorce or legal separation during the exchange Shannon witnessed earlier in the evening. They agreed to maintain their loving and committed relationship in front of the public eye; but in private, no longer considered themselves married.

When Cheryl finished sharing the details and any follow up questions Shannon had about her attack she grabbed Shannon's face with both of her hands.

"I need you to promise me two things," Cheryl started, staring in Shannon's eyes. Shannon, assuming the statement was rhetorical and meeting her mother's gaze was enough to suffice for a commitment, remained quiet. "Never to tell your father what happened, and whomever it is-be it a friend, boss, relative, or stranger-don't be like me: weak and a victim. I wasn't expecting it, so I let the awe prevent me from fighting back. If someone ever tries to rape you, promise me you'll fight like hell to not allow it to happen, and _kill_ if necessary. I'll be damned if this becomes a cycle!"

Shannon shook her head in disbelief as her lips twitched. She wasn't sure what was more difficult: taking this all in as she fought off tears that were reemerging, or trying to formulate words to speak to her mother.

"Shannon, promise me dammit!" Cheryl demanded, releasing her hands from Shannon's face, now shaking her shoulders.

"I will, I promise," Shannon affirmed finally.

And every since that day whenever Hasaan came over to the house to hangout with David, Shannon and her mother always had a reason to leave. Cheryl would get nervous around him, and Shannon was just disgusted with hate for the guy. Eventually, Muhammad Hasaan left for New York after receiving a promotion to join a national news network. David had no idea the same man he laughed with, made toasts with, played golf with, and attended barbeques with was the same man smiling in his face knowing he raped and impregnated his best friend's wife. David, all of this time, never asked Cheryl what made her distant with him. He just assumed she wanted to take his daughter away from him, or stopped loving him. Neither was true. She just didn't feel worthy to be touched by him again. But he never reached out to talk her through whatever the issue unbeknownst to him was either.

* * *

 **December 2nd, 2016**

Immediately following the incident, Shannon gathered her belongings and got herself checked out by an on-call gynecologist at a local hospital in Milwaukee. She was never raped by Mike Knox, but as a safety precaution felt it was a necessary measure. Her pap smear results were clean and no abrasions or internal damage was done.

Shannon was in Voorhees, New Jersey at Flyers Skate Zone for a match with Combat Zone Wrestling, commonly referred to as CZW. CZW started as a wrestling academy by wrestler John Zandig in 1998, and a year later started running shows in New Jersey and Delaware with his students. By 2001, the academy expanded to an actual promotion and moved to Philadelphia operating out of the 2300 Arena ECW used following their purchase by the WWF. In doing so, they cemented themselves as the new hardcore professional wrestling promotion. While in Philadelphia, CZW briefly emerged with Chikara Wrestle Factory, which was based in Philly before moving back to New Jersey. After a decade of operation, Zandig sold the promotion to DJ Hyde, a fellow wrestler, in 2009. Under Zandig's leadership the company in addition to its New Jersey and Pennsylvania base, had a partnership with Big Japan Pro Wrestling, had a few ROH alumni perform there, and even ran a show in Italy.

Since DJ Hyde purchased the company, it maintained its home in New Jersey, but had also expanded its audience traveling to New England hosting shows in Massachusetts, Midwest doing shows in Ohio and Indiana, as well as made trips to the South, having events in South Carolina. CZW also was the promotion chosen to film the 2008 Oscar nominated film, _The Wrestler._ NXT Superstar Rich Swann, Shane Strickland, and ROH's Adam Cole were a few names of former trainees of Hyde's she recognized. Though Shannon hadn't worked with them before, CZW certainly had her respect.

Shannon was booked against Candace LaRae of Pro Wrestling Guerilla in an Ultraviolent match for the CZW Wired Championship. Lio Rush defeated Shane Strickland for the title in the spring, and Candace LaRae defeated Rush for the title in the fall. Candace's previously scheduled opponent was Kenny "The Cleaner" Omega of NJPW, but due to an injury, he could not make the booking. Shannon was contacted and gladly accepted as the substitute for Omega. She had a match scheduled against Candace in California for a PWG show in February that she couldn't perform in because she was injured. So she didn't mind not only doing Kenny a favor, but felt obligated to take the booking to make it up to Candace. The fact that the bout was a title match was just that extra, unexpected, strawberry on top. Shannon did not like cherries.

Before she had her match with Candace, she checked the alert on her smartphone which played the ringtone of Stewie Griffin from Fox's _Family Guy,_ repeatedly calling his mother, Lois, diverse variations of "Mommy." It was very annoying how repetitive Stewie was to Lois, and that was the reason why Shannon chose that mp3 for her email alerts. The irritation would not stop, convincing her that it was more than likely something important that needed her attention, and worth her checking out.

 **To** : SStormBookingsatgmail. com

 **From** : KKellyatroh. com

 **CC** : NMcGuinessatroh. com ; JKoffatroh. com

 **Subject** : Notice of Release

 **Body** : Dear Shannon,

At the bottom of this email you will find the formal notice of your termination from Ring of Honor Wrestling, Inc attached. As you know Veda Scott, is not only a wrestling talent, but a manager who uses her real-life background as a lawyer in her promos for the "clients" she represents on our programming. We have not informed her in detail about the incident that has led to your dismissal from ROH. But we will have her mention you are one of her clients taking an indefinite leave of absence due to grievances with unsafe working conditions at the next set of television tapings. This is how Creative will officially write you off of Ring of Honor television.

I have carbon copied Ring of Honor Chief Operating Officer, Joe Koff, as well as Matchmaker Nigel McGuinness to this email, and have decided to send it to you this weekend ahead of its public release this Monday. You are a fine talent with limitless potential, and on behalf of everyone at ROH, we wish you the best in your future endeavors. -KK

When Shannon left the room that horrible night, Kevin Kelly waited a few minutes before he called the paramedics. Not because he was negligent of Mike Knox's situation, but because he wanted Shannon to have a head start on getting away as far as possible before emergency medical technicians and police officers showed up. Kelly didn't know if any of Shannon's DNA touched Knox, but did remember seeing her hold the dumbbell. So as he waited for the proper assistance to arrive, he grabbed his handkerchief from his jacket and cleaned the dumbbell of her prints, before stuffing it back in his pants pocket.

When the cops and EMTs arrived, Kelly said he only found the man mere minutes ago on his way exiting the venue. That was partially the truth. Yes, he did find him on his exit. But when Kelly arrived, he saw the weapon in her hand and the blood. You didn't need to be trained by the FBI to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The officers looked over some paperwork from Joe Paterno, the owner of the building, then contacted him and a few other workers there. Paterno admitted that Knox had a bit of a drinking problem, but because of this known fact used it as leverage on how he paid him. Therefore, firing Knox would have required hiring someone with better personnel conduct and providing a proper salary. Knox was the kind of alcoholic that paying him _period_ was more sufficient than paying him adequately. So the policemen and Paterno developed a theory that Knox came to work extremely intoxicated, and banged his face up doing something foolish like using machines improperly. Then after what _he_ felt like was him coming down off of being so inebriated, grabbed hold of a rack of free weights-with bad form and still drunk-dropped them on his own skull, making the cause of death a freak accident. It wasn't of course, but Kevin Kelly was grateful that the authorities were sticking to that conclusion, and didn't require him to offer anything further for a more elaborate statement at the station.

As Shannon downloaded and read the portable document format, she nodded with satisfaction. While no one certainly appreciated being fired, she knew why the decision was made, and Kevin basically let her go on the spot the night of that terrible scene in the gym. Honestly, she expected this. What she couldn't be more happier about was the continuous showing of class from the Ring of Honor organization. Firstly, Kevin Kelly was under no obligation to formally send the press release to Shannon _before_ it was sent to the Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the company that owned ROH, and to the public at large. Would it be polite and courteous? Absolutely. But was it a requirement? No, not really. A simple phone call ahead of time would have legally sufficed. She also appreciated the fact that when reading the document, the company made it seem like a mutual departure, rather than a termination.

 _They worked around my indie schedule so I could secure a tryout. Within a month I was in a popular faction and my name was on the rise. They fired me, but made it seem like we were neutral in parting ways. If I make it to the_ _WWE, but my career never takes off and they ever want me back, I'm there without hesitation. ROH, and Kevin Kelly specifically, you're a class fucking act! I owe you my loyalty. I'll always support your success from afar._

* * *

 **Later that night**

Shannon and Candace's match for the CZW Wired Championship was already in progress, and currently at its midpoint.

"Candace LaRae, our reigning CZW Wired Champion is definitely in a 'take no prisoners' mindset," said Dan Cowhey, one of Combat Zone Wrestling's commentators. "Lio Rush: check. Kenny Omega: on the shelf, and now she looks to put Storm away...brainbuster on the chair!"

"Dan, LaRae is so hot, yet so _stupid_ ," Kyle Francis, another commentator in the promotion began. "She chooses not to pin a weakened Shannon Storm when she very well could've had the victory. Remember, she's the champ. She doesn't have _shit_ to prove! If that was me, I'd be playing defense all match."

"Well maybe she doesn't see it that way Kyle," Cowhey turned to his colleague, motioning his hands as he spoke. "She knows Cherry Bomb, who's already the WSU World Champion, successfully retained her title against Chrissy Rivera, and has her sights on the winner of this match. Cherry Bomb wants to be the first female to have dual gold in two different promotions at the same time. LaRae's setting the tone here with Storm. She'll be used as an example if Cherry Bomb wants to formally challenge for the Wired Title."

The crowd cheered when the Canadian blonde returned to the ring with a black drawstring bag. She poured the contents out and spread them across the ring by lightly kicking them with her boot. They were thumbtacks.

"No, no," Shannon begged, who was now on her feet from the brainbuster and requesting Candace to re-think whatever she had planned for the thumbtacks.

"Come on, Candace!" shouted Francis. "Is this what you want? Is this how you wanna' do this? You could've ended this awhile ago! Have some discretion ref!"

"Are you kidding me Kyle?" Cowhey asked rhetorically. "This is an ultraviolent match. These women knew the rules when they signed on to the gig. Any and everything these ladies want to do to each other is completely sanctioned."

As Candace inched closer and closer to a pleading Shannon, Shannon took off running, presumably to make an exit out of the ring. But before she could do so, Candace gave her a drop toe hold, and Shannon's head bounced off the already smashed chair from the brain buster. As she fell forward, some of the thumbtacks stuck in her kneepads.

"Fine, okay, fine Dan," said Francis with a nod. "But what constitutes a win? An _emphatic_ win? Again, she refuses a cover! I thought a win was a win...God...Candace just powerbombed Shannon on the thumbtacks! And now Candace with the lateral press...one...two...no!"

Shannon chose not to kick out, but get her shoulder up to show the fans the very real thumbtacks that stuck in and began to pierce her back. Blood trickled down her back through her white tank top.

"I don't know what your affiliation to Shannon Storm may be, or why you're choosing to defend her," Cowhey began. "But she just showed with that refusal to remain down for the three count, that she's certainly 'woman enough' for these conditions."

Candace exited the ring and climbed to the top rope. Seconds later, Shannon got up and shades of her match in May against recently signed NXT Superstar Asuka, raced to Candace and joined her on the top rope in one leap.

"The Perfect Storm...oh no...countered…countered!" Francis yelled. "LaRae just thwarted Shannon's attempt at The Perfect Storm with what looked like a reverse Balls-Plex! Normally, she'd suplex people from the crotch in the German suplex position. Here she kind of belly to bellied...or crotch to belly tossed Shannon over her head, and she landed right on that stack of ladders she set up earlier in the match! What the fuck do we even call that, a _Pussy Plex_?"

A round of "What The Fuck, What The Fuck, What The Fuck" chants filled the crowd.

"I don't care what folks say about people _knowing_ how to fall...when it's flesh on steel...steel wins every, single, time," Cowhey convey passionately. That _cannot_ be fun for the challenger. And remember ladies and gentlemen, just minutes before thumbtacks went through her back. And they're still through her skin."

There were four ladders set up. Two were opened on the left and right side of one particular side of the ring. Two others remained folded but were stacked between the opened ladders, forming what visually looked like bridge. As Candace rotated Shannon, she landed on the stacked ladders in the middle, which split on impact. The outside ladders holding the ones in the middle did not break however.

 _Hell of a way to lose my ladder virginity. Well, at least I ordered ring announcer Justin Roberts' "Hands to Go" pulsating massage kit. I'll be alright._

Candace, still on the top turnbuckle, looked over her shoulder to check on Shannon. She didn't say anything, but saw Shannon blink at her a couple of seconds; so she knew she was alright-all things considered for what "alright" looked like-when you went through a ladder. Candace rolled out the ring on the opposite side of Shannon and pulled out a table. Shannon was still selling, so Candace opened up the table and set it up in the center of the ring. Shannon knew the finish was soon approaching. Candace pointed at the table, and then out the ring, signaling to the crowd if they wanted to see Shannon go through a table. Like pawns, they nodded and agreed. Candace saw Shannon stirring, so hit the ropes and proceeded to nail her with a suicide dive.

"LaRae's definitely weakened Shannon since suplexing her through those ladders…" Francis began. "Candace dives through the middle rope...she could be setting up that suicide dive-tornado DDT combo she does...no! Shannon nails her with...a can, a container, or some shit."

The crowd went "Oooh," at the impact of the thud when Shannon hit Candace with the can. Candace fell backward, going back into the ring. Shannon climbed back on the apron and entered the ring.

"Momentum is the crazy thing about professional wrestling Kyle," said Cowhey with excitement. "You can dominate a match, strategize for your opponent, and then in an instant," he snapped his fingers. "Wham! Momentum can swing for the other competitor. This might be the first break for Storm in a long time since the beginning of the match."

"So damn true Dan," Francis agreed. "That's why I love this sport! No off season, no training camp. These athletes go all year long, no breaks! Look at Shannon carrying Candace and setting her back up on that top turnbuckle...she's basically dead weight now. Shannon can do whatever the fuck she wants to her now. I wonder what that can was made out of...hard plastic, tin, or something else?"

"Or even more interesting, what was even in the can in the first place and why was it under the ring?" Cowhey added.

Cowhey got his answer soon enough when Shannon left the ring to retrieve the can. She opened it and poured its contents all across the table.

"Lighter fluid?!" Francis exploded. "Who the hell smuggled lighter fluid under the ring?" Candace continued to sell being knocked out while Shannon left the ring once more, and walked over to the crowd.

"I'm the new 'Beast from the East!' Shannon shouted to a member of the crowd, remembering she was in New Jersey, home of the late Bam Bam Bigelow, and that was his wrestling nickname. "Hey, give me some shit to light that motherfucker up." She caught a lighter with one hand from someone who was a plant. They were a member of Maven Bentley's MBA promotion. She reentered the ring and her thumb opened the lighter, so she could start the fire.

" 'Tis the season.' Talk about chestnuts roasting on an open fire! Look at that flame!" Cowhey exclaimed. "God only knows what's on her mind...Shannon charges forward and jumps to the top turnbuckle...Shannon no...Shannon don't do this...The Perfect Storm through a flaming fucking table!"

"Holy fucking shit! It's hot in here!" exclaimed Francis. "You hear this crowd? Listen at them shout CZW loudly!"

Shannon and Candace weren't sure if the crew diluted some of the lighter fluid beforehand, but it appeared that they did. Fire was one of those things that wasn't easy to predict, and thankfully the brunt of the flames went out immediately on impact of the women going through it. You could still see a bit of flames on Candace's right arm and Shannon's left thigh for a few seconds; but as soon as they landed, CZW crew members who were already ringside, sprayed them with a fire extinguisher through the bottom rope. Then they repeated the gesture with water using the multiple garden hoses extended from the buildings main pipe line as a safety precaution for after-burn effects.

"And there's the cover...one...two...three," said Cowhey.

"You're winner and STILL CZW Wired Champion, Candace LaaaaRaaae!" Shouted CZW ring announcer Jake Blach to a stunned crowd as LaRae's music played.

"Wait, what? How is this possible?" questioned Francis. "Shannon put Candace through the table. We _all_ saw it."

Seconds later a replay of the very last moments of the match's ending was shown.

"It appears Kyle that as soon the crew hosed them down with water," Cowhey began as he squinted his eyes to explain what he was re-witnessing. "Shannon started to lean forward into a cover but hesitated...maybe she still felt the burn or something from the flames...Their bodies were still partially on fire after the table split...but Candace-at the expense of Shannon's hesitation-trapped Shannon's arms and picked up the win with a crucifix pin. It happened so fast. Excellent counter for the victory!"

Once Candace's music played, she released Shannon from the pinning combination, and rolled on top of her.

"Hey, that was fun. Thanks for showing up," said Candace who spoke under her hair. "Sucks what happened to Kenny, but I still had a blast with you."

" _Someday_ I'm going to win a freaking title," Shannon replied with a smirk.

"That's the first thing on your mind after going through thumbtacks, ladders, and a flaming table?" Candace asked after a laugh. "You're one crazy bitch." Candace wasn't insulting Shannon at all. The remark was complimentary.

* * *

In addition to the literal heat she felt from the match, she was also hot about her termination letter. Hot in concern, not frustration. She wanted to continue wrestling full time, and knew the only thing she could do to make that a reality for a second time was to continue moving forward. She remembered the chorus to the Gym Class Heroes song, "Fighter" to remain motivated:

" **Until the referee rings the bell,**

 **Until both of your eyes start to swell,**

 **Until the crowd goes home, what we gon' do kid?**

 **Give 'em hell!**

 **Turn their heads!**

 **Gonna' live life 'til we're dead!**

 **Give me scars! Give me pain!**

 **That's when they'll say to me, say to me, say to me:**

 **There goes the fighter! Oooh, Ooooh, Ooooh.**

 **There goes the fighter! Oooh, Ooooh, Ooooh.**

 **Here's comes the fighter! Oooh, Ooooh, Ooooh.**

 **That's what they'll say to me, say to me, say to me:**

 **This one's a fighter!"**

 _Well, I guess it's back to MCW. And I mean, since I got this CZW booking, who knows? Hyde could probably hook me up with some dates with the sister promotion he co-owns, Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU), or maybe Maven Bentley Association (MBA). I mean Bentley's a worker and that's his company, but half of his roster is composed of Hyde's talent at CZW. The Shimmer tryout went well this summer, but they're not signing anyone right now. I guess I could try Shine. Maybe I can get a tryout with them by the start of the new year. I'll prove David wrong. This is not over. I am not done._


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Trolls bring Treasure

**December 16th, 2016**

Shannon returned to her home promotion, MCW. A few things changed since her last time around: Mickie James put "The Exotic Goddess," Mandy Leon, over for the MCW Women's Title just before signing with Jeff Jarrett's promotion, Global Force Wrestling in August of 2016. Her husband Nick Aldus, who competed in TNA as Magnus, signed with GFW a year prior. Today, at MCW's "Destroy the Halls" December show, Shannon was scheduled to face the champion. It would be her third championship opportunity in her professional wrestling career.

An hour before the match, she grabbed her cellphone and called Candice LeRae, Canadian professional wrestler, currently signed to PWG. It was 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, and 5:00 PM where Candice was in California. Candice didn't have a show that particular day, and was just relaxing at home with her fiancée, fellow wrestler, Johnny Gargano. Gargano was known to many wrestling fans as "Johnny Wrestling," a pun on the infamous college football star turned NFL Pro, Johnny Manziel, who dubbed himself "Johnny Football" as he accumulated so many records and accolades despite his partying, "bad boy" image. After the third ring, Candice left him on the couch and took the call in another room.

"Hey, what's up girl?" asked Candice.

"Hey Candy. Have you been paid yet by DJ Hyde yet?" Shannon said, getting straight to the point in regards to their match two weeks ago.

"Yeah, I got paid the same night before I left," she said matter-of-factly. "Didn't you?"

"No," Shannon said shaking her head as she clenched the phone tighter with her right hand and sticking a finger in her ear from her left hand to block the noise in the hall. "When I got there, Hyde said my payment would be delayed because I was a last minute replacement. I didn't budge on it. People get injured all the time, I understand. And I was available, so jumped at the opportunity."

"And it's been about two weeks now," Candice said sympathetically.

"Right," Shannon nodded. "That's exactly my point. I mean you'd think in today's age with direct deposit, electronic checks, or apps like Pay Pal, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet, I'd be paid at _some_ point."

"He was never going to," Candace said simply, with her tone changing from sympathetic, to blank and barren.

"He what?" Shannon questioned angrily. "You _knew_?"

"Yeah I knew," Candice affirmed, combing through her hair with the opposite hand holding the phone. "He told me like thirty minutes before our match. He doubled my pay, giving me your share."

"So I was in flames for _free_?" She sked staring at a wall.

"Yeah," Candace replied. "If you want or need me to wire you back your share, I can do that."

"But _why_ did he do that?" Shannon asked still staring at the wall, ignoring Candice's offer.

"He said he wanted to punish you for leaving ROH," Candice responded.

"But why the fuck would _he_ care? Why would he want to punish me when I'm _not_ even a regular in _his_ promotion, you know what I mean?" Shannon started to pace.

"In his mind, I guess, you fucked ROH over, so he wanted to fuck you back," Candice replied as she continued to walk through her home and head to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of orange juice. She blindly poured a glass not reading the label, and took a sip. "Ugh, so fucking bitter!"

"What?" Shannon asked, not knowing if Candice was talking to her or referring to someone else.

"The juice. Johnny knows I hate the pulp, but he insists on buying the orange juice with it anyway," Candace clarified to Shannon.

"Oh," was all Shannon said as she rubbed the left side of her cheek with her palm.

"No one _really_ knows what went down, besides _you_ and ROH. And that's _your_ business," Candice responded getting back to the conversation at hand. "Look, woman to woman, I'll be straight with you. When he told me what he was going to do, I was disgusted and knew it was fucked up. But I didn't say anything because I wasn't trying to burn a bridge. I had to save my own ass."

"Yeah, I get it. It's not my first experience with a shitty booker," Shannon said who stopped pacing and made it back to the dressing room to get her kickpads. She pulled them over her boots.

"Yeah, there certainly are shitty bookers in this line of work," Candice conceded with Shannon after sipping her juice. She didn't like the taste, but was willing to tough it out for one glass, not wanting to waste it by pouring it down the kitchen sink's drain. "But you know what? Even the most well known promoters-from Bischoff, to Heyman, to McMahon-have _all_ screwed talent at one point or another whether it be with pay, merch, pushes, or something else. So don't think it's _only_ those on the indies. You've just got to pick and choose your battles, ya' know? They're not always pieces of shit. Sometimes, when the heat dies down, things get worked out."

"I hear you," Shannon said grabbing her vest and heading for the door. "I've got a match soon. Thanks for the clarity and the refreshed mind to sound off on."

" _Anytime_. Have fun out there," Candice said with a warm smile. "Hey did you hear what I said earlier? The offer still stands. I'm serious."

"I'll get back to you on that," Shannon replied with a hand on the doorknob. "Give Johnny my best. And let me know when you've set the date."

"You got it," Candice finally said before the two women hung up.

 _Fucking Hyde!_

* * *

Shannon wrestled Mandy Leon for the MCW Women's Championship Title, and put Mandy over clean. Once in gorilla position, Mandy talked to a group of the boys and girls in the back, while Shannon walked down the hall and up the stairs to the lounge to retrieve a Ziploc bag of ice. She jogged back down the stairs and headed to one of the dressing rooms to pull out a strawberry package of protein powder, walnuts, spinach and chia seeds, along with a Nutribullet blender from her gym bag in one of the cubicles to make a shake. After drinking her shake and stretching for a few minutes, she exited the dressing room to look for Mandy. When she reached for the doorknob, she felt it being pulled on the other end, so let it go. When the door opened, Mandy walked in.

"Oh, hey! Sorry, were you coming out?" Mandy asked as she held the door with one of her hands.

"I was, but now that you're here I don't have to," Shannon responded and Mandy raised her eyebrows. "Do you have a second?"

Mandy entered the room and closed the door behind her when Shannon moved to the side and took a seat. "Yeah, I do. What's going on?"

"I'm no therapist, nor would I ever try to be," said Shannon who looked at Mandy as she readjusted the championship across her shoulder. "But I _am_ perceptive."

"Will you be getting to a point soon Shannon?" asked Mandy, who now, narrowed her eyebrows. "Or are you going to be treating everyone to coffee in the morning?"

"I need to know if there's any heat between you and me," Shannon said without hesitation. "I haven't heard anyone say you've said anything about me, but it doesn't mean you _haven't_."

"I don't have any personal gripe with you, but you did piss me off getting matches changed," Mandy told Shannon who nodded. "It happened twice and you were slowly gaining traction on my shit list."

"Fair enough. What changed?" Shannon asked as she saw her reflection in the mirror on the wall, so reached in her bag for a napkin to wipe off the milk mustache from her face.

"You went away and came back," Mandy responded as she now sat in a chair across Shannon and removed the title from her shoulder, placing it across her lap.

"How did _that_ affect anything?" Shannon questioned.

"In your absence, I didn't hear rumors that _you_ badmouthed _me_. And no one else you're cool with I felt was getting undeserved pushes," Mandy clarified. "If you _were_ an asshole, you would've constantly been in McDevitt's ear changing shit, creating a big enough influence that even when gone, would've had friends who would work together to do the same in this company."

"Yeah, I got the vibe that you were pissed about the Bayley thing, even the match with Mickie back in July," Shannon replied before zipping up her gym bag and placing the long strap across her right shoulder in between her breasts. "You don't have to explain. I get your frustration. But neither of us own the place, McDevitt does. Whatever he pays us, how long he wants us here, matches, pushes, characters, whatever-any of it-that's all on _him_. _I_ can't force him to do shit. No one can."

"This business can get pretty cut throat and heartless with politics," said Mandy who rose from her chair. "Just know that if you _ever_ try to fuck me over, I'm coming back at you with a vengeance. Deal?" Mandy said reaching her clenched fist across to Shannon.

"As you should," Shannon said as she rose from her chair and met Mandy's hand with the fist bump, before pulling the handle of the door and exiting the dressing room. "See you later."

 _That's how you squash heat Bret Hart. Like an adult._

* * *

 **The next day, December 17th, 2016**

The Ring Of Honor episode taking Shannon off television finally aired today. Veda Scott wrestled with Shimmer, had a few matches in ROH, but was primarily contracted there as an interviewer and heel manager. In addition to being a member of ROH, she had a law degree so was always a believable heel for heat when threatening to sue the company in kayfabe. As promised in Kevin Kelly's letter to Shannon ahead of her release, Creative had Veda juggle her managerial and legal representation for both Cedric Alexander and Shannon Storm. In Veda's promo for the television episode, she advised her client, Shannon, to take an indefinite leave of absence until ROH, Sinclair Broadcasting, and herself reached a settlement about the injuries suffered and working conditions of the ring setup leading to Cheeseburger defeating her at the "Survival of the Fittest" Pay Per View.

The day after that was Shannon's twenty third birthday, and it was not a good one. The wrestling web exploded with articles posting various "leaks," which were really conspiracy theories as to why Shannon was no longer in Ring of Honor.

 **"Shannon Storm: No longer in ROH due to her 'Ring of Ego' "**

 **" 'New Management' is what Storm thinks ROH needs as she explains her departure from the promotion."**

Those were some examples of the leads professional wrestling writers had on their websites that Shannon browsed. After browsing through about five of the articles, the phone calls started. They continued for days. Shannon didn't speak to anyone-she didn't even reply to Kevin Kelly's email because it was pretty much self explanatory-so she didn't understand how these articles were being written, or who the hell the people used for a source. The attention was driving her crazy and just when she was ready to shut her phone off or throw it out the window, on Tuesday, December 20th, they finally stopped.

Shannon lifted the pillow from above her head in her apartment bedroom, and slowly rose up, hoping not to jinx herself with another sound. Once in an upright position, she sighed in relief after hearing no further noises or vibrations. She decided to grab the phone and check the missed calls. Many of the numbers were blocked. "Fucking trolls," she mumbled, and sat the phone on the table, next to a lamp.

She stared at the phone and picked it up again, rubbing her bottom lip with the opposite hand. "What the hell?" She said as she unlocked her phone a second time and started checking voicemails. She deleted most of them because despite having human voices, the numbers were still blocked. The final message didn't have a blocked number. While she did not recognize the number, she did recognize the area code. It was 203. That was Connecticut. That was Stamford. It was from Paul. She played the voicemail.

" **This is Paul Levesque, Chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Incorporated. My people having been trying to contact you for days, to no avail. Despite the firestorm of controversy over the past year with some talents' departures from the company, at the end of the day, if you're in the wrestling business you want to work here** _ **at least once**_ **before you die. No company is flawless, but we are very much still King. In any regard, we've acquired enough tape of you from various independent entities and promoters that we do not feel the need to see you in a tryout match. Please contact me at your earliest convenience as I'd like to elaborate with an actual** _ **person**_ **in conversation, rather than a** _ **machine**_ **."**

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" She yelled. "I thought the trolls were harassing my phone like they were blowing up online! Dammit, I hope it's not too late!"

* * *

Shannon saved the retrieval number in her phone and called it immediately. Paul's secretary answered and told her that Paul was booked in meetings for the next few days all day. Before Paul's secretary ended the call, they told Shannon an NXT contract was sent to the email the WWE had on file that they acquired permission from ROH to receive as she now was legally considered a free agent. Shannon hung up and checked her email.

 **To:** SStormBookingsatgmail. com

 **From** : PMLevesque727atwwe. com

 **Subject:** WWE Developmental Contract

 **Body:** Dear Shannon,

Attached beneath this email is an official WWE Developmental Contract. In the PDF, you will find information in much greater detail regarding your new WWE employee email account, salary, taxes, training, staff and other essential employees of the company, as well as the latest updates to our Wellness Policy. Please read each item thoroughly and carefully. If you agree to the terms, you may sign and date electronically, and send it back to me as soon as possible.

Warm Regards,

P.L.

Shannon downloaded the PDF immediately, but did not "carefully read" a damn thing. She imported all of the contact and financial information requested from the set of documents to place her on payroll to the PDF. She signed both electronically, as Paul requested, as well as printed out a tangible copy-choosing to both fax and email her contract-in case one method malfunctioned over the other. Twenty minutes later, she received another email, and the anxiety forced her to also open the message instantly. This one was again from the WWE, but not from Paul.

 **To:** SStormBookingsatgmail. com

 **From** : JLauranitisatwwe. com

 **Subject:** Optional Opportunity

 **Body** : Dear Shannon,

A live event will be taking place in your home state, but in the town of Salisbury tomorrow evening. Mr. Levesque has invited you to attend the event for a quick dark match. Although house shows aren't usually televised, some matches are taped and later released on WWE Superstar DVDS, or provided as exclusive WWE Network subscriber content. Mr. Levesque will not personally be at this event, but I, as well as other staff members informed of your invitation, _will_ be in attendance. We will provide Mr. Levesque with analysis of your match, should you decide to appear.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Big Johnny

A week later on December 27th, Shannon received another email from Paul.

 **To:** SStormBookingsatgmail. com

 **From** : PMLevesque727atwwe. com

 **Subject** : Moving Forward

 **Body** : Dear Shannon,

I have been notified by my staff that you had a successful match at the Salisbury event. More importantly than that, they have informed me a signed NXT contract from you is awaiting my final approval, which I am glad to hear. I am attaching a pre-paid electronic plane ticket for you to catch a flight in two weeks to Florida, so you may begin your career in the company. Hopefully this time around, we'll be on the same page with the communication.

Until then, I simply have four words for you: Welcome to the WWE!

P.L.

And there it was. The second to last line made her feel bad again, but the very last one made Shannon mark out and smile. The phone calls were legitimate. The voicemails were legitimate. 1241 East Main Street, Stamford, CT 06902: The address of WWE World Headquarters that was on her contract to join NXT. It was authentic. She was not being trolled.

"Finally!" She exclaimed, pounding the desk where her laptop was with a clenched fist. "10 years of hope, dedication, and perseverance paying off."

* * *

She would tell her mother later in person, but right now, there was someone else she had to break the news to.

 **Me** : See you soon.

 **Pam** : You booked a show with an indie in Florida?

 **Me:** No.

 **Pam** : You get booked in my home Cali promotion?

 **Me** : Negative.

 **Pam** : YOU GOT SIGNED?! :0

 **Me** : It's official. I'm coming. ;)

 **Pam** : ABOUT FUCKING TIME SHANNY! HELL YES!

 **Me** : It's where I belong. XO

 _It's like 'Em said on his track, Lose Yourself: "Success is my only muthafucking option! Failure's not!"_

* * *

 **Author's Notes** :

 _I've heard people say that death usually comes in trios. And with the timing so eerie, we began this week celebrating the great lives of those fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice this Monday on Memorial Day; now we end it on a somber note. I offer my thoughts and prayers to the friends and families of those affected by (or in some cases lost) during the crash of the U.S. Naval jet Blue Angels, during the practice of a flight show in Tennessee; U.S. Air Force jet, Thunderbird, following the Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado, and those nine found dead at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas due to the heavy flooding. All events happened yesterday. Rest in power soldiers. I salute you._

 _Well, aren't you guys spoiled? Three updates in three weeks. I figured that because this was a shorter one (although very important), I'd give it to you now. In the words of Damien Sandow, "You're welcome." :D_

 _For anyone going "Well that took her long enough," the grind is real! Some aren't lucky to make it this fast. Alright guys and gals, since Shannon's had "the call," and "the contract," this is probably a good time as any to remind anyone who has began Weathering The Storm, but hasn't read an important note on my profile. WTS takes place in the alternate universe of Armbar Nation's Broken Arrow series, featuring Ultimate Fighter Ronda Rousey. It's a wonderful series to check out and in my estimation, I've done a good job showing you glimpses of it here to have an idea of what's going on in the time frame-so that whether you're reading Broken Arrow first, this second, or them both simultaneously-you have an idea of the progression of events through Shannon's eyes._

 _Additionally, now that the next leg of Shannon's journey is about to begin, because this is an alternate universe, there may be people who are on WWE's current main roster that are not there yet (or even exist at all) in this world. The same may or may not apply with champions, peoples' position on the card, and of the like. Some may say, "Well this is fanfiction. That should be a given." But there's nothing wrong with giving you the common courtesy of knowing anyway. As always, the love you give me, I throw it right back. :)_


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Marks and More

January 2nd, 2017 couldn't come any sooner. Two weeks prior Shannon's life changed forever when she was offered and signed what she'd hope be her first of many WWE contracts. Sure, it was a contract to join the developmental roster which in a mere matter of four, arguably seven years, became a brand of its own; but the developmental brand was owned by the WWE nonetheless. So in Shannon's eyes, she was already a WWE Superstar and sought to carry herself that way because ultimately, that's what everyone's goal at NXT was. NXT was a great hybrid brand which recruited some of the top independent wrestlers around the world, as well as worked to crop what the WWE called "homegrown" talent; that is, talent that was recruited and sent straight to developmental without having formal wrestling experience or training.

Immediately after checking Paul's email which had an authenticated WWE contract attached as a PDF, as well as a electronic plane ticket, Shannon followed the instructions to submit it back to the corporate office. Then she searched for an apartment as close to Winter Park, Florida, which was a suburban area to Orlando and the location of Full Sail University where NXT was televised, that she could find. When she found a decent place, she asked the landlord if it was possible to move in on short notice.

Thankfully, the landlord obliged and a week after her contract was submitted, Shannon packed and drove her royal blue 2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser to her new place of residence. It was a long 891 mile drive, but fortunately she found a route on Google Maps that allowed her to stay on I-95 South the entire trip. There was absolutely no way she was going to drive the thirteen hours and twenty nine minutes straight. It wasn't a matter of _if_ doing such a drive was possible. Safety was an issue. She didn't drink alcohol nor heavily caffeinated energy drinks, but was responsible enough to know that driving while exhausted was _equally as bad_ as doing so under the influence.

Therefore to make the trip as quick as possible, she drove the first nine hours from Maryland to Georgia, and took a rest at a local motel. She finished the last four and a half the next afternoon. After settling in, she flew back to Maryland on her own, using the WWE's ticket the following week, when her journey would begin officially. Shannon said her goodbyes to the MCW training staff, and eventually her parents. Everyone except her father embraced her with bittersweet words of encouragement. While they were happy to see her make it to the WWE, they would genuinely miss her as Shannon was a good person, in addition to being a great talent.

"The minute you walk off that plane, you are no longer considered my daughter. Don't contact me when you break anything else, or damage any brain cells," was all her father said to her before she headed to the airport.

When Shannon arrived at the Orlando International Airport with a few carry on bags, she caught a ride from an Uber driver to transport her to her apartment. It was there where she'd reunite with her own car to drive to the WWE Performance Center, and eventually to Winterpark to meet WWE Chairman and CEO, Paul Levesque, who was at his Full Sail University office today.

* * *

Shannon knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Paul as he finished up an email from the laptop on his desk. Shannon took a deep breath before entering the room with a smile on her face. She was meeting her idol and boss all at the same time. She stopped in front of his desk.

"Hey, Shannon. Paul Levesque, Chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Incorporated," Paul said as he rose from his chair, reaching his hand forward to greet Shannon.

 _Damn, he's huge. But in a good way. Television doesn't do it justice._

Shannon stared at him a few seconds before returning his handshake. "Um, sorry. I assure you I am usually very professional, but finally meeting you just feels awkward."

"That wouldn't be the first time," Paul said as he sat back down in his chair and gestured for Shannon to take the seat in front of him. "When I got in the wrestling business, I honestly never pictured myself decades later Chairman and CEO of the number one promotion. Everyone I signed-even if they weren't fans of mine directly-said it was weird seeing me in this role."

 _Stop thinking about those Instagram posts of him boxing._

"Actually, it has absolutely _nothing_ to do with your executive position, trust me," She said laughing a little. "I always imagined you getting here at some point."

"See, now _that's_ weird," Paul said pointing his index finger at Shannon. "Given that you didn't know me personally, and are meeting me for the first time. So if seeing a wrestler in an executive job isn't what made you feel awkward around me, then what is?"

" _You_ ," She said simply.

 _Shut up Shannon. What the fuck are you doing?_

"Pardon me?" Paul asked.

"I have, I mean I uh, had, right, _had_ a crush on you growing up," She started.

 _Did the word 'crush' slip out of your mouth? You idiot. Are you trying to get hired and fired on the same day?_

"I liked everyone in 'The Kliq.' Particularly you and Shawn, but you especially. I know you and Shawn were huge marks for Flair, and _you_ were my Flair. The fact we were opposite sexes, and I went through puberty during your transition into becoming 'The Game' made the crush that much more evident."

Oh _my_ _gosh! That last statement just made it worse! You may feel weird; but you probably made him feel old and embarrassed too._

Paul leaned back in his chair, rubbing his fingers over his forehead. That was a curveball he certainly wasn't expecting to hear, but he found appreciation in her being honest. He had to set the record straight though to make sure she didn't get any ideas. He had seen the movie Fatal Attraction, and if that was on Shannon's mind, this conversation would end as soon as it started.

"While I'm flattered," Paul began. "I am a father and a happily married man. This may sound rudimentary, or premature to you, but still, I have to ask: is your crush for me _behind_ you?"

 _Quit undressing him with your eyes_.

"Absolutely," she said answering quickly to avoid an odd gaze from Paul. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and Stephanie as performers, individuals, a couple, and as parents. I would never do or say anything intentionally to disrespect your marriage and family. This was just my initial reaction to meeting you for the first time. It's not everyday you work for someone you once crushed over. For a few seconds I was a tween again. But yes, it's behind me."

"Good," he simply said and moved on. He didn't let the awkwardness continue. Paul believed Shannon, and that was that. "Obviously, I've seen all your work, which is great, I'm a big fan. Normally, we'd give you a new name, or spell it differently like we did with the Dudley Boys becoming the Dudley Boyz, but we're not doing that here. Since you've only been full go on the independents a good year, year and half tops, you haven't established yourself long enough to get a reputation under that name. For that reason, you'll still be Shannon Storm in the WWE. We've already began the paperwork for the copyrights, trademarks, name, and likeness."

"Thank goodness!" Shannon remarked excitedly. "I was worried about that. I like that name, and there's so much to do with it creatively with catchphrases, names of moves, and the like."

"Right, there's that," Paul said as he unbuttoned his suit jacket with a single finger. "And I heard about the other stuff you were once called: The Bruiser? Guns and Roses? Egyptian China? That shit's terrible."

"Tell me about it!" Shannon exclaimed as she clapped her hands, acknowledging the same sentiment with Paul. " 'The Ringmaster,' Terra Ryzing, 'Stunning' Steve, and 'Jean-Paul Levesque' were pretty awful too."

"Oh God, I know," he continued. "Austin asked Vince what was the Creative behind 'The Ringmaster,' and he just said, 'Steve, you're the master of the ring,' as if it were that fucking easy to understand what he meant by that. When Flair was running booking in WCW and repackaged me with that French Nationalist gimmick, I told him I didn't speak French. I'm from New England, and Levesque is a common last name for people in New Hampshire. I kept trying to explain to Naitch because where I'm from is so close to Quebec, that many French-sounding names frequent that part of New England. It's like Smith to us. But whatever, that's what he pitched to me, and it's a step up from 'Killer' Kowalski just drawing a line in between the word terrorizing, making my name, 'Terror Rising.' I'm the young guy there. I'm not trying to get on anyone's bad side at the time. I'm there busting my ass, trying to soak up whatever the vets are _willing_ to teach me. Flair's my guy, and if that's what he pitched, that's what I'm doing. I had a butchered accent. When I did the podcast with Jericho a few years back and he pulled up my promos on YouTube, he said I sounded more _Arab,_ than I did French. Thankfully things after a certain point changed, and the rest is history as they say right?"

"Right," she remarked through a laugh.

Paul reached to shake her hand once more before speaking. "Well, welcome again to the WWE. This is NXT, but you're still considered WWE family. You have to grind it out to stay though. Make no mistake about it, just because I'm Chairman of the WWE now, NXT will _always_ be important to me. It is my vision, my creation, my brand. _Both_ entities are priorities of mine. I'll give you some time to meet other people on the roster. Come back to my office when you're done, and I'll introduce you to Stephanie. Being at NXT is a rare occurrence for her; but she had another engagement in Florida anyway; and a little birdie told me you're a big fan of her work."

Paul stood up to escort Shannon to the door before she stopped him. "Oh, two things before I take off."

"Shoot," said Paul folding his arms in his chest and the sleeves to his suit jacket heaved up, showing the watch on his wrist.

The zipper to Shannon's large satchel came undone. She nearly forgot it was across her shoulder, but when she saw the black case inside of it, she remembered what it contained.

"Could you sign my replica Attitude Era Championship?" asked Shannon as she continued to unzip the satchel, pull the case out, and remove the title from it. "It's my favorite WWE Championship, and you were the last to wear it before the Undisputed Championship was created in the spring of 2002."

"Sure thing," Paul replied with a smirk. "Still can't shake the markdom out, huh? You've seen the contract, came to the building, but it's still in there," he added pointing at her chest.

"Everyone's a mark for something right?" she asked back to Paul as he removed the title from her hands and walked over to his desk to retrieve a sharpie marker to sign Shannon's championship. "I've seen pictures of your office at the Stamford Headquarters. You have replica belts for _every single title_ you've ever won decorated in there, in addition to the very first WWE Championship won by Buddy Rodgers in 1963."

"April 25th, 1963 to be exact," Paul responded with a huge smile before handing the title back to Shannon, who placed the protective covering over it before sliding it in its case, and then the satchel. "What was the second thing?"

"What do I call you?" Shannon questioned squinting her face. "Hunter? Mr. Helmsley? Paul? Mr. Levesque?"

He smirked again before responding. "Well _you_ can call me whatever makes you feel most comfortable. Other than my family, I don't like it when people-especially those who aren't in the business- call me Paul. It's like an unwritten rule of disrespect in our industry. I just ask that you don't call me boss. Just because I am, I don't like to be called that. We're all working to make this company continue its already historic prosperity. Everyone has a role to play, whether big or small. I'm just the conductor."

Shannon gave a reassuring nod before asking, "Can I call you Trips?"

"Yeah, that's fine. It's funny though," Paul said as he laughed while shaking his head. "The whole point of calling me 'Triple H' was to shorten Hunter Hearst Helmsley. It was Shawn's idea. He called me that backstage all the time before I even started going by that name on TV in '97. But apparently, even Triple H is too long for some people. Jericho calls me Trip, without the S. Batista and Orton call me Hunt. Flair calls me H, sometimes Haitch. I respond to it all though."

"Great. Trips it is," said Shannon.

"Alright, now that that difficult task has be accomplished," Paul said humorously. "I'll see you back here when you're settled."

Shannon rose, and left Paul's office to do just that. She was completely beside herself. Being formally welcomed into the WWE, and meeting Triple H and Stephanie-her wrestling idols-on the same day? It was overwhelming in the best possible way. She was no longer just a wrestling fan of theirs, but a wrestler in their company now. She had to be professional. This certainly wasn't the time to be a mark or fangirl. But seeing them for the first time definitely took her back. All things considered, a few smiles and possibly creepy stares, were all she managed. She was proud of herself for not drooling or fainting immediately. She was sure the latter was a possibility, but thankfully, it did not happen.

* * *

Shannon was ringside in street clothes watching the last match of one set of NXT tapings. Although the WWE announced on the website her signing to the company, other than those whom she crossed paths with for some independent shows, there wasn't a lot of rambling on the internet. That was to be expected as many of the signees who actually had wrestling experience and not been homegrown developmental talent converted to professional wrestler from modeling, or some other athletic background, had small pockets of their own cult-like following. It was for this reason that Shannon could sit comfortably among the Full Sail faithful to enjoy the show. Full Sail University over the years developed a reputation of being a 'hot crowd'; they hated when the NXT Takeover specials traveled out of their arena. Watching a match as a fan versus watching one in the back as essentially a scout or peer, each had their own advantages and disadvantages. It was a rare experience for Shannon to enjoy both.

Eden Stiles, ring announcer for the NXT brand, thanked the fans for attending as the final camera from the production crew and supporting staff turned off, signaling an intermission period before the next round of tapings were to take place in the arena. As soon as the last group of the Full Sail audience left, Shannon hopped over the barricade and walked to the ring. Tyler Breeze, also known as "Prince Pretty" to the NXT Universe, shook hands with his opponent before they eventually headed off to the back.

"Hey Breeze! Nice Backbreaker," Shannon said as she climbed on the apron and attempted to get in the ring alone; but Tyler sat on the middle ropes, raising the top one, which in turn eased her access, and invited her to enter. This was their first encounter, so she wasn't going to presume he made a habit of phony, patronizing, chivalry. Perhaps he was just a nice guy. As Shannon entered, she went to a corner of the ring, and hopped on the top turnbuckle pad to talk. Tyler did the same in an opposite corner.

"Innovative right? Thanks," said Tyler.

"Yeah, it was. I also do Backbreakers in my moveset," Shannon said as she complimented Tyler. "I have one where I do a single leg Backbreaker from the Torture Rack position, raise my opponent back up there and come down with a jumping double knee Backbreaker in its transition. I call it 'Evolution.' It's not my finish, but a signature."

"Well that sounds pretty awesome on its own and could be a finisher," Tyler said as he smiled. "What's your finisher then, if that isn't?"

"Lateral Released Airplane Spin into a leaping Cutter," Shannon said as if it was no big deal. It's called 'Weather The Storm', or WTS."

"Released Airplane Spin...laterally, so they're across your shoulders..." Tyler repeated, staring at the ceiling trying to picture the motion Shannon described. "Into a jumping Cutter. Oh, like a fusion of an F5 and RKO?!" He questioned excitedly.

Pleased that he too, could map out maneuvers quickly in his head before needing to see them actually performed in the ring, she nodded. "Exactly! A fusion of those two. Lesnar's got great torque on his Airplane Spin before dropping the opponent into the Facebuster, and Orton's always had a great leap from his drop kicks and Cutter. Since I possess those attributes, I figured I'd combine them both for a finish. NXT's letting me do it here, but when I make it to the main roster, they'll probably ask me to use a different one of my finishers, or use a signature as a finisher. I know Kevin Owens used to do the F5 back when he was in Ring of Honor, so his Pop-up Powerbomb signature became his finisher here."

" _When_ you make the main roster? Someone's cocky," Tyler inquired. "I've been in developmental for five years. I was around for FCW. The place was a dump before Triple H re-branded it as NXT and created the Performance Center in Orlando."

Shannon shook her head emphatically. "Well that's why we're all in developmental right? To get _there_ ," she said pointing at the huge WWE icon on the NXT stage. "And don't misunderstand me. I'm not cocky, I'm confident. I'm not a bitch, just assertive. I'm not expecting anything to be easy for me. Challenging and rewarding? Absolutely. If we're not our biggest fans, the scouts, the agents, the writers, and most importantly, Triple H and Stephanie, won't be either."

"You have a point there," he said. "Enough about you. Tell me about your parents." Tyler wanted to know more about the foundation of Shannon's spirit. It wasn't everyday that someone new walking into NXT was like Shannon. Even though you knew why you were at NXT and where you ultimately wanted to be, nerves would show, especially if you were new. Shannon seemed to have that balance of poise and humility at the same time. He was very intrigued.

"They're married," was all she said. Shannon hopped off the top turnbuckle, walked to one side of the ring and leaned in the middle of a top rope, with her back to Tyler. Tyler still remained on his corner top turnbuckle, and looked on at Shannon as he continued.

"Oh, Okay. Happily married for a long time?" he asked.

"No, they're not together," Shannon replied.

"Wait. I thought you said they were married?" Tyler stressed.

"I did," she responded. "I also said they weren't together."

"How is that even possible?" he asked, quite confused.

"Ever hear of the word _façade_?" Shannon snapped, getting irritated by Tyler's assumption that all was bliss in a marriage. "Well that's exactly what my parents' marriage is like. They're legally married on paper and pretend to be in public, but in actuality? The love has been vacant for quite some time."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't know."

"It's fine," said Shannon as she waved him off. "I'm not one of those introverted people that doesn't like talking about it. But I hate assumptions. You being presumptuous about my parents' marriage given we've only had about a 45 second conversation, just irritated me."

Tyler laughed as Shannon unzipped her jacket pocket to pull out a roll of tape. It was one less thing she had to do when she went backstage to the locker room, so she began wrapping her left wrist. Tyler finally hopped off of his top turnbuckle, walked over to the rope Shannon was leaning on, and leaned next to her.

"What?" Shannon interrogated as she began to tape the other wrist and eventual right hand and fingers.

But Tyler continued to laugh.

" _You_. You could've just said we had a quick conversation, but you said we had a 45 second one," Tyler pointed out. "You're cute. I mean, what you said was cute. I mean you're cute too, but, shit!"

Tyler continued to get flustered and mumbled.

Now Shannon started to laugh. "Thank you...for both compliments," she said. "I've always been that way though, having precision for detail."

"I like that!" exclaimed Tyler.

" _No_...you said you find it cute," she said correcting him and playfully pointed to her ear. "I'm listening."

"A smart-ass too? I really like that," Tyler said, this time smiling at Shannon when he said it.

"Just being technical, Breeze," Shannon replied after laughing again. She finished wrapping the tape on the second wrist, and tucked the rest of the roll back in her jacket pocket. "Well, I'm heading off. I'm booked in one of the next set of tapings. Great match, nice chat."

Shannon kissed Tyler on the cheek before she exited the ring. He didn't help her out of the ring this time, which she appreciated. He stared at her as she walked up the ramp. Tyler wasn't sure if Shannon was flirting with him, or if she was just being particularly friendly. In either event, he liked it. Shannon was at the curtain before turning back to shout down at Tyler. "We'll definitely have more chats again soon. I'm sure of it." Tyler didn't give a verbal reply, just a reassuring smile. With that Shannon walked through the curtain to find Paul so she could meet Stephanie, before ultimately preparing for her match at the next set of episodic tapings. She made sure to double check her mouth, searching for any possible crumbs to brush off from the Cranberry-Almond Gluten Free Bar she snacked on during the long walk through the halls before meeting her girl crush.

* * *

 **January 10th, 2017**

Shannon had her first meeting today with some members of the NXT staff at noon. This meeting would take place not at Full Sail, but at the Performance Center in Orlando. Before the meeting she had a morning jog session. It was 50° degrees in Orlando with a light mist of rain. Shannon just received some new running shoes from Under Armour as a "hometown discount" for making it to NXT. The Speedform Gemini series' motto was "Energy given, power returned." They certainly delivered on that slogan. With their patented technology known as "Cushion Charging," Under Armour designed a shoe where the impact of your foot strikes were absorbed and then converted into levels of responsive comfort, essentially making you _want to run_. Shannon had no PhD in molecular physics, but for damn sure thought Under Armour's engineers were badass. Nevermind the technical specifications, these shoes looked and felt great.

"Oh shit, sorry," Shannon said as she bumped into Tyler Breeze, who was exiting the Performance Center as she was about to enter it.

"Do you always spear people into the door after 7:00 AM runs?" Tyler asked, jokingly.

"No," she replied. "I also don't always run."

"Gotta' get your cardio in some time of the day though," he said shrugging his shoulders.

" _True_ ," Shannon nodded in agreement. "But sex and dance are the best forms of cardio to me. And since I wasn't doing either of them, if I had to run, I figured I'd make it interesting. So I added some resistance," Shannon continued as she span around and Tyler saw her backpack.

"So you bought a special _weighted backpack_?" he questioned as he folded his arms and leaned against the door. "What a waste of money."

"Hell no!" Shannon quickly retorted. "I just got one of those backpacks the rock climbers wear. You know the ones with the sturdy shoulder straps, and clamps at the chest and waist for security? I stuffed about three sealed gallons of water in them."

"That's pretty damn frugal and smart of you," Tyler said with a smile. "I may steal that idea."

"Go for it," Shannon smiled back. "So where are you headed?"

"I was going to one of the local parks to do some Parkour," said Tyler pointing his arm in the direction to the side of town he would be traveling to. "It's free running. I run around testing my agility and instincts, tumbling and flipping all over crazy sorts of shit. Care to join me?"

"No thanks," she shook her head. "Maybe another time though."

"No offense taken," he replied as he stood up straight, let her pass him, and reached for the door. "Well I'll see you around, okay?"

Shannon nodded, and he took off.

* * *

 **Noon, Shannon's first meeting**

Shannon knocked on the door. Paul answered it. Just because he ran the place, it didn't mean he was a prude and thought so highly of himself that he couldn't answer a door.

"Shannon, good afternoon. You're right on time. Let me introduce you to everyone here today. This is Dean Simon, and Amy Dumas. They're agents. You can call him Dean, or Malenko. Amy doesn't care if you call her Lita or Amy. Just because Amy works with the women, if she's unavailable for whatever reason, don't hesitate to reach out to Dean-or even me-if I'm around. I want you to understand something. Just because I wear a suit and tie full time, my heart for this," Paul said pounding his chest. " _All_ of it, in _every_ capacity, is very much still alive. If I'm here and there's something you want to pitch or need a second opinion on, I'm all ears. That doesn't exclude the ring either. If you need to show me something in there and I'm around, I'll check it out."

"Got it," she said. "And thanks. Love the atmosphere with the staff here."

He nodded as he continued to walk in the long conference room, guiding Shannon along with greeting more of the staff. "This is Brian James. You can call him Roadie, or Dogg. Peter Gruner, but you can call him Kidman. James Gibson, but you can call him Noble. Producers. They're agents, but work more so on how the match is televised in a broadcast, than the liaison part of reporting to me about any grievances talent have about a match or each other."

"Over there is Matt Bloom, or Train as he prefers to be called. This is Monty Kip Sop, but please, for the love of God, I _insist_ on just calling him Billy." Everyone in the room laughed, including Billy Gunn, who agreed that his birth name was not a very good one. "Head trainers at the P.C. Sara Del Ray is as well, but she had a personal engagement, which explains her absence today. They're always around. They'll work with the very green contracted talent, some of the Tough Enough kids, main roster talent that want to swing by before their return from injury to shake off rust, and if any of our NXT regulars want some tips, or could use a story or two from a vet to get them through something difficult. This is Eldrige Coleman, he..."

Shannon interrupted him.

"Superstar Billy Graham. He won the title in my hometown in 1977. Hogan and Ventura ripped off his gimmick. He shredded them in promos for it in the Mid-Atlantic territory. You inducted him in the 2004 Hall of Fame," she said, spewing out random facts to Paul, but was staring at Billy Graham the entire time.

"Right," said Paul, who smiled. In addition to his desire to be one of the best in the WWE, he always had a passion for studying the greats that came before him. A wrestling history nerd some would say. As talented as the roster had been in recent years, few of them seem intrigued about anyone, or enthralled by any event from four decades ago. He was pleasantly surprised. "He's our lead promo coach. He replaces the late Dusty Rhodes, who we lost almost two years ago."

She shook everyone's hand as they greeted her.

"Alright. Now that pleasantries are out of the way, we can begin," Paul took his seat at the conference table, and unbuttoned his navy blue suit jacket as he leaned comfortably in the chair. "As you know, NXT, like Smackdown, is a taped show. We tape four episodes in a row, airing one once a week. So even though you taped a match when you got settled and reported to the P.C., it won't air on the WWE Network for a while. Which brings me to why we're having this meeting. Now, I like your name and character. I'm into the whole addicted to competition, weathering the storm, as if opponents themselves are your obstacles. I'm into all of that. It's also a great play on words for moves as you told me when we first met. While some promoters have people debut at random and they're put in a program immediately, I don't like that. My philosophy is that you need vignettes-promotional packages-put together to introduce people to that character over time. Both when they're new, and if they're returning from an injury."

Shannon interrupted him a second time-not to be rude-but to agree, sensing that she knew the direction he was headed.

"To give the audience a reason to buy into the character. Give them a reason to care, whether it's to boo or cheer. Give the audience a reason to react to them, period."

"Exactly! I couldn't have phrased it any better," Paul replied pointing a single finger which looked like a manicured sausage at her. "We need to put together some of those things for you. Now, we had the idea of working weather into this. Rain, snow, all sorts of weather stuff would be on the table. But we don't want it cartoonish. We'd like to work that into your character presentation somehow. Before I go any further, do you have any ideas that we could possibly work off?"

"Um, well even though he wasn't one of my favorites to cheer for until later, I won't deny his impact on the business. Austin. Back in '97 when Monday Night Raw changed it's name to 'Raw is War,' the company stopped showing footage of wrestling on the roof from the original 1993 opening. There was a theme-it started started off like a kickass rock song-then by '01 kind of sounded like rap," said Shannon as she put her finger on her lip trying to contemplate. "Thorn, something."

"Thorn in your Eye? The Raw theme? Is that what you're talking about?" said Billy Gun. Everyone stared at him.

"Yes, that's the one!" Shannon screamed wildly. "I had the WWF War Zone videogame on PlayStation. But it reminded me of the opening video of Raw. Austin was in this burning warehouse or something and was walking through fire like it was no big deal. While debris is randomly falling around him and explosives appear to be going off, 'Thorn in your Eye' starts. As it plays, there are mini trons behind him showing clips of the other Superstars in action, while Austin continues to walk through 'the war zone.' "

"So you want us to have you play with fire?" asked Road Dogg. "We can't just give you Kane's shtick. That's gimmick infringement!"

Paul interrupted him. "Dogg, let her talk! I want to hear what she has to say. Go ahead Shannon."

"Well what if I was walking through 3 different weather sequences?" She continued. "I wouldn't be seen. It would start off with a dark figure where the specific identity of a person couldn't be made out. They continuously walk through conditions. They'd come across an igloo of sorts blocking their way from moving forward, so they reach in the back of their trousers, pulling out a crowbar, and break through the ice and snow. Then as they continued to walk, a hail storm would start, and they'd pull out a shield protecting themselves, occasionally looking up to see where they were going. Finally it starts raining heavy. They've already passed ice and hail, and this is _just_ rain. They toss the crowbar and shield. Like a badass, they just fearlessly walk through the heavy rain like it's nothing serious, as it's soaking them up. The video would finish with the figure leaving the scene; and the graphic on the titan tron screen would say in some cool font, '2/2/17' or whatever the date is when my match airs, 'Weather the Storm.' "

Paul nodded. "I like that. I mean it's January now, and there's plenty of snow and ice around headquarters in Connecticut to build an igloo. Just because it's winter and Florida has a summer climate, it's not uncommon to produce hail here. But I don't want to over complicate anything because weather's not something we can control. What we'll do is have folks do some CGI stuff for the hail and construction of the igloo with a green screen or whatever the technical term for that is. Hey Kidman, do you have our contact, Bryan Vore for WWE Games?"

"I'm on it Hunter," said Billy Kidman. "I'll get the ones that do our annual 2K series for the major videogame platforms as well as those who do the special games that are like extensions for PC, smartphone, and tablet users. They're bound to come up with something nice for this when they put their brains together."

"Perfect. Thanks Kidman. Report back to me as soon as you can with whatever they come up with," said Paul. Kidman pulled out his smartphone, and typed some notes and numbers on it. "As for the walking through rain, Florida's a a tropical state that rains quite a bit. I think we could catch a day this week to film that. Are you comfortable getting soaked for however long it takes to get the shots and angles we need?"

"Oh absolutely!" Shannon remarked enthusiastically. "Anything to make it authentic as possible. This is as much about me as it is about NXT. You're introducing a new talent. You wouldn't want your effort wasted if I wasn't 'game,' no pun intended Trips. There's much more worse I could endure than a common cold."

"She's a trooper!" said Road Dogg, who smiled.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Shannon said, winking at Road Dogg.

"And a mark too! Outstanding!" he added.

Paul waved Road Dogg off. He was Paul's head producer and right hand man. He was Paul's Kevin Dunn for Vince McMahon. As much as he loved him as a friend, every now and again, he had to reign him in during meetings to get him back on track.

"Alright that's good," Paul replied with a nod. "Entrance music is also very important too. The song you used on the independents..." Paul flipped through a few pages of his legal pad. It was 2017. He had a smartphone, but was old school when it came to stationary products. If he wanted notes _typed_ , he would've just used a laptop or computer. There was no need to buy a tablet that did the same damn thing. There was also the satisfaction in tangibly marking off tasks accomplished. "Was called 'Remember The Name' by Fort Minor. We won't use that here. I take it though, that you like Hip Hop. Is that something you want to keep going forward?"

"I'd like to have something that's a fusion of rap and rock if that's possible," said Shannon. "It think they're both genres of music that get people excited for a wrestling show. They do for me at least."

"So kind of like Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Run DMC, or Kid Rock?" asked Amy, who curled a piece of hair behind her ear.

Paul took a sip of his coffee, before responding. "You're onto something Amy. Jim Johnston produces and composes 95% of the music superstars have used on the main roster, past and present. CFO$ is the NXT house band that makes themes for the roster here. But we have done business with some of those other artists before. Run DMC did a remix to our DX theme. Taker used Limp Bizkit's 'Rollin' and Kid Rock's 'American Badass.' I'm not going to have you use either of those two. But what I _can_ do is have you use Kid Rock's 'Cocky.' We have used it before, but that was the theme music for a Pay-Per-View: the 2002 Royal Rumble, which I won but that's not important," he added with a chuckle. "We've never had it used as an _entrance_ theme for an individual talent before. He's a fan and a great friend of the company. I can contact him, confirm his people are informed, and we'll pay for the rights to use it."

"Hey H, how are we going to make it hers though? What are we going to do to put some individuality on it?" asked Jamie Noble.

"That's the easy part," said Paul who rubbed his beard. "Whenever we used music from an artist with existing songs, Johnston would chop it up. Select certain spots to begin for when the Superstar enters the arena, add effects, or alter the arrangement, switching emphasis on different instruments. We did something like that for Punk with Living Colour's 'Cult of Personality.' Before Mőtorhead recorded 'The Game' for me, they used Jim's guitar riff at the beginning and end of my old 'My Time' song; then recorded their own stuff over top of it. And Disturbed did the same thing for Austin for the 'Glass Shatters' theme he returned with in late 2000. So we could have it begin at the chorus for her, with Kid Rock doing it a Capella. Then bring the beat in a few seconds later, and the complete song would begin, where she'd come out. Shannon?"

"That sound's great. I'd like the guitar and drums to be flipped though. Easy on the bass and bring in more of that snare percussion. And one more thing: You said it would start with the chorus a Capella and bring the beat in a few seconds later. After the a Capella chorus, I think we should have a loud, booming, lighting bolt like The Phenom's after that. The pause would then follow as you suggested, then the full beat and song," Shannon stretched her arms out as she talked passionately, emphasizing how grand the boom from the lighting bolt ought to be. "Just the lightning bolt though, no gong."

Dean Malenko, didn't really like coming to these meetings, nor did he see the significance in being involved in them. He liked being an agent strictly in the context in guiding people along with a match. Paul's leadership was much different than Vince McMahon's in his estimation. When Vince was Chairman, Dean was solely consulted for a match, and wasn't bothered by much else. With Paul, he had a core team of producers, agents, and trainers he brought along for meetings. While everyone on board knew Paul was in charge and made the final approval on decisions, he encouraged a collaborative effort. He was not insecure to shoot down a great idea just because he did not think of it on his own. Dean found appreciation in that regard, and felt a little bad about being silent all meeting.

"Do you need me to get in touch with the artist, Kid uh, what's his name again?" Dean asked, scratching the receding hairline on his head.

"No, I've got this Dean. I'll speak to Kid Rock directly, and his manager will get back to me with any details I need to tidy up with our legal department before this gets approved," Paul replied before turning back to Shannon. "But don't worry Shannon. This shouldn't take long, and I'm confident this is a done deal."

"Awesome!" was her only reply. She had a contract. NXT was extremely popular. They were working on plans for vignettes and entrance music. The staff was great. This was where she wanted to be. There wasn't really much else to say to convey her excitement. She would contribute by doing the work.

"Alright then everyone. You've all been a great help. This meeting is adjourned," said Paul who rose from his seat, clipping his pen to the pocket of his suit jacket. He grabbed his pad of notes and re-buttoned his suit. Everyone exited the conference room. Shannon was the last one near the door when Paul called her.

"Hey Shannon."

"Yeah Trips?" Shannon said facing him.

"You'll have to make a Twitter account. The fact that you don't already have one at your age is mind blowing. Then again, I can't say I blame you," Paul said smirking. "Social media can be overwhelming at times, and trolls seem to multiply. Idiots who hopped the barricade in the Attitude Era, I could just tackle them or beat their asses if the camera didn't have me in the shot. I've definitely done it plenty of times at house shows. Once or twice I got caught doing it on TV. Can't exactly do that with thumb thugs."

"So I just make one and let you know?" Shannon asked, hoping this wouldn't lead to six other social media accounts.

"Make an account, then text Stephanie with your handle. She's the Chief Brand Officer. Her and the rest of the publicity folks in her department will get your account verified immediately. Then our Social Media Director will make recommendations of people to follow," he replied, raising his own phone in the air showing Shannon the people in the suggestions tab of his Twitter profile, before putting it away. "I'm not my father in law. If there are people in other wrestling promotions you're friends with, you can follow and re-tweet them. Just don't have a full out, extensive conversation with them on your public tweets. Save that for a direct message. Other than that, there are no rules for how often or infrequent you tweet," Paul explained as his smartphone buzzed in his pocket and he checked a Twitter notification. "Just have _some_ remote activity on it. And don't post something you wouldn't say or do on TV. As a publicly traded company, we like to keep the controversy and lawsuits at a minimum."

"Got it," said Shannon as she laughed. "I'll probably get on that right now. Anything else?"

"Yeah. It's refreshing to know you're a talent that views wrestling's past just as highly as you do wrestling's future," said Paul as he pushed his chair under the table and walked toward her direction at the door. "I'm impressed. Your journey is just beginning here. But I believe in you."

Shannon was flattered by Paul's personal stamp of approval. "I have no words for how much it means to me hearing that from you."

"You're welcome," he responded with a gentle tap on her shoulder. "Well I'll follow you out. I need to jump on the jet back to Stamford to handle some more things. Keep working hard."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 _Well she's there everyone and seems to be happily getting herself acclimated! It shouldn't be a surprise to **Chaka1967** or **Armbar Nation** which parts of this chapter were the most fun to write._

 _We've lost yet another legend in the time since I've posted the last chapter in Muhammad Ali. I'd like to say a few words about "the greatest of all time." To the people of Louisville, the state of Kentucky and all of the boxing fans across the globe, I agree with you when you say Ali was more than a boxer. Because he was. Just as glorious as he was battling in the ring, he was just as great-if not more-out of it. Ali was a fighter for free speech, civil and humanitarian rights, and was a phenomenal inspiration to many. By speaking out for himself, he spoke out for others, helping to knockout prejudice and inequalities of all kinds, never shying away from his impeccable showmanship in the process. Rest in peace sir. God's going to be up for awhile, because you've got a ton to talk to him_ _about._ _And I know Shane O'Mac is going to be putting some extra pizazz in his shuffles from here on out. After all, you were the one who inspired him to do it in the first place, G.O.A.T. :)_

 _The tragedies seem to continue. My deepest sympathies go out to the friends and families of the 50 people who lost their lives, and 53 who were injured in the vicious massacre at "The Pulse" gay night club in Orlando this past Sunday. This massacre well surpassing the 32 lives lost at the Virginia Tech catastrophe in 2007, made it the largest mass shooting in United States history. Simultaneously, it also became the worse attack on American soil since September 11th 2001. I have no ties to Orlando, but I read about that club and have heard it's quite the hot spot for those in the LGBTQ community. So my condolences are extended not just to those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning in Orlando, but to that community at large, in addition to heterosexual men and women who are tolerant allies. We love you Orlando. When you grieve, the entire country does so with you. Stay strong. Keep rocking the red, white, and blue in the Sunshine State. To the international love Florida (and America as a whole) has received from our brothers and sisters across the globe, thank you. Sadly, these occurrences aren't foreign to us. But it still doesn't mean that behavior should be tolerated, and that the pain isn't real every time it happens. #OrlandoWillOvercome._

Also this past Sunday in the wrestling world, we lost Chris Warren. For those of you who aren't DX marks, Warren was the lead singer in the DX Band. He performed Triple H's "My Time," "Break It Down," and all the other sub-variations of DX themes (I believe X-Pac had two alternates because I have the Anthology CD, and there were a few variations on it), with the exception of the "The Kings" which was performed by Run DMC. Rock in Peace, Chris. The theme songs you put together were sick and still hold up after all this time. They get me hyped to this day.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Oh, You've already met?

**Author's Notes:** _I hope everyone is doing well. Considering that tonight the summer season begins and tomorrow will be the first official day of summer, Chapter 15 is my impromptu gift to you. I hope folks enjoyed the previous chapter and have a few smiles from this on_ e.

 _Additionally_ , _your comments about_ _the fangirling_ _for Chapter_ 14 _were absolutely_ _hilarious_. _It_ _wouldn't be authentic to me if I neglected to unleash it._ _Hopefully that point was clear_ , _and given the positive reception_ , _I believe it was accomplished._

* * *

 **January 19th, 2017**

She already saw a copy of the booking sheet, so spent the past few minutes snooping on NXT history as she explored the areas of Full Sail University that NXT operated from. When "Superstar" Billy Graham left the campus for a lunch break, she peeped in his office. Thankfully, he left the door unlocked, and she continued in. On his desk were tips from Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat on how to work matches as a babyface. That was fun for Shannon to see because Graham was a legendary heel. There was also a framed photo of "The American Dream," Dusty Rhodes on one side of the room. Directly beside it was a framed transcript of the very first pilot episode of NXT in 2012, which Dusty himself called, "Full Sail Ahead." As she continued to read, next to the transcript of the inaugural episode was a memo from Paul in 2011 that he sent to Dusty before he was the promo coach, and solely Creative Assistant to NXT. The last two lines of the memo described the new direction Paul wanted Florida Championship Wrestling to go: "This should not stop at developmental, but transform into a brand for the next generation." She was thrilled to read that the genesis of the brand was not called NXT, but what Dusty proudly proclaimed, "Project H." That made her smile.

"Wow, this is some fascinating stuff," Shannon mumbled before slowly creeping out of Graham's office, and shutting the door. She contemplated peering through the file cabinet to see who was currently on the company's radar next, and those who were on the radar years prior, but for whatever reason signed elsewhere. Ultimately, she didn't know what time Graham would be back, and decided against it. "Good to know Superstar kept some of Dream's cool gems."

As she left Graham's office, she spotted Tyler passing through a hallway and stopped him.

"A little birdie told me today was your birthday," Shannon said with a smile.

"What birdie?" he asked.

"The internet," Shannon quickly replied, and Tyler laughed.

"It is," Tyler said, confirming with a nod and folded his arms. "So what's my present?"

"A tag match with me," Shannon responded, twirling around in a circle as if she were a major prize.

"Gee. It's been on my wish list for the _longest_ time," Tyler folded his hands together and feigned thanking the Lord in sarcasm. "Santa didn't come through for Christmas, but he sure did this time around."

"I mean you know, we're not on 34th Street. But miracles can happen at the last minute," she reassured him patting his shoulder. "Just call me Ms. FedEx. Because when it counts, I _deliver_."

Tyler enjoyed the back and forth, and Shannon wasn't put off by his sarcasm. In fact, she encouraged it and played along. He met her a few weeks ago, but didn't have much time to talk to her. He was hoping at some point they could talk again because he felt a comfortable vibe with her; the same he did with Bayley, who was one of his closest friends since joining FCW, before it turned into NXT years later.

"You mind if I hang out in your dressing room?" Shannon asked aiming her thumb in the direction where she presumed Tyler was headed. "I checked the booking sheet and it's you and me against Bayley and Apollo. Pam's my best friend, and Apollo's cool. I haven't done anything with him directly, but I've crossed paths with him on the road in between indie shows. So I'm not in a hurry to go over anything with them. They'll likely find us."

It looked like Tyler had his opportunity to talk to Shannon.

"Um, yeah, sure," he said as he gestured his right hand forward and they began walking. "I didn't know Pam was your best friend. She's one of my close friends here too."

"I'll tell you all about it," she said as they continued walking before eventually making it to his room and closing the door behind her. She took a seat on one of the chairs.

After talking for about forty minutes, Bayley had arrived, and was looking for them at Full Sail.

"Hey Matt, it's Pam," Bayley said as she knocked gently on his door. "I hope you're decent in there because I'm about to come in. We have a mixed tag match coming up and I wanted to talk about it. It's with Apollo and Sha…" Bayley stopped with her mouth gaped open as she entered the room.

"Oh, so you've already met?" Bayley questioned as Shannon and Tyler, who were previously chatting away ended their own conversation immediately.

Tyler looked at Bayley, then at Shannon before replying, "Yeah, where uh, _acquainted_."

"Great, well since you two are together," Bayley began, but noticed Shannon and Tyler made weird faces. Bayley didn't know what she said wrong. Her word choice just made them feel awkward because she essentially implied they were a couple. At least that's how it appeared to them.

"Let's go find Apollo, so we can go over key spots in the match."

Bayley left his door open on her exit, and Tyler said, "After you" to Shannon.

* * *

 **Flashback: Three Weeks Ago**

 **Shannon's First NXT match**

Lana was already in the ring, and Shannon entered second. Shannon removed her vest, and handed it over to ring announcer Eden Stiles. Referee Drake Wuertz checked both opponents for weapons, then signaled for the bell to be rung. As soon as the bell sounded, Shannon held up her hand to the referee to delay the contest. She then turned to Eden, gesturing for the announcer to bring her vest ringside.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thought we were underway but it looks like Shannon Storm wants her jacket back," said NXT commentator Tom Phillips. "I don't know if she's cold or what...and now she's grabbing something out of it. Looks like _rope_. Why on earth would she need rope?"

"First off idiot, it's a vest, not a jacket. Vests don't have sleeves," said former wrestler and now fellow commentator on NXT, Corey Graves. Corey Graves too, was a promising standout in NXT profiled in ESPN's E:60 documentary on grooming the next generation of WWE Superstars. Many were considering him to be the next Jeff Hardy, but a taller version. But due to a history of concussions, he was forced into early in-ring retirement. Paul didn't hesitate to offer him a job at commentary. "And second, she's demanding the ref to tie one arm behind her back."

"C'mon ref!," Shannon screamed. "She's not _half_ the woman I am. I'm leveling the playing field here." Despite the look of contemplation, the referee complied and signaled once again for the ladies to begin.

"I don't understand these shenanigans with Shannon Storm," said Phillips. "She just joined the locker room and _already_ is delaying the show. We're supposed to see her debut."

"Will you just shut up already?" asked Graves in frustration. "We _are_ getting the match. You heard Shannon! Lana doesn't measure up and out of fairness, she just wanted to give her an opportunity, so is having what looks like her sure handed arm-which is the right one-tied."

After Wuertz tied Shannon's arm, Shannon placed her mouth guard in between her teeth and walked over to Lana.

"C'mon, let's go," she said to Lana, who looked confused and unsure of what to make of Shannon urging a one-armed contest. "Fucking fight me dammit!"

Shannon received a hard smack to the face by Lana.

"Whoah, I'm not sure what words were exchanged between the two ladies!" said Phillips. "Storm's mouth guard, while she can talk through it, doesn't project all that well. So only Lana knows what was said. But whatever it was, that ridiculously loud smack brought out the tenacity from Lana."

"Oh, but look at her now Lana!" shouted Graves. "Shannon didn't think too highly of you slapping her! On one arm, she carries Lana into the corner of the ring and is just driving those shoulders continuously in her abdomen."

"Oh come on, Shannon! 15 shoulder thrusts? I think that's excessive," said Phillips. "Exploding Northern Lights suplex from the corner back to the center of the ring. Shannon hits the ropes...sliding dropkick to the kidney and oblique area of Lana's mid-section."

Shannon walked away from Lana and raised her middle finger to the crowd with the hand that wasn't tied.

"Look at Storm show the crowd just what she thinks of them and her opponent," said Graves. "She thinks they're number one!"

"I don't think she's saying they're number one Corey," said Phillips. "Oh, Storm runs into a boot to the face as Lana gathers herself in the corner of the ring...atomic drop by Lana...she hits the ropes...clothesline on Storm!"

The crowd was picking up a wave of support for Lana after receiving a figurative "Fuck You," from Shannon.

"Shannon's back up...Lana hits the ropes again...scoop slam on Shannon..." said Phillips, whose voice was showing partiality to Lana. "She heads off again, and big bulldog on Shannon Storm! So much for a debut Corey! I think Lana's going to put her away. That rope's going to come back to bite her in the butt!"

"This match isn't over Tom," said Graves who was clearly disappointed in Shannon's performance. "That's all I've got to say."

"Go up?" Lana asked the crowd who cheered, and were looking forward to her ascending to the top rope for a victory.

"Top rope...Lana hits the frog splash, but Shannon Storm catches her and rolls right through it, placing Lana on her shoulders...what strength!" said Phillips. "Wait a minute...how in the world did she get her hands free?!"

"That's _irrelevant_ , Tom. Weather The Storm!" Graves yelled, shaking his fist at the broadcast table. "1, 2, 3! Like Michael Jordan in the fourth quarter, it's automatic."

Corey Graves and Tom Phillips continued to talk during Shannon's celebration.

"Folks, take a look at the replay," said Phillips. "When Lana nailed the bulldog, watch Shannon Storm's arm. It look's like as Lana climbed up the rope, Shannon used her left hand to remove a small razor blade from the tape on her right wrist that was tied behind her back. She cut the rope before Lana made it all the way to the top, so when Lana finally took off, was able to catch her after landing the frog splash. My God, she never wanted to have a complete match with her arm tied behind her back in the first place! She just wanted to make the NXT Universe look like a bunch of fools!"

Shannon stood directly over the defeated Lana, smirked, and pointed to her head with the now uneven remainder of the rope that dangled from her wrist.

"Nonsense Tom! She's _smart._ She had a game plan! And even more important than that, she's a _winner_. Congrats on your debut Shannon Storm. And welcome to NXT!" said Corey excitedly.

* * *

 **Minutes later after the taping of Shannon's debut match**

Shannon closed the show with her debut at this particular taping Tyler wasn't on. She complimented his match when she arrived. So he decided to return the favor with some "scouting" of his own. He approached the ring.

"Why did you do that?" asked Tyler as he sat on the apron outside of the ring.

"Do what?" she asked back in leaning over the ropes closest to him.

"Lick your bottom lip left to right, then your top lip right to left, when you removed your mouth guard and continued to celebrate," Tyler responded.

"Well the lip-licking thing is new. It's something I'm trying out here in NXT because I didn't do it in the indies," Shannon replied as she untied the remaining pieces of rope wrapped around her wrist. "I think I'll start doing it before I hit my finisher. My logic behind doing it was that I was feeding my appetite or quenching a thirst. Not for a human obviously, because I'm not a cannibal. But for conquering competition in the ring as that's my addiction. I'm glad you brought it up actually. I could use a second opinion. Do you think it looks stupid?"

"Hahaha, no hearing you justify it explains it perfectly," Tyler said. "I just asked why you licked your lips the _way_ that you did."

"Honestly, I don't know if I should be creeped out or flattered by your intrigue on how I conduct my lips being licked," she laughed after making the statement. "Dude, it's just something I did! Chill. I didn't take into account the extension of tongue, the degree of arch as it glided across my lips. None of that. Why do you care so much?"

"We just seem to have moments when we're in or around the ring together," said Tyler. "I don't know if you would consider yourself a sentimental woman, but I like to think I'm a man who can appreciate such moments here and there. I remember you saying you have a thing for the 'precision of detail.' Well, that was me showing you that I pay attention- _close_ attention-especially to you."

 _Gee, you're not subtle at all. And that's not a bad thing._

* * *

 **Back to Present Day: January 19th, 2017**

 **"The roar of the crowd!**

 **Stomp your feet to the ground!**

 **Give it all to me now, 'cause it goes like, goes like..."**

The NXT theme blasted loudly in the arena followed by the usual array of pyrotechnics to open the show.

"Welcome everyone to NXT! However you're joining us this evening-whether it be on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, computer, smart television or smart projector-we thank you for tuning into this broadcast," said Tom Phillips following the opening video to the show. "I'm Tom Phillips."

"And I'm his handsome and _superior_ colleague, Corey Graves," said Corey Graves who started to introduce the show. "Folks you are in for a treat because kicking off the show this week we'll see the NXT Women's Champion-that's right Bayley-in the house. Take it away Eden."

"The following contest is a mixed tagged match scheduled for one fall…" Eden began and Apollo Crews, then Bayley, Tyler, and finally Shannon made their way to the ring.

"Corey, Bayley's been in tagged matches before," Tom noted before narrowing his focus on the monitor. "She's even been in mixed tag matches before teaming with Zack Ryder, Mojo Rawley, and other wrestlers on the roster. Shannon's the new kid in town. Tell us what's going through Shannon's mind...as she goes for the waistlock take down...but is blocked as Bayley gets her with a double leg takedown of her own..."

"You are correct that Bayley has experience in multi-person matches. But first of all Tom, while Shannon is new _in town,_ she is not new to _the_ _game_ ," Graves said as he pressed a single finger down hard on the commentary table, causing the cuff area of his blazer to rise, exposing some tattoos. "Let's not patronize the woman like wrestling is some foreign thing, or NXT is some foreign place to her. I don't doubt Shannon Storm's abilities. But what I am curious to see is how well she works with 'Prince Pretty,' Tyler Breeze. There's an old expression that goes, 'it takes one to know one.' And while Shannon Storm may not be the supermodel superstar like Breeze is, she does give off a bit of that narcissism vibe that he does. Whether they channel that, or it becomes their Achilles Heel? Well, we'll just have to call the match and find out."

The match went on for twelve minutes before a key set of spots.

"Shannon, watch the ropes!" shouted referee Eddie Orengo. "You're using them for leverage. This is your first warning."

"Hey ref, the only thing you need to be watching for is for Bayley to tap out!" Tyler yelled at the referee who was near Shannon's side of the ring. "Watch _Bayley's_ hands, not hers!"

"Hey Ty," Shannon called out as she had Bayley in the Storm Shield submission. She reached her right hand backwards, and Tyler leaned down through the middle rope to tag her. Apollo Crews, after seeing Tyler make the tag, lowered his head to enter the ring. The referee stopped him.

"Storm's still got Bayley in the hold...what's he gonna' do here?" asked Phillips.

"Beautiful springboard elbow by Prince Pretty!" exclaimed Graves. "Nailed Bayley right in the sternum of the chest, and he quickly rolls out of the ring."

" _Why_ , I ask, Corey," Phillips whined. "Why is the referee _preventing_ Crews to come to Bayley's aide, while Storm and Breeze methodically dissect her? Breeze knows for _damn_ sure the referee didn't see the tag! And _even if_ he did, he knows, he's suppose to wait for Apollo to get in. This is a mixed tag, not inter-gender match. We haven't had one of those in over a decade."

"Maybe _that's_ the problem Tom," Graves said with a smug look on his face as the camera shot went quickly to the commentary table because Tyler walked toward them to grab his selfie stick. "Maybe the people don't want to wait ten years or better to for an inter-gender match. Better still man, a good match is a good match! I don't care if it's two men, two women, or a dude with a broomstick. Everyone knows the stakes are high in the WWE and that's because _we_ at NXT, have been setting the tone for the past five. So tough luck for Bayley! She just needs to take her medicine, woman up like a big girl, and regroup. _I_ saw the tag perfectly. I don't know why the referee didn't."

As soon as Tyler took off over Shannon's head and carefully dropped an elbow across Bayley's chest, she called for the referee's attention. They ignored Apollo's cries of sympathy referencing the illegal double team and Tyler's escape from the ring canvas. Shannon hooked both of Bayley's legs for a cover, but she kicked out.

"Shannon Storm, now stomping Bayley all across her body with no particular target apparent," said Phillips. "I'm not sure if she's doing it in frustration or just because she _can._ "

" _Everything_ is considered a bull's eye when you're in the ring with Shannon Storm Tom," Graves corrected Phillips. "And she'll exploit it even further if she's learned it's been weakened beforehand. Take some notes."

Shannon leaned her head through the middle rope and bent her four fingers backward repeatedly, gesturing for Tyler to come to her with his selfie stick. He walked over, and slid on the apron. As they struck a pose, Bayley shook off the selling of her weakened legs and ran the ropes. On the return she charged into the ropes Shannon was leaning in between, causing Shannon's forearm to hit Tyler and he, along with the selfie stick, fell to the floor.

"That certainly doesn't look like the photo finish the 'Gorgeous One' was looking for Corey," Phillips said with enthusiasm. "And here comes Bayley...she pulls Storm's legs and she's hanging on the middle rope by the fingertips...whoah, stiff kick to Storm's abdomen by Bayley! Did you hear the thud?"

" _Yeah_ I heard it," Graves said with disapproval. "At least Bayley's doing the smart thing and tagging out _officially_ this time. I'd love to see what Storm would've done to her! I'm sure that kick ticked her off."

"Tag!" the referee yelled as he pushed his hands together in the air like a prayer symbol, acknowledging Apollo Crews' tag, and encouraged Shannon to do the same with Tyler. She complied.

Tyler dominated with impressively athletic counters to many of Crews' power move attempts.

"Apollo charges at Tyler...could be going for a spear...no!" shouted Phillips. "A tornado DDT from Tyler Breeze."

Tyler dead lifted Apollo and carried him to the corner of the ring, placing him on the top turnbuckle. Apollo remained on the turnbuckle and didn't budge. Tyler then grabbed his selfie stick, which was on the far side on the other corner of the ring where Shannon was. He took more pictures of himself and even snagged a few unwarranted ones of referee Eddie Orengo, but its purpose was again to cause a distraction. Orengo snatched the stick from Tyler and attempted to lock Tyler's phone inside the stick, so he would not be able to take any more photos. After several unsuccessful attempts-because he did not know Tyler's password-the referee just gave up, tossing the stick over the ring. But the referee's antics went on long enough for Tyler to accomplish what he needed.

Tyler stood in the middle of the ring and nodded at Shannon. She entered the ring and ran at Tyler.

"Go get you some, girl," Tyler said as Shannon jumped when she was mere centimeters away from him. He propelled her even higher like a rocket being shot out of cannon, and she struck Apollo Crews.

"Oh my God!" Graves yelled out. "Have we ever seen that in a mixed tag match before? Hell, have we seen that in a _normal_ tag match before? We just saw Shannon do a leapfrog missile dropkick to Apollo Crews, who just fell from the top rope to the floor. It was like she became Breeze's human sling shot. I've seen people nail standing dropkicks, tag teams nail dual running dropkicks. But I don't think I've seen a running, leapfrog, missile dropkick from a team before. What a match!"

A "That was awesome, That was awesome, That was awesome, That was awesome" chant went on for a few moments.

"I would have to agree Corey," Phillips nodded as a replay of the moment aired on the split screen of the broadcast. "You'd think these two teamed up for years with the timing and precision they've had on their many dual combinations- _albeit illegal ones_ -I cannot deny how spectacular they've worked together thus far. They've done an excellent job at keeping Bayley grounded. And well, Apollo's a force. You're not going to be able to kill his power, but they've at least limited it."

Tyler hopped on the ropes like a bed closest to Apollo, and taunted him as Orengo started counting outside. "'I've got all night big man! There's plenty more where that came from."

Apollo crawled back in the ring at the count of eight and tagged Bayley immediately. Tyler casually flicked his wrist backward, and Shannon tagged him to enter the ring. Tyler arrogantly hopped over the ropes. This time Bayley made her comeback, delivering forearms and clotheslines left and right. Shannon grabbed the ropes immediately when Bayley put her in the guillotine choke. When Bayley signaled to the audience for the Belly to Bayley, Tyler teased coming in the ring. He eventually entered and walked over towards Bayley-enough to get a reaction from the crowd-but he did not touch her. When Apollo saw Tyler approach Bayley-even though Breeze did not touch her-he raced inside.

"You know what Corey?" Phillips asked rhetorically. "To hell with it! If Breeze and Storm want to keep taking advantage of the referee not having eyes in the back of his head, then fine. Go ahead Crews, do what you have to do! It's only a matter of time before reasonable people reach their breaking point! They've been obedient _all_ match!"

"Apollo and Bayley swing at Storm and Breeze...they both duck...what the...Evolution!" screamed Graves. "And look at Tyler! They've both hit their signature backbreakers on Bayley and Apollo! We could see a double pin here!"

The crowd shouted, "That was a sweet spot, That was a sweet spot, That was a sweet spot," with five count claps in between them.

 _We thought so too! Haha, fucking smarks! I love this crowd. They're so hyped._

"I forgot who's legal," cried Phillips. "Apparently it's Shannon Storm...1...2...3...4...5...but we have no referee! Breeze took Orengo out as he got elbowed in the face when Tyler hit the backbreaker on Apollo."

"Dammit!" Graves yelled as he pounded his fist on the table. Tyler left the ring to retrieve the referee. He smacked him around, trying to knock some sense into him, before tossing him back in and encouraging them to make his and Shannon's victory official.

"1...2...small package...small package!" Phillips yelled. "1...2...3! Bayley and Apollo get the pin as Bayley countered with the small package. What a deserving, come from behind win for that team!"

As Bayley's music played, Shannon mumbled to her on the canvas.

"You were a beast," Shannon said with her wrist over her mouth.

" _You_ just ate defeat," said Bayley. "We killed it," she muttered before getting to her knee, grabbing her championship and Apollo's hand, and raising it in the air.

* * *

 **Backstage, after the match**

To say that Shannon and Bayley looked forward to being in the same ring, at the same time, at the same event, for the first time in two years was an understatement.

Shannon, Tyler, Bayley and Apollo were incredibly happy with their match. They loved that they were creative enough to come up with an unconventional finish. More importantly, they were happy that the agents were brave enough to let them change things up. Normally, heels wouldn't get too many moments to shine on offense-especially if it was a non Pay Per View match, but Bayley and Apollo let them have at it with different tag combinations. Usually when a referee goes down, it's the heels who take advantage and get the inevitable win. Tyler and Shannon wanted the opposite: take the referee out and let the babyfaces benefit from the momentum swing, without even needing to use their own finishers to take the victory.

"That match was fantastic," said Tyler with a huge grin. "I'm over. You're picking up steam and when this airs on the network, you'll definitely be over. You and I should be a thing," he continued as he pointed to the gap in between them. "I'm 'Prince Pretty.' I guess you can be the 'Gorgeous Goddess' or something. Did you hear that pop? They'll probably turn us!"

"I hope not," Shannon said with a grimace on her face. "NTF. Never Turn Face. That's my motto."

Tyler laughed as he reached for a bottled water from one of the folding tables in the hallway. He took a sip.

"Why not? Everyone turns at some point in their career though, especially the greats," he defended.

"I know. But I'd like to delay that turn as long as possible," Shannon said with a sigh.

"Seriously though, getting back to what I was saying earlier about us. I don't know if NXT will ever introduce an inter-gender division and create a set of titles for it..." Tyler started and Shannon raised her eyebrow quizzically, wondering where exactly he was going with this. "But if they did, tag partners for life?"

"I don't know how I feel about that Tyler," she replied with a shake of the head. "The last time I heard someone say that was HBK. And he ended up super-kicking Marty Janetty, then throwing him through some glass two decades back."

"You are such a damn mark," he responded with a sheepish grin even larger than before.

"But you like it though," she said as she pat Tyler's chest before walking away to the women's locker room.

Tyler watched Shannon get a few feet away from him before he said, "That I do. That I do."

* * *

 **That weekend**

Tyler, Shannon, Bayley and her boyfriend Aaron, traveled to Kissimmee, Florida, a town thirty three minutes away from Orlando, to check out a baseball game. It was spring training in Major League Baseball and Osceola County Stadium, where the group was currently located, was the home stadium for the Houston Astros. There were thirteen teams in the MLB who held their spring training season in Florida. The group of teams in Florida was known as the Grapefruit League. The home team Houston Astros were taking on fellow Grapefruit League team the Toronto Blue Jays, whose base was in Dunedin, Florida. Shannon was from Baltimore, but despite the Orioles also being members of the Grapefruit League, did not follow them. She was a fan of the Blue Jays because she liked the mascot and color scheme of their jerseys. It was just a coincidence that she was sitting next to a Canadian who may or may not have been a fan of the same team.

It was Shannon's idea to have the gang check out the ballgame. She was by no stretch of the imagination a "true" baseball fan, but she wanted the group to bond in some activity outside the ring. She also suggested to Paul a few days before planning the outing with her friends that he should consider having the roster participate in some kind of alternate sporting event for charity, whether it be basketball, rugby, baseball, or something else. She remembered how cool it was as a little girl to watch the pre-show for Summerslam in the 1990s and see highlights of the "Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Machoman" Randy Savage, and "The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon in the WWF softball game. Shannon wanted that good feeling to return to today's brand.

They were currently in the fourth inning. The Astros were up two to zero, but allowed one runner on base for the Blue Jays. Before the pitcher for Houston made the next throw, her smartphone beeped. It was a text message from Paul.

 **Trips** : Jim Johnston sent a 30 second mp3 sample of his edits. Kid Rock approved, and contracts have been signed. Production's already embedded the track in for your debut match's air date.

 **Me** : Really? Awesome.

 **Trips** : Yes really, but it gets better. We didn't ask, but he _insisted_ on coming to our studios, and recorded a remix to "Cocky" for you, which we've agreed to include as an alternate theme in WWE 2K18. It will be available as Downloadable Content for your character when the game is available to pre-order in August, and later released in October. The paperwork has been taken care of for that too.

 **Me** : Thank you Hunter! Thank you so much! :D

 **Trips** : Again, this was Kid's treat to the WWE. I told you he was a great friend of the company. But you're welcome all of the same. -HHH

The next batter for the Blue Jays, Jose Bautista, hit a home run, and with one runner already on base, tied the game up at two a piece. Shannon's phone chimed again.

"Damn girl, do you have The White House on speed dial? That wasn't even quite five minutes!" said Aaron Solodow, Bayley's boyfriend. He too was a professional wrestler from California. Aaron however wasn't signed to a major company. He was still independent. Whenever NXT toured the West Coast, she'd spend time with him. In return, he would try his best to get a few shows in the Southeast booked to be with her. This weekend was one of those times and he was able to check out the game with Tyler, Shannon, and his girlfriend.

Shannon just ignored him and checked her phone. It was a notification from Twitter. Apparently the episode where Shannon made her debut finally aired. Either that, or someone was given exclusive streaming access a week or so ahead of schedule.

* * *

 **New Tweet** from user, **AtRealKidRock** :

"Congrats to **AtSStormWWE** for the victory in her debut! The #AllAmericanAmericanBadass?" #WeAreNXT

 _Holy shit! A tweet from Kid Rock? I guess he saw the match! Where are my manners? I better reply!_

" **AtRealKidRock** , thanks for the track sir! All-American American Badass? I'll take it!" ;) #ItAin'tBraggingIfYouBackItUp

 _I don't have a nickname yet, but it's Kid freaking Rock! I'd be an idiot to dismiss one he suggests to me._

* * *

Shannon placed her phone in her side pocket and carried on watching the game.

"And...we're all tied up!" Bayley shouted and clapped as the two players jogged along the bases.

"The inning's just getting good, and I didn't bring any snacks," said Shannon.

"You want my nuts?" asked Tyler, who pushed the sleeves up of his pull-over navy blue and grey striped hoodie from Vance Company as the sun glared over their section of the ballpark.

Aaron snorted before just bursting into laughter. "Nice one bro. _Real_ nice."

"Jesus Matt, she's been on the roster not even a full month and you're already making a move?" Bayley asked with a raised eyebrow. Shannon blushed a little. She knew Bayley was kidding, but wasn't sure if Tyler would play along, or if that was a covert attempt at exploring a possibility.

"Is it a _crime_ to care about the nutrition of a woman?" Tyler questioned before retrieving a Zip Lock bag of assorted nuts from one of the cargo pockets of his khaki straight leg college pants from Lee Young. "You said so yourself, she's new. I'm just being hospitable."

Shannon grabbed his pouch of nuts, shook most of them in her palm, and left only a few remaining. "I appreciate the generosity. Thank you."

Tyler who held the bag out to Shannon moments ago, did so as his focus was on the game. He finally looked down at the bag when he felt her nudging him to take it back. "Hey! You took all the almonds, macadamias, and walnuts! You just left me the pecans."

"I'm no saint, Tyler," Shannon said with a grin as she looked at him. "Besides, you offered me your nuts. You never said how many, what kind, or for how long I could hold onto them."

"Hold onto?" Bayley laughed. "Wait, what?"

"I meant eat," Shannon clarified.

" _Sure_ you did," Aaron coughed. "Uh huh."

Shannon threw an almond at Aaron, and Tyler spotted the act.

"Hey, you're not gonna' waste them when I was being kind!" He shouted.

He grabbed Shannon's wrist to take some nuts out of her hand, and Shannon instantly fell forward across his lap, not giving up willingly. She wore denim Capri overalls with navy blue fringed sandals and toe rings on every other toe, ten silver bangles on each wrist, and a watch. She decided not to wear earrings today, and thankfully so because Tyler's forearm knocked her sun visor cap off, causing her hair to frizzle up a little. As they continued to struggle, Shannon stepped on his black moccasin-style slip on loafers.

"Will you kids stop playing Twister and shut up, so we can finish watching the game?" Bayley asked with a little irritation. Initially their little banter was cute; but now to Bayley, it was becoming a bit overly dramatic. She didn't want to see it for five more innings.

Tyler and Shannon stopped at Bayley's request, and the group eventually enjoyed the rest of the baseball game.

Aaron wrapped his arm around Bayley's shoulder and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Babe are they dating, or fuck buddies at least? I know you said she's fresh on the roster, but they're awfully touchy-feely."

"Nah, I don't think so," Bayley whispered back to him. "She would've told me. They're just being goofy."


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Making Moves

**January 24th, 2017**

Shannon was backstage at a local NXT tour. The live event was still in Florida, but outside of Orlando, in Fort Lauderdale. Prior to Paul expanding the NXT tours all across the United States and the occasional Takeover Pay Per View overseas, they started touring other cities in the state of Florida itself in late 2013. Florida tours remained a regular part of the roster's traveling schedule to this day. Shannon wasn't on the card this afternoon, but she wanted to be there just to check out the vibes at a NXT live event. She was backstage sitting at a table watching some footage on her netbook. Agents casually passed by and she politely acknowledged them with a slight raise of her head, before getting back to watching her footage. As she tried to focus, she noticed a tall, pale skinned, tattooed man with long dark hair staring menacingly at her every two to three minutes. Shannon initially ignored him, not wanting to be disturbed during tape study. The man, about six minutes later, spit a thick green substance on the backstage area of the auditorium's floor. He then walked over to Shannon and aggressively smacked the netbook from the table which snapped in two and a few keys spewed out, rolling on the floor as they landed. Shannon ascended from her chair, and looked at him.

"Do we have a problem?" asked Shannon who wasn't affected by the man disturbing her tape study, or breaking her laptop. This was about respect.

"Fuck yeah, we have a problem!" screamed the six foot, eight Baron Corbin. "What is this shit with you tweeting that 'Ring of Honor had a great show,' and you told them to 'keep kicking ass'? You and that muscled up smiley face Crews work for _us_ not _them_!"

"First of all, The Chairman of this company-the man responsible for operating both brands-his name is Paul Levesque, and even he doesn't dictate who or how often I tweet a particular person," Shannon yelled back looking up, not caring that her head was at the beginning point of his abdomen. "Second, Apollo Crews worked for _Dragon Gate_ as 'Uhaa Nation,' not Ring of Honor you dick! Third, just who the fuck are you anyway?"

Baron's nostrils expanded as his face turned red, and he gritted his teeth. He raised his now clenched left fist and mere seconds before it connected to Shannon's head, his wrist was grabbed by someone.

"We done here?" asked Tyler, who still held Corbin's wrist. He and Bayley were watching the entire confrontation a few feet away as they were returning to the venue from getting food. But when he saw Corbin's hand raise, like a feline, his reflexes intercepted the swing.

"Yeah," nodded Baron as he aggressively snatched away from Tyler. "We're done. We sure are." He walked away, intentionally stepping on the already destroyed laptop.

"You alright?" Tyler asked, now turned to Shannon with Baron now gone.

"Yeah, just some asshole trying to talk shit," she replied with a smirk. "He broke my laptop, but that can be replaced. The data's backed up on the cloud. Seriously though, who the fuck is that dude?"

"You don't know him?" Bayley asked and Shannon shook her head. "I guess he wasn't around when you first came down to meet the group. He doesn't show up on taping days or tours unless he's actually booked that particular night. That's Thomas Pestock. His ring name's Baron Corbin."

"Yep, he generally keeps to himself, not just physically, but in attitude too," Tyler said placing his and Bayley's food down on the table as he scanned the hall for a broom to clean up the mess Baron left behind. "He's always gloating about how he was a star in college football, played in the NFL, and now he's here. Don't let him get to you though."

"I wasn't planning on it," Shannon responded. "One of my exes from college plays in the NFL now, and I don't ever remember him saying this Tommy Peacock-or whatever you said his last name was-was a Pro-bowler, or Superbowl Champion. I don't know who shoved a baton up his ass for him to think he's suddenly the Peyton Manning, or Deion Sanders of NXT. To hell with him."

* * *

 **25 Minutes Later**

"Hey Shannon, I need you to get in touch with Tara when we get back to Orlando," said Amy, who caught Shannon backstage after the initial match was well underway. She was referring to Tara Halaby, one the company's Physical Therapists.

"Why? What's up?" Shannon asked. "She does PT. I'm not injured."

"So she can schedule you in with Dr. Joseph Maroon, who heads our medical team for a procedural wellness test," Amy replied as she ran a hand through her hair.

"But I thought those tests were just done at random?" Shannon inquired. "No one schedules them." She wasn't trying to be disobedient. She was confused and just seeking out clarity. "I just had one done two weeks ago."

"Yes, they are done at random, and I'm aware of your previous test," Amy replied with a nod. "But with Reigns getting popped and Hunter bringing the hammer down with his suspension, he's asked us to have _this_ brand be retested. Roman pissed him off, and he doesn't want that shit to trickle down to NXT."

"Okay, I'll see to it as soon as we get back," Shannon replied and she wanted to shake her head at Reigns, but wasn't going to do it in front of Amy, not knowing if he was a main roster talent she particularly cared for. "But I'll tell you now, I'm clean."

"Hope so," said Amy before walking away.

* * *

 **January 27th, 2017**

Bayley was walking down one end of a hall from Full Sail University wearing a black Adidas track suit, with its jacket unzipped. One half of her earbuds hanged from her chest, and the other remained in her ear.

"Hey Pamela, can I talk to you for a second?" said another voice coming from the opposite direction. Bayley walked towards them.

"Sure K-O," she said. "What's going on?"

"You're tight with Shannon right?" asked Asuka in a slightly ambiguous accent which kind of sounded like someone from California trying to imitate a person from Boston. NXT wasn't Asuka's first gig wrestling in the United States, but the first full time one in quite some time. She wasn't speaking this way on purpose to be funny. It was just how her particular voice sounded now after traveling across different cities. Everyone was cool with it though. She spoke a hell of a lot more clearly than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"I was," Bayley said simply.

"But I thought you two went way back," Asuka replied as she scratched her eyebrow.

"That was yesterday's news," Bayley responded folding her arms in her chest, causing her blouse underneath to rise a few centimeters. "We've had a falling out since then. I haven't talked to the bitch in a few years. Guess we'll have to get along now, huh, with her being here?"

Asuka nodded. "That's the thing. For the past few weeks, whenever I'm in the ring prepping and Shannon's in there, she always gives me these evil glares. And she never speaks. Mattias said she's been battling the strep throat."

Bayley bit the corner of her bottom lip, trying to hide a smirk about to emerge, as Asuka continued.

"But I'm not sure I buy that. If it were as bad as SARS, she'd be hospitalized. I don't know if her period's been on longer than usual, or if she's upset because she saw the plus sign on a pregnancy test."

Shannon pressed her left index finger closely against her lips as she crept down the hall behind Asuka with baby steps, alerting Bayley to remain cool.

"That's how I rib people back when they fail to tell me they speak English," Shannon said and Asuka immediately turned around. "I didn't forget."

"Hahahaha, you got me!" Asuka shouted as Shannon reached her arms out wide. "I thought your ass was crazy or going through some serious shit."

"It's good to see you again too Kana," Shannon responded as Asuka leaned in and accepted Shannon's hug. "I heard everything you said. Pam and Tyler were in on the whole thing. I've even kept some citrus fruits in my bag to continue the charade in the event you called me out on the strep throat. And I have tried my hardest to avoid Pam whenever you were in the building."

* * *

 **January 30th, 2017**

It was another weekend in Orlando and Shannon wanted to do something fun with Bayley. The ladies ultimately decided to go to Big Daddy's Roadhouse, a live karaoke lounge and sports bar. Over the years this became a hot spot for members of the NXT roster, as well as members of the main roster, who may have stopped by the Performance Center for an additional workout or conditioning test on their way to a show. It was ranked the number one karaoke bar in Central Florida. The place wasn't your average karaoke bar-it was an actual restaurant-with a karaoke hub on the upper floor. There was a sixty inch screen in the room, four speakers, a single microphone with a mic stand, two optional headset microphones for performers who chose to dance during their number, and a spare electric guitar connected to an amp.

Like all other karaoke bars, people could pick and choose freely which songs they wanted to perform. But Bayley insisted that they go on nights that had themes. The theme for tonight at Big Daddy's was "Old School Hip Hop." Everyone seemed to be having a good time. One person performed Naughty By Nature's "OPP." Another person did "Summertime" by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff. The crowd erupted when Mark Henry came out of nowhere and joined a random group of people in the performance of "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" as he played the role of Notorious B.I.G. After retiring a year prior in the WWE, he relocated to Florida and dropped 100 pounds. He was almost unrecognizable until the Texas accent came out.

"Psst, we can top that," said Bayley after seeing the pop Mark received. It was karaoke, not a competition. But screw it. They competed in the ring, why not do it here as well? That was the mindset Bayley had, thinking what made karaoke fun was when people took the competition seriously. Shannon understood Bayley's point of view and leaned forward at the table to listen at her whisper the song she had in mind. Shannon smiled after hearing Bayley's choice. They had a few minutes until it was their turn to perform, but Bayley had a problem.

"What are we going to do to make it epic?" Bayley questioned. Shannon scanned the entire floor and nudged Bayley's shoulder. Bayley turned around with a huge grin. "Girl, that's perfect!"

* * *

 **Ten Minutes Later**

Shannon and Bayley wore the headset mics and adjusted themselves seconds before the track began to play. They turned their backs to the crowd on the stage as the introductions started.

"You should know, you should know thatahhh, Kris Kross is not having anything today. As we stand there totally krossed out, we commence to make you," Bayley spoke in her headset mic while she and Shannon bobbed their heads forward.

"Jump, Jump!" Shouted the crowd to Bayley and Shannon's pleasant surprise. They didn't say anything. They just raised both of their index fingers upward.

"The Mac Dad will make ya'," Shannon said and jumped forward revealing a purple tee shirt with the phrase "I'm a Hugger" written in yellow over her black romper. She had a purple matching Los Angeles Lakers fitted cap on, which was turned to the right side, as well as white, high top, Nike Air Force One sneakers. Her hair was in two pigtails, one on the left and right side.

"Jump, Jump!" The crowd shouted again. And the women continued to point their index fingers upward.

"The Daddy Mac will make ya'," said Bayley who jumped forward revealing a black tee shirt covering her fitted white denim shorts that had the text "Weather The Storm" written in royal blue. She also had a blue Orlando Magic fitted cap that was turned to the left side, as well as nude boat shoes. Her hair was in two French braids with front bangs that descended from the hat.

"Jump, Jump!" The crowd repeated.

"Kris Kross will make ya'," the two ladies shouted together, pointing at each other. Bayley wanted to perform "Jump" with Shannon, but wanted to make it fun. Shannon spotted two fans wearing their tee shirts, so decided instead of wearing their clothes backwards like the duo originally did, they could just wear each other's merchandise. What made it even sweeter was that the two fans were each sporting NBA teams from the East and West Coast and their color schemes matched with Bayley and Shannon's tee shirts. The fans let them borrow them for their performance, and for an added bonus, Bayley told Shannon they should flip their hats to opposite sides.

"Jump, Jump!" The crowd obliged once more and the women jumped together.

"Don't try to compare us to another bad little fad. I'm the Mac and I'm bad givin' ya' something that you never had," Shannon began playing the role of Kriss Kross member, Mac Daddy. "I'll make ya' rump, rump, wiggle, and shake your rump," she continued and patted her own ass, to which the audience grinned. Bayley was on the left side dancing, and pumping up the crowd more.

Shannon continued. " 'Cause I'll be kicking the flavor that makes you wanna Jump! How high? Real high 'cause I'm just so fly. A young lovable, hugable type of _gal_." Bayley smirked at Shannon changing the last word so it was gender specific on the fly. "And everything is to the back with a little slack..."

Bayley jogged over to Shannon and threw an arm over her shoulder as they said the next line together. " 'Cause inside out-it's wiggida, wiggida, wiggida, wack!" Bayley returned to her corner and Shannon finished off her verse.

"I come stompin' with somethin' pump to keep you jumpin'. R&B-Rap and bullcrap is what I'm dumpin'. And it ain't something about Kris Kross, we _all_ that! So when they ask 'do they rock?,' say 'believe that!' " Shannon saluted the crowd as the chorus repeated.

After the chorus, Shannon high-fived Bayley as they switched sides on the stage while Bayley began her verse.

"I like my stuff knockin,' knockin'. I love it when a _boy_ is like jockin', jockin'," Bayley played the role of Kriss Kross member, Daddy Mac. She followed suit and made the lyric gender specific, and Shannon nodded with a smile. "The D-A-double D-Y-M-A-C: Yeah you know me! I got you jumpin' and pumpin' and movin' all around G!" Bayley twirled her finger in a circular motion as she indicated the movement.

"In the mix I make ya' take six steps back. They try to step to the Mac, then they got jacked! To the back you'll be sportin' the gear that's coincidental," there was slight pause when the beat stopped. Shannon, as Bayley did earlier on a key line, jogged over to Bayley and placed an arm around her shoulder.

"Act like you know it! So don't be claiming that it's mental!" The ladies rapped together before Shannon took off to her side of the crowd as the beat came back in. Bayley continued her verse, making another slight adjustment to the next lyric.

"Two _grown_ kids with a flow you ain't ever heard. Ain't nothing fake, you can understand every word!" rapped Bayley who rolled her hands and fingers in a forward hump indicative to a flowing river to figuratively illustrate how smooth the two ladies' "rhymes" were. "As you listen to my cool school melody, the Daddy makes you J-U-M-P!"

The chorus started again, and the crowd jumped throughout it playing. Bayley and Shannon did the bridge together, taking turns exchanging lines, before the chorus ran one final time. The audience was excited and having a good time, which is exactly what Bayley and Shannon wanted. As "Jump" finished, the crowd shouted, "Encore." The ladies happily obliged, but did not repeat the same track.

* * *

"If you know the words to this one too, join in," said Bayley as the two women had their backs to the audience again. The intro of the song only lasted about ten seconds, so there was no pre-dance or ritual before they started performing as they did with "Jump."

"The time has come to enjoy myself. I've left my problems up on the shelf," Bayley started as she pointed to the next floor of the building. Shannon decided that they should keep up with a duo routine. While Bayley chose the 1990s duo Kriss Kross, Shannon chose to take it back another decade to 1980s stars, Kid N' Play. They were performing "Aint Gonna' Hurt Nobody" from the House Party 2 Soundtrack. Bayley was the rapper "Kid," while Shannon decided to be "Play."

"The work day's over, and I've got it made. Like Johnny Kemp said, 'I just got paid.' And I'm ready to mingle, young _woman_ , _not_ single, but free..." Bayley again revised a few applicable lines, not publicizing her relationship with Aaron directly, but implied it by adding "not" ahead of single with Kid's original rap. She continued.

"Ready to get busy. Down to party, hardy, and have a good time. All I need is a partner in crime," Bayley said, pointing at Shannon who span around. "Call up the homies and hope they might say they down to paint the town red tonight. Look in the closet and pull out the hype gear," Bayley then tugged at the Shannon Storm shirt she was wearing. "Hook up the high top fade and I'm outta' here." She walked over to Shannon to finish the last line of her verse. They stared and smiled at each other as they bobbed and weaved in motion to the rhythm of the beat.

"To a disco or party of some kind. Hope that I would find myself a good time. Before I'm through and the night is done, man I'm gonna' have fun," She and Shannon returned to the center of the stage and sang the chorus together.

"Ain't gon' hurt nobody! We just dancin' ya'll. Ain't gon' hurt nobody, out there on the floor. Ain't gon' hurt nobody! We just dancin' baby! Ain't gon' hurt nobody, gonna' give you more! Oh yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" The ladies paraded around the stage, throwing their hands in the air, and waved them as the crowd joined them with the chorus.

As the chorus ended, there was a thirty five second instrumental gap before Shannon would perform as Play, so the two women did the tootsie roll. Even though the tootsie roll was a song performed by the 69 Boyz and not a signature dance of "Kid N' Play," the ladies did it anyway. They figured a dancing rap duo wouldn't really care _how_ they danced as long as their rhymes were nice and had great rhythm when they moved.

"If you lookin' for more, step on the dance floor," Shannon said, stepping aside, playfully leaving a gap between she and Bayley. "Check your coat and troubles at the door. 'Cause we're sure you're gonna' see a smile today. The problems of the world seem miles away," continued Shannon, who pointed her right thumb backwards. "The only thing that matters is a good time. That can be had with the help of a good rhyme. The DJ's hyped, more than up to par. Uh-oh! There goes a cutie at the bar, So I…" Shannon jumped off the stage.

"Stroll on over and say 'Hi'," when Shannon landed she rushed over to a random guy. "And tell _him_ I'm the P-L-A-Y. And would _he_ like to dance a while?" She grabbed his hand and hoped he wasn't shy. If he was, that could mess up her flow. "I'll do anything to see _him_ smile," Shannon grinned when the man let her take his hand, so she grabbed the other one. They grooved side to side for the final seconds of her verse. "Ya' see, my job is to take you higher. After a couple of songs, I'll require: Having fun. Well I ain't done. The best is yet to come," she let his hands go, and gave the man a quick side hug as a sign of thanks for being a good sport. Then Shannon jogged back up the steps of the stage to join Bayley for the forthcoming chorus.

Like the previous song they performed, the bridge and last verse had lines divided among the two of them. So they performed those on stage together. After the chorus ended for the final time and the crowd applauded, "Roll wit Kid N' Play," one of the most famous Kid N' Play songs, started. You could not have written their night to go any better. They had no idea the song was on the owner's playlist to immediately follow the one they just performed. This track was instrumental nearly forty seconds before the lyrics even started.

Shannon mouthed to Bayley, "Wanna' do it?"

Bayley shrugged her shoulders before replying, "Shit, we might as well. We're still up here."

The ladies saw all of the House Party movies the duo were in, and knew all the words to this song too. So they did it. The audience erupted in the middle of the song when Bayley and Shannon even did Kid N' Play's signature dance with the syncopated leg flicks and kicks.

* * *

 **New Tweet** from user: **AtWWEFan95** :

"Well I'm sure going to have some laughs when that #NXT tag match that **AtItsBayleyWWE** and **AtSStormWWE** are in airs on the **AtWWENetwork** after seeing this." #SaltNPeppaOfWrestling #CarelessWithKayfabe

Attached to this user's tweet was a link to a thirty second clip of Shannon and Bayley at the karaoke bar. When it went viral, Shannon called Paul and apologized, noting she would never normally break character without proper discretion like that. She just went out and had some fun with a friend. Paul told her to relax because it was just one time. He reminded her of the time he and DX traveled to Atlanta in an effort to sneak into WCW Headquarters and say hello to their friends Kevin Nash and Scott Hall when the then WWF was in another town in Georgia within driving distance. They were in an actual, heated ratings war at the time, and in the end, ended up being praised for their raucousness. He also reminded her about the time the internet lost their minds in 2015 when fellow NXT Superstar Finn Balor did a DX crotch chop in front of the TNA Headquarters in Nashville, when the brand had a live event in Tennessee. Paul wasn't upset with him, nor was Finn fired. He told her he was glad that she had a good time and as long as she didn't go out of her way to break kayfabe on a daily basis this early on in her career, then she would be fine. Shannon had to understand that while the tweets were rampant at the moment, it was because the event was fresh in people's minds. Paul reassured her if she ignored the tweets, and refrained from responding-as he did with many of the nonsense Twitter users said to him-eventually, over time, it would blow over.

* * *

 **February** **1st** , **2017**

It had been close to a month since Shannon created a Twitter account at the request of Paul. She hated social media. She found it annoying, full of drama, and way too easy for a troll to think they were a smark because they thought of a clever joke regarding a promotion's talent. Half of the time, the jokes weren't even that clever. And what made it worse was that most of these fuckers couldn't even spell. That, or they were just lazy. She'd been tagged in many tweets since she made the account, but other than thanking Kid Rock for the use of his song for her entrance theme, and showing ROH some love which pissed Baron Corbin off, she wasn't really active on it. She decided today, at least once, to say something to attract the attention of fans. Depending on what they said back, she'd roll with it.

 **AtSStormWWE** : Hey **AtNXTUniverse** : We have a live event in the 305 tonight! If you're in the Miami area, get your superficial, sexy asses off the beach for a few hours and come check us out. Or just check me out, your choice. Either way, #ItsGoingDownForReal

A user tweeted her back. And apparently, they were a fan.

 **New** **Tweet** from user: **AtSStormFanboy91** :

"I'm not an idiot. I know **AtSStormWWE** is one of the pieces that is the future of the WWE." #NXT #WTS

Encouraged by his remark, she tweeted him back.

"I appreciate the love **AtSStormFanboy91**. But why stop at the future sweetheart? I can be a part of the present too." ;) #EnjoyTheRide #StayTuned #WeAreNXT #IAmNXT

* * *

 **February 3rd, 2017**

Shannon was in one of the yoga studios inside the Performance Center. She was going to meet Bayley later in one of the weight rooms, but was in this area to because it was obviously incredibly spacious for stretching. Shannon already completed some tricep dips, and was doing squats when Tyler walked in the room and observed her for a few moments.

"How many of those do you do?" He finally spoke to her.

"250," Shannon responded without breaking concentration as she continued squatting.

"Wow!" Tyler exclaimed as she remained in his focus. "Why that much?"

"Well it's not that bad," she replied. "I mean when young guys disrespected veterans in the locker room Chris Benoit would make them do 500 squats with him as punishment. Want to join in on the fun?"

"Nah. No thanks," Tyler said with a grunt and a shake of the head. "I think squats are boring. I only do them if I'm doing something like burpees because it's a required move that's a part of the exercise. But I don't just do squats alone just to do them, like you are. I'm just fine checking you out. I mean, I'm enjoying the view over here."

Shannon smiled, ignoring his last comment. She wasn't going to flirt back unless he made another move. "Squats aren't boring. Maybe you aren't giving yourself _variety_. Squats and lunges are the best way to work your legs. You can squat to your knees, all the way down to your ankles, do jumping power squats, squats with tricep dips, or squat with weights. No offense to anyone who gets a hard on by using a leg press machine all of the time, but it's so _limiting_. With squats and lunges you can work calves, quads, hamstrings, inner thighs..." Tyler cut her off.

"I think you've done an excellent job on the glutes from my perspective," he said with a grin.

 _Open sesame._

Shannon finished her last round of squats and fed into Tyler's flirting. She stood up straight, then pivoted to the side, turning around over her shoulder to look at her backside.

"I do have a pretty sweet butt though, huh?" She asked. It was nowhere near as monstrous as Nicki Minaj or Kim Kardashian-West's were. It was more like a slight upgrade to Jennifer Lopez's bottom.

"I haven't tasted it, but I'd say so." He replied.

"You don't think it's too big?" Shannon questioned, still staring over her shoulder.

"Nope. The plumper, the better," Tyler confirmed. "I'm like Billy Gun."

"You're an 'Ass man' ?" Of course her instinctive response would refer to a gimmick. But hey, it was cute and appropriate.

"Definitely," Tyler gave a reassuring nod.

"Dutifully noted," she said with a wink.

"Is there any more room for me in those jeans?" he asked with a smirk. Shannon wasn't wearing jeans. She was wearing an athletic pair of leggings with the denim jean look in the material.

 _Oh_ _so_ _you've_ _heard_ _of_ _that_ _Genuine_ _song?_

"You should unbutton them one day and find out," replied Shannon who walked past Tyler exiting the room, making sure to push her hip against him on her way out to meet Bayley in one of the weight rooms. She was going to spot Bayley on the barbells, while Bayley would monitor her on the dog sled.

 _You're not the only one who refrains from being subtle, Breeze. Game on._

* * *

 **February 7th, 2017**

NXT was doing another tour. This one would be one of the first outside of Florida that Shannon would attend. She asked Tyler if she could follow him to the town due to her previous instances in the past with attending a few venues late due to her inability to successfully navigate a GPS. He didn't mind and was enjoying the company. The trio of he, Bayley, and occasionally Aaron, was now a square. Shannon insisted that he connect his car charger to his cellphone and insert his Bluetooth-and she would do the same-so they could talk hands-free for the journey ahead.

"I still can't believe you've asked me to do this," Tyler said with a laugh. "I've never done this with anyone."

"What? Put the car charger and Bluetooth in?" Shannon asked back. "And I'm not just anyone."

"No," he shook his head, but she obviously couldn't see because they were driving in separate vehicles. "That's fine, and it's a safety thing. _That_ I understand. I mean _this._ You have a car from _this_ century with a capable navigator like me. Yet, you _insist_ on driving behind me. Why?"

"I told you why!" She whined. "I don't trust GPS. I don't like showing up late, and it screwed me over once before. I'm not superstitious about it. Since you're acclimated with the tour spots, I just figured you'd be the perfect person to follow for the trip to ensure I _both_ arrive, and am _alive_ when I get there. You offered to be my human map. I don't need to listen to music when I can talk to you. I also don't plan on being arrested for utilizing a handheld device while operating an automobile. So this works. You escort me to the venue, you hear my lovely voice, and none of us go to jail."

"You're such a dramatic baby," Tyler said with a grin. "That could've just been a one-off occurrence with you getting lost."

"That Rihanna rain just won't let up," Shannon sang in the phone and Tyler's face grew puzzled.

"What was that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Someone just drove past me with the window open and a Rihanna song was on," Shannon replied.

"Okay," Tyler said as he scratched his nose with the hand not on the wheel. "Anyway, we have quite the drive ahead of us. Let's talk about something more interesting than tracking devices. So I take it Hunter is your favorite?"

"What gave it away?" Shannon genuinely questioned.

Tyler smirked and shook his head. "Oh, I don't know, your cellphone case has a sledgehammer hanging out of a skull. There's a Motorhead bumper sticker on your car. The wallpaper on your laptop says, 'The Kliq Rules.' He's Triple H. You're Double S. I could point out other examples if I think hard enough."

"Damn," Shannon mumbled, but he could still hear her which caused him to grin. "Did I really give it away?" Sometimes you were consumed in your hobbies so much that you weren't even aware just how ingrained they were in your life. Wrestling was like breathing for Shannon, and she was a Kliq mark for nearly as long as she been alive.

"A blind man could tell Shannon," he responded with a nod.

"Ha!" She exclaimed, gripping the wheel tighter. "Hey, at least I'm loyal."

"So why do you love the guy so much?" Tyler asked.

"God," She sighed and looked up for a moment like a girl bragging to her closest friends about their school crush. "I could talk to you for hours about why."

"Well it's a good thing we're on the road then, isn't it?" Tyler replied with sarcasm. "Talk away Mark."

"For starters, he's the greatest heel of all time," she said simply.

"Better than Piper?" He quickly asked.

"Yes," Shannon even more precisely, gave a one-worded answer.

"DiBiase?" He questioned, following her lead with one word.

"Yes," she repeated.

"Flair?" Tyler asked anticipating an elaborate response, but surprisingly still received one-worded ones.

"Yes," she continued.

"Michaels?" Still not getting an explanation, Tyler refused to budge with questioning her.

"Mmmm. Very close," said Shannon who squeezed her thumb and index finger together. "By a hair length, but yes."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Tyler said sliding up from his seat, leaning further into the wheel. "I smell a debate brewing. You'll have to break that down. _How_ is HBK a better heel than Flair?"

"In Flair's time, while he had all the technical prowess and charisma, there wasn't any innovation of showmanship," replied Shannon, finally beginning to expound on her thoughts. "When HBK broke out as a singles star, he didn't abandon his aerial style. High flying moves were new to audiences not already familiar with the luchador style in Mexico. For English speaking audiences, it was getting really popular and all faces were doing it. No one doing aerial maneuvers was booed. HBK is the only one who could get heat as a quote-on-quote 'catch as can high flyer.' He could fly, he could brawl, and he could talk."

"I disagree," said Tyler who placed the hand not on the wheel on his chest. "I would argue HBK, like Kofi Kingston, is not a high flyer, but a grand leaper. Most of the times, he and Janetty's combos were leg drops, elbows, or splashes from the middle rope."

"I see where you going with this and I like this debate," Shannon remarked with elation. "My counter to your assertion though is for that time, _yes_ they would be considered high flyers. It's people like Shawn and Marty doing dual things from the middle ropes that inspired others to innovate those moves with a twist. If we saw no leg drop from the middle rope, we probably wouldn't see Sabu's jumping leg drop with a chair to the face, known as the 'Arabian Facebuster.' And you can't say they did _nothing_ on the top rope. Shawn moonsaulted from the top rope, and delivered the elbow from the top rope as well. We probably wouldn't see Morrison's corkscrew moonsault from the top, better known as 'Starship Pain,' Neville's 450, corkscrew moonsault commonly referred to as 'Red Arrow,' or all of The Young Bucks' wacky combinations without HBK."

"Point taken," said Tyler who adjusted the volume of his Bluetooth as an eighteen wheeled Diesel truck drove by. "I think we're both right. By the standards of the 1980s, HBK absolutely would be considered a high flyer and innovator at the time. But if we were to do head to head comparisons, today's crop of stars would blow him out of the water-not necessarily in match quality, or the ability to tell good stories in the ring-but from the label of being classified as purely a high flyer. But there's certainly no doubt about it that Shawn Michaels motivated and inspired them to become the aerial artists that they-including myself to an extent-have become today."

Shannon nodded. "I agree with that 100 percent."

"See how calm and civil we were in that debate? Why can't the internet wrestling community have a discussion like us?" Tyler asked with sincerity, and Shannon smiled.

"Probably because they're more concerned with being loud and seeming dominant on the forums or message boards that they don't painstakingly watch, analyze, or critique tape as much as we like to, to support our claims," She eloquently replied.

"That sounds about right. Anyway, you're a H fangirl because?" Tyler questioned, getting back to the person that ignited the conversation.

"Piper could talk but was not necessarily the best worker," She began. "DiBiase, Michaels, and Flair were great workers and talkers, but not the biggest. H was the first complete package I saw."

"But Razor had size, could work, and talk," Tyler retorted.

"Right, and you know I'm a Kliq Chick for life!" Shannon shouted. "What separated Hall from H for me though aside from his substance abuse demons, was the fact that Scott was a _cool_ heel. I never liked those. Hunter's a badass. A monster. You can be a hot, vicious, arrogant, bastard that _just happens_ to be cool and funny. And that's how I viewed H. Scott was from the very beginning presented as 'the cool guy,' and didn't evolve from that in my opinion, which was why he stayed upper mid card in both WCW and the WWF. Maybe Bischoff would've considered putting the big strap on Hall, but Hogan's WCW contract was insanely selfish with money and booking, that it was very doubtful. Hall's still one of my favs, but no one eclipses H as 'My Guy.'

Tyler was really enjoying having such a thorough discussion with a like-minded mark as himself. It wasn't that he and Bayley didn't discuss it, but she'd been around him for awhile. He had a new person to share it with and was impressed by her ability to discuss in detail talent and booking decisions, even when they disagreed. "So what edges him out over Michaels for you?"

"This is an exciting, but very difficult conversation for me to have. They both were game-changers, pun intended," Shannon said with a hesitant, conflicted sigh. "Like I said, Michaels could still be a dick despite doing aerial stuff. No one complained about him being a bad heel. He was a 'small guy' even though he and Bret were the same size; but you _believed_ his brawls, and he sold _amazingly_. People knew Hunter was evil and would destroy people. But what pissed people off was that while heels cheated-and he certainly did-but he _didn't have to._ He was a powerful technician that could beat you clean, and just because he was an ass would leave you in a pile of your own blood post match, _then_ talk shit about you afterward. That's why he's the greatest to me."

"Good explanation. Most people don't give him enough credit for his ring work because the people that hate him buy into his character too much," Tyler said in concession, supporting her position.

"I agree, but to me, that's the _ultimate_ compliment for a heel!" yelled Shannon who smirked and licked her bottom lip. "If fans _still_ by and large hate you and can't separate you from your character, you are 'that damn good' as he says! I'm not one of those fangirls that just oogles him and says he's great because of his physique or smirk. Like a gladiator, I'll defend him proudly, arguing with his haters, and break down tape any day of the week! He could play off The Rock's showmanship. He could brawl with Austin. He could get hardcore with Foley. He could have straight technical matches with Angle, Michaels, Benoit, Jericho, or Taker."

"Yeah, H is versatile. 'The Game's' a legend. The Attitude Era gets glorified with Austin and Rocky as the main poster boys. But Hunter belongs in the conversation." While Shannon was glad Tyler agreed, for one the biggest Triple H fangirls, it was something she already felt. Shit, it was something she already _knew._

"Most fans put him behind those two, but I don't think that's fair," Shannon said patting her chest, like Tyler, with the hand not operating the vehicle. "I think he's on the same wavelength standing between them. They were the top faces, and he _chose_ to be the top heel, working with them both. He was a big draw too. People _paid_ to see him _lose._ That's how heels draw!"

"That's definitely a fair thing to say, and this is coming from a Canadian saying it," Tyler responded again with a hand to his chest. "Contrary to what many American fans might believe, everyone in Canada didn't suck Bret Hart's dick. At a certain point, overwhelming support for The Hart Foundation just came from the marks in Calgary. But as time went on, even fans in Calgary weren't always pumped for them. We cheered for whomever we wanted, like you guys. I'm from British Columbia, and I _definitely_ was a Michaels fan."

They continued driving until they made it to the destination, and kept talking about the business. She did the same with Bayley when she was on the independents, but because she wasn't yet in NXT, it wasn't as frequent as she liked. Now she was with Bayley, and had a new buddy too.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: This is not a date

**February 10th, 2017**

 **"Previously on WWE's 'Breaking Ground' " :**

"Good work Shannon, good work. Keep it up. All I ask, is all you got," said Sara Amato, formerly known as "Sara Del Ray," when she wrestled, and former girlfriend of Claudio Castagnoli, who has since competed as "Antonio Cesaro" since joining the WWE. Hired in 2014, she became the sole female trainer at the Performance Center. In this clip of the show, she was praising Shannon's execution of some pinning combination and escape drills.

The clip then aired Shannon sitting in front of a camera away from the ring, interview style, as she reflected on her experience thus far, out of kayfabe.

"I'm not here to waste people's time," Shannon said with confidence. "I'm here to contribute. And I'm here to make an impact. My mindset is to either _step_ _up_ or _step_ _aside_."

The voice over person deepened their voice, and became dramatic.

 **"And tonight..."**

"Do we have a problem?"

"Fuck yeah, we have a problem!"

The clip aired the exchange between Baron Corbin and Shannon when they met at a live event a few weeks ago.

 _Damn, when are they **not** recording something? I need to find out where these secret cameras are. _

Shannon was hanging out in the lounge area of the Performance Center waiting for Bayley. The WWE Network was always on in this room whenever Paul was around. It wasn't necessarily a room in the Performance Center that he frequented, but when talent knew he was in the area, but had a different channel on, or even a videogame playing, they immediately changed it back to the WWE Network. Shannon thought it was rather funny how some of the talent was intimidated by Paul and felt the need to do that. No one would be reprimanded if he walked in and some other program was on, but talent-usually the homegrown talent converted to wrestlers from other backgrounds-subconsciously felt that they wronged him if they didn't switch it. It was a no brainer for Shannon to have it on whenever she was in there.

 **"While some talent get off to a rocky start as they get acquainted..."**

"C'mon Sabbotelli! How many times do I have to repeat the sequence?" asked A Train, another one of the trainers in frustration. "Scoop slam, cover, kickout, rise, side headlock takedown."

"I'm trying, I'm doing it," said Tino Sabbotelli in between heavy pants. He was a former NFL defensive back trying to become a wrestler.

"Let's go! Get your ass up! This isn't the National Football league!" A Train continued to yell. "When you get gassed here, you don't have the luxury of telling your coach to send a substitution in so you can have the next play off. The cardio and conditioning of a professional wrestler is a whole different beast son! If you don't respect us now, you _will_ by the time I'm through with you!"

 **"Others' runs may end as soon as it began. This and more on WWE's 'Breaking Ground!' "**

 _Some people are green longer than others, Train. But I feel you, man. If Tino doesn't respect it, he won't put in the work. If he doesn't put in the work, he won't improve. If he doesn't improve, he's outta' here. It's all on him._

As Shannon continued to watch the episode of "Breaking Ground," she was enjoying a turkey sandwich with Romaine Lettuce, sliced Roma tomatoes, Provolone Cheese, and honey mustard on some thin sliced whole grain bread by the "Dave's Killer Bread" company. Shannon casually came across this bread walking in a Whole Foods Supermarket one day. The creator of this bread, Dave Dahl from Milwaukee Oregon, spent fifteen years in prison, but was given a second chance to work for his family's bakery business when released from jail. Appreciative of them giving him another opportunity, he vowed to "make a loaf like no other: the most nutritious, organic, whole grain bread," what he dubbed, 'killer bread.' He met that promise because this bread didn't sacrifice taste and nutrition for counting calories. The bread had a grainy texture, hearty flavor, twenty one grains and seeds, and was only sixty calories per slice. To nutritionally benefit from someone's hardship and perseverance made Shannon feel special. She never met Dave, but was glad he made it to the other side.

* * *

 **February 14th, 2017**

Shannon was at Delaney Park this morning. Delaney Park, formerly known as Duckworth Park, was one of Orlando's oldest parks. The seven and one quarter acres of land had a blend of Oak trees, open space, playgrounds, ball fields, and picnic facilities. She was sitting on the grass doing sit up ab crunches with side oblique twists, rapping to the '90s hit, "Good Vibrations."

"Yo! It's about that time to bring forth the rhythm and the rhyme! Oh I'mma' get mine, so get yours! I wanna' see sweat comin' out ya' pores. On the house: yea' I'm bringing it! Strictly Hip Hop. No I ain't singing this! Bringing this-across the entire nation-Black, White, Red, Brown, feel the vibrat..." she stopped when Tyler walked up to her and pulled the right suction cup of her headphones off her ear and to the side of her head.

"Oh shit, was I that loud?" Shannon asked, turning around to see who she was possibly distracting. She slid the headphones down to her neck.

"Loud enough for me to realize that you have an obsession with White rappers," said Tyler. He knew this wasn't the case. He didn't go with Bayley and Shannon to the Big Daddy Roadhouse Karaoke bar. But he heard about what happened. He was just teasing. She wasn't aware though.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she pressed the button on her wireless headphones to turn off the music, so she wouldn't mindlessly waste battery power if they were going to be chatting for a bit.

"Eminem last week," he replied pointing his thumb backward. "Vanilla Ice the week before that, and Marky Mark just now."

Shannon laughed. "It's just a coincidence!"

"Mmhmm. Right, sure it is," said Tyler who folded his arms. "The next thing you're going to tell me is that you didn't buy John Cena's album from '05."

Shannon stood up, brushing off some grass from her clothes, and held up both of her hands like a fallen soldier, surrendering to the winning troops.

"Hahaha, Oh God!" Tyler exclaimed rubbing his face with one of his hands. "You bought it? Seriously?"

There was a pause. Shannon just looked at him with a straight face for a few seconds. When she did respond, it wasn't with a direct "yes, or no," but something...different.

"Whether fightin' or spittin,' my discipline is unforgiven. Got you backing up in a defensive position. An ass kicking anthem! Heavyweight? Going after them! Holding cats for ransom. The microphone phantom! Teams take the floor. This the new fighting joint. Like a broken needle, kid you missin' the point! We dominate your conference with offense that's no-nonsense! My theme song hits: get your reinforcements!" Shannon grinned at him after rapping the first few bars of a John Cena verse.

Tyler shook his head. "See if you can recite his 'Basic Thuganomics' theme from memory, you don't have to say anymore. I _know_ you bought that 'You Can't See Me' album!"

"It was surprisingly good though!" Shannon yelled in defense of the former "Doctor of Thuganomics." "I'll admit, on most tracks, I liked his cousin, 'Tha Trademarc's' bars better. That's not to say Cena's were shit, but his cousin's were on another level in my opinion."

"You know there was a song on his album where he talked about having a summer fling with a Black chick named Shannon," said Tyler and Shannon bit her bit her bottom lip. "She called him 'White Chocolate.' "

 _How do you even know that if you didn't check out the album too?_

"Well it wasn't me!" she yelled. "I was nowhere near West Newbury, Mass in '03 when he recorded that album. Or in '05 when Vince actually released his album once Cena officially became 'his guy.' "

He shook his head again in disbelief, and quickly changed the subject. "Bulls fan?" He asked noticing Shannon's red, number twenty three, Michael Jordan Jersey, complimentary authentic black NBA shorts, and red and white Air Jordan sneakers. She topped off the outfit with a black with red trim, Chicago fitted baseball cap and some sterling silver stud earrings. To some, she may have looked funny because her NBA shorts stopped at the mid point of her shin rather than her knee because she was only 5'3. But she proudly rocked the sporty-chic look long before it became a trend for women in the fashion world in the last year or so.

"Nope," she said simply.

"You're decked out in the gear though," he replied, pretty sure that he wasn't blind.

"I just like to look cute and match with my clothes, even ones I'm working out in," said Shannon tugging at the jersey. "I'm not a fan of the Bulls per se, but I'm a fan of Jordan."

"What's your favorite game he played in?" Tyler questioned, wondering if maybe Shannon didn't have wrestling on the mind all day, everyday after all. "Was it the night he scored 63 points in a single game?"

"I don't have one," she spoke again, with another short reply.

"But didn't you say you were a fan of his?" he followed up. This mirrored the conversation they had when they first met when she was equally both responsive, yet unclear when talking about her parents.

"I'm a fan of M.J. for his success, but not of the sport," she replied, providing the clarity he wanted two sentences ago. "You don't have to watch every basket Jordan makes, every stroke of Tiger Woods, every lap Jimmie Johnson races, every serve of Serena Williams, or every slap shot of Wayne Gretzky to know they were all considered the best at one point or another in their respective worlds. Legends I think, transcend pop culture. Even people who aren't experts in tennis, golf, hockey, NASCAR, or basketball, have at least _heard_ of those names. And they could probably match a face to the name even if they couldn't give you a single statistic."

Tyler nodded. "Point taken. So are you going to finally join me in some Parkour?"

"No," said Shannon who sat back down on the grass. "But I'll stay out here and watch you do your thing."

"Works for me," Tyler said before removing his muscle shirt and reaching for a large branch on a tree.

He swung around it three times just like a male gymnast would before they'd make a dismount and stick the landing from the High Bar or Steel Rings. As he let go on the third rotation and glided in the air for five seconds, she just knew he was going to crack his skull. His body was coming very close to the playground area of the park, near the metal rods that held the adult-sized swings. Part of her wanted to close her eyes to avoid witnessing Tyler's ugly fate. The other half of her was curious to see if she was startled for nothing. Just as Shannon was about to blink, his legs curled around the rods as he hung upside down. Moments later instead of reaching with his arms for the bar, Shannon watched him rely on his core and corresponding abdomen muscles to propel him upwards and he took off again, nailing a corkscrew, half-twist flip on the way down, landing on a picnic table.

To an outsider, Parkour, or free-running, was just some glorified term for people who liked to jump or pretend to be monkeys. But there was an art, science, and discipline to the athleticism involved. Tyler wasn't the biggest guy on the NXT roster at 6'0, 205 pounds, but the more she watched him tumble and twist both in the air and on the ground, she was getting turned on. Suddenly precise, controlled agility became just as sexy as strength and power to Shannon.

* * *

 **February 19th, 2017**

Shannon was sidelined for the remaining dates of the February live tour after suffering her first concussion. She wrestled Leva Bates who made sporadic appearances in 2014 at NXT as "Blue Pants," not so brilliantly nicknamed by Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady. She used her actual name when she wrestled for the Shine and Shimmer promotions, as well as for appearances at other independent bookings. Blue Pants was a regular member of the roster now. Shannon hit the back of her head on the ring canvas after taking a powerbomb mid-match. They finished the match without a hitch or botch. There was nothing she or Shannon could really recall going wrong. Wrestling was a contact sport, and shit just happened sometimes. Blue Pants felt a little bad and Shannon just told her to relax. She knew how great Blue Pants was, and how she too deserved to be in the company. There was mutual respect among the two women. Had the moment happened with one of their basketball, volleyball, model, or lingerie powder puff football recruits-not keenly aware of what the fuck they were doing, especially in a live environment and not a training session-Shannon absolutely would've been pissed.

Shannon reminded Blue Pants about Darren Drozdov, known to many WWE fans at one point as "Puke," but more commonly as "Droz," indicating it could've been much worse. Droz and D. Lo Brown had a match on the October 9th, 1999 Smackdown taping and D. Lo powerbombed him. The running powerbomb was a part of D. Lo's moveset. According to Droz in shoot interviews, because he was wearing a loose shirt, D. Lo was unable to establish a proper grip on his body; and Droz was not able to execute a proper jump to assist D. Lo in the move. As a result, Droz landed right on his head, fractured two disks in his neck, and unfortunately even after surgery to reduce the pressure of pain, Droz became paralyzed from the neck down. The injury was virtually instant as soon as D. Lo dropped him, and to this day, footage cannot be found on YouTube of the incident. Thankfully Smackdown then-as it remains now-was a taped show and the episode was edited, with that match being removed from it. Several years removed from the injury, Droz regained feeling in his arms and upper body, but still cannot walk. D. Lo Brown was incredibly upset and for years went on feeling guilty about the injury despite apologizing to Droz numerous times, and Droz even telling him-on the stretcher at the hospital the night it happened-that he was forgiven, and "it was an accident."

But just like before, even when Shannon wasn't on the card, she still attended shows with the group. So she joined them in Sarasota. Her concussion was determined mild and not severe; so it was possible after the mandatory "one week non-compete" rule following a concussion diagnosis, Shannon could return. With former WWE Superstar and Harvard alum Christopher Norwinski expanding his concussion research from football to professional wrestling and big names such as Mick Foley and John Cena committing to donate their brains upon death to his Concussion Legacy Foundation, in addition to Paul serving as board member and making a donation on behalf of the WWE to the research, Shannon decided against it. Feeling it wasn't in her best interest to rush a return, she agreed to sit this one out. It was her first concussion after all. Shannon needed to see how her body responded to the first one to determine how she'd adjust if it happened again.

Shannon was in street clothes-black Capri pants and a white crew neck top with wooden wedges. She didn't have any bracelets, anklets, or rings on today, but did wear a pair of large, white gold earrings with her first name written in them in sterling silver, and her hair was in a high ponytail as she hung around backstage while the crew set up the ring. Tyler was with her. They had an hour or two of time to kill before the show started. Some people were on their way back from lunch, others may have been on their way to warm up in the ring. They were currently in the hallway alone.

"Are you single?" Tyler asked leaning against a wall with one leg straight and a foot firmly pressed to the floor, with the other leg folded at the knee with that foot pressed against the wall.

"Who wants to know?" Shannon questioned back, looking up at him.

"The fucking person asking you," he said with a grin.

"Yep," she nodded. "You?" She wasn't put off at all by the swearing. He didn't use it in a angry tone. He was being a smartass.

"As single as George," he replied pulling out an American one dollar bill from his back pocket.

Shannon smiled at the gesture before asking him, "By choice, circumstance, or bad break up?"

"For the most part by choice," Tyler started bending his second leg down from the wall. "I took a few chicks on some dates for a consistent period of time. We'd hook up for about two months, and the cycle continued to repeat itself with someone new."

"You never called or texted them back to tell them things were over?" Shannon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Psst. For what?" He arrogantly responded, raising his shoulders. "There was nothing to be 'over.' We weren't a couple. It's not my fault if they all misunderstood my intentions."

"That's terrible," said Shannon who bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "You're a dog for that. One of them could've _really_ been into you. They could've thought you dropped dead or something, and you just gave them the silent treatment on purpose like that? That couldn't have been me. If that were me, we wouldn't have made it past month one fooling around without clearing up what _was_ or was _not_ happening."

Tyler stretched his arms wide and opened his hands as though he was physically saying, "Whatever." "Hey again, I stand by what I said. I was younger then. If they were too shy or insecure to ask, that's not _my_ fault. I did have an actual girlfriend last year though."

"Yet you're single today," Shannon remarked, slapping her knee. "Forgot to call her too?"

"My ex girlfriend just wanted to bang an athlete," Tyler clarified. "Didn't really care about me, or took what I did seriously. So it ended before I continued to be stringed along in a one-sided relationship. Say, it's every girl's dream, right?"

"No," she said simply.

"So you never had a fetish to fuck an athlete?" he wondered.

"One, I'm not sure fetish would be the right word. I think fetish is more along the lines of an object or activity you like to incorporate in sex regularly," Shannon corrected him. "Just fucking an athlete period, I think would be one of those things for a bucket list. Two, no I wasn't crazed about it. I mean I've slept with people who happen to be athletes, but we didn't get busy because they _were_. I was attracted to something else about them at the time. Does that make sense?"

Tyler knew it wasn't polite to judge, but he was anxious to learn more about this side of her. She could just ignore him if he made her feel uncomfortable. "How many people have you slept with?" he asked taking a sip of water from a Deer Park dispenser a few steps away from them.

"Tyler," she started, but he interrupted her.

"You know you can call me Mattias right?" he said referring to his actual name of Mattias Clement.

"I know I _can,_ I just prefer _not_ to," Shannon replied. She thought his real name was horrible.

"So answer my question," he remarked, not offended at all by her previous comment. He didn't name himself, and not _all_ Canadians had fucked up names to begin with. So she found his name ridiculous, but so what? It didn't define him as a person.

"Is that important to you Tyler?" she asked holding her chin up and narrowing her eyes, pretending to have a serious contemplative look.

"Yeah a little, but I'm mostly curious." He continued to drink.

"Fine. 53, " she said without hesitation.

"What?!" Tyler exclaimed as he spat out water. A few drops landed on Shannon's top.

"I said 53. 54 if you consider 'oral sex' as sex," she "remembered."

"Damn," Tyler mumbled.

"What was that?" she questioned trying her hardest not to laugh.

"Nothing," he began as he wiped his backhand across his face clearing it of the water. "You uh, have lots of experience."

"Well you know, I try," She said shrugging her shoulders.

Fifty four wasn't her actual number, but Tyler asked and said it was kind of important to him. She wanted to mess around a bit to see his reaction. He blushed when she said her "number," and she found it kind of cute. It was almost as if he was shocked because he didn't expect her to have that many sexual partners. She was doubtful that he had less than that, and that was totally fine. If you're young, single, on the road-even on the NXT road-and there was free, no-strings-attached pussy to be had, who was she to stop him from acquiring it? She didn't have fifty four. She didn't even have half of that. If they were to ever become "partners" outside the ring and he'd ask, she'd tell him the real number. But for now, this was great fun.

"So since you don't have a fetish to fuck athletes, what _do_ you have fetishes for?"

"I'm not hardcore into the fetish thing really," Shannon said raising her arms and folding her hands behind her head, as she leaned back against the wall, while remaining seated on one of the production equipment crates. "I mean I got a cute pair of furry handcuffs when I was 16, but I..." He cut her off.

"16? How were you able to get those at that age?" he asked as he stepped away from her to walk to the trashcan, tossing the paper cup he drank the water from.

"I was in Philly getting a tour of UPenn. I went there for college a year later. Anyway, during the lunch break I was just walking around the city and passed this store called 'Condom Kingdom.' It's an awesome sex shop. The name sounded funny, so I walked in." Shannon held up her hands in defense as if she were surrendering herself to law enforcement authorities before she continued. "I swear I had no desire to buy anything, but when I saw some blue furry handcuffs and went to pay for them, the clerk never ID'd me. He might have been some college-aged kid interning there in the summer, who just looked at me and went: 'Boobs. Okay, we're good.' "

"You still have them?" Tyler asked rubbing his left knuckles with his right hand.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Shannon asked with a smirk.

"I would actually. Why the hell else would I ask?" To him, maybe women had a problem with being direct. Flirting or not, he thought he was being pretty damn clear.

"I do," she nodded again. "But I haven't used them in a long time. When I got a little older, I went back there and bought this thing called 'Gum Job.' It's an edible oral sex mouth guard that comes in three flavors, and improves technique on blowjobs."

Tyler and Shannon were suppose to be having small talk as they waited for the live event to begin. But here they were having a full fledged conversation about fetishes and sex toys. It wasn't small talk. But the way Tyler saw it, she didn't seem uncomfortable discussing it. So what the hell?

"In a couple of months, NXT will have a set of tours in PA: Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Hershey, then Philadelphia. Would you show me where this place is so I could check it out in Philly?"

"Sure thing. No problem. I'm sure there are some great things in there for us to try."

 _What the fuck did you just sa_ y?

"Shit. I mean 'us' as in things that we'd both find interesting, not 'us' as in things we'd try together to, on, or with each other," Shannon embarrassingly corrected herself.

Noises could be heard from the far ends of the hallway, so people were returning to the venue. Tyler walked over to Shannon and joined her on the production crate. Her squeezed her right knee and whispered in her ear. "I wouldn't mind if the latter actually happened."

She lost her train of thought when he tucked a strand of hair from her bangs that was about to get in her eye, behind her ear. She thought he was going to leave her neck with a hickey. The past two months Tyler and Shannon became great friends who happened to exchange sensual banter just in good fun, but every now and again things would be questionable. Sometimes it was certain they were just playing around, other times it was rather ambiguous. This was one of those times. Before she could respond, Dean Malenko called Tyler to discuss something about his forthcoming match. Shannon didn't need to change her underwear, but if this back and forth continued between them, at some point she just might have to; because she didn't know how far they'd take it. But she also wasn't in a hurry for it to stop either.

* * *

 **February 21st, 2017**

With the February live events wrapped up, Shannon decided to donate blood to the American Red Cross. Giving Mr. Jimmy from Iowa the fifty dollars she made at a independent show last April wasn't the only example of graciousness Shannon displayed. It didn't take having a hematologist for a father for her to understand the great need people had for blood-whether it be whole blood, certain cells, plasma, or platelets. People were always in need. It wasn't just about trauma patients. Maybe a wrestler suffered heavy blood loss from a match and needed a transfusion. Maybe someone had sickle cell anemia, TTP, or some other blood disease. The point was that she couldn't think of a better way to be more giving to a number of people at once, and save lives in the process. She would call being a donor a selfless hobby, but technically she was only permitted to do it every fifty six to one hundred twenty days, depending on the type of donation.

She walked into UCF Medical Center, the University of Central Florida's hospital. The Orlando campus was having a blood drive today. She didn't make an appointment beforehand, but that was alright because it was her day off and she didn't mind waiting as a walk-in for a good cause.

"Welcome to the American Red Cross. Do you have an appointment?," asked Diane Turner, one of the greeters at the registration desk.

"No, I don't," Shannon replied as she unzipped her nude clutch purse and pulled out her wallet. "I'm a walk-in, but I have my donor and identification card."

Shannon went to grab the red folder of education materials she was used to reading every session that described a list of medications that would defer donors, a list of countries and time periods people traveled that may have had certain infectious diseases, as well as sexual history, before Diane grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Wait a minute now," Diane began as she pushed her eyeglasses up from her nose closer to her face and squinted. She was a Caucasian woman who looked to be in her early fifties, with light brown hair and a few grey streaks to the sides. "Put that down. You cannot donate today. You have to wait for a new registration card."

"Why is that?" Shannon asked, complying with the woman and placing the folder back on the table. "I haven't had a problem donating before. Is your scan machine down or something? Can it no longer read the barcode of my card?"

"You need a new donor card because you're a new resident of a different location," Diane snapped at Shannon, handing her identification cards back.

"C'mon lady," Shannon ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "I have two other Red Cross region cards: Appalachian and Chesapeake. I'm not a virgin to donating, and I don't let a specific location stop me from doing so."

Diane typed a few keystrokes on the registration table's laptop. "Chesapeake's showing up for Maryland. The Appalachian is appearing in Virginia. Neither of those sound like Florida to me."

Shannon couldn't believe this woman was holding the line up for someone who was not only _willing_ to donate, but a _regular_ donor. The Red Cross always said one of the biggest problems they had wasn't _getting_ blood, but getting people to come back to give _again_. She donated out of state plenty of times. Whatever state she went to, The Red Cross would just simply send her a card from that region six weeks later to use whenever she returned to that area, while she completed registration at their location with whatever area's card she decided to bring. So it was both odd and frustrating to experience this setback.

"Okay, I'm not in either of these locations on the cards right now," Shannon tried to calm herself down and re-explain the situation to Diane. "So what! Those are cards from previous drives as proof of my donor history. I'm the same person with the same blood type."

"Why do you have two state identification cards anyway?" Diane questioned removing the cards from Shannon's hands once again even though she gave them back to her minutes earlier.

"I moved," said Shannon who let out a sigh because the question was irrelevant. "But I kept them both, just as I've maintained all of my Red Cross donor cards, despite which region I donated at a particular time."

Diane pulled the laptop with the digital registration form closer to her as if she were figuratively barricading Shannon from donating. "You'll still need to sort out registration before we can move any further."

 _You've got to be fucking kidding me!_

"You don't want to scan my other cards which _all_ confirm the same profile information about me? Fine!" Shannon was near her breaking point. She once again took the cards from Diane, stuffed them in her wallet and then purse. "Register me for a card in this area then, but _still schedule_ me in your system for a walk-in today. Look, one pint of blood saves 3 lives right? Think of the amount of people I could've helped instead of spending the past 10 minutes fussing with you!"

Diane nodded and clicked the tab on the screen of the laptop labeled "New Donor," before grunting. She didn't want to budge, but Shannon was determined to get this done. "Will it be whole blood or double red, where we'll spool your white blood cells back to you in your donation?"

 _Finally getting some goddamn where!_

"Double," said Shannon with a half smile. "And don't worry. I already know that if I do a double red, I have to wait one hundred twenty days before I can donate again."

"That'll take an hour and you must be at least 5'3 for a double..." Shannon interrupted Diane.

"I am. 5'3 exactly," Shannon replied, now tapping her fingernails as she leaned against the table.

"You barely made it," Diane mumbled under her breath as she continued to type and reviewed Shannon's information. "You have high levels of iron in your plasma. Would you like to donate platelets too? You know your platelets can be donated every 10 days as they quickly restore in your body. We'll double up your units of Vitamin D to help replenish them post donation."

 _Oh, so you can lookup my fucking information now that you've "re-registered me," but couldn't do it with the preexisting cards that had the same exact thing?_

"No thank you," Shannon said sweetly. She would've considered it, but Diane pissed her off. She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. Diane was ruining how good doing something selfless made her feel.

"Well alright then," said Diane who scribbled Shannon's name on a name tag and patted it on her chest. "You're all set up. Take a copy of the education materials and go to 'Section 2' to wait for your name to be called."

Shannon did as she was told.

 _Un-fucking real!_

* * *

 **February 24th, 2017**

Shannon and Tyler were hanging out at her place this evening. He promised her after an afternoon workout and a bite to eat, he would come chill with her. They were sitting on her navy blue couch with their feet propped up on the foot rest with the television on.

"I didn't know you knew about Stampede Wrestling in Calgary. It's not for everyone. I mean don't get me wrong, Stampede has great technical wrestling, but not much by way of storylines," Tyler said with a smile as Shannon got up from the couch to remove her homemade copy of the DVD from the port embedded on the side of the television. She found a random Canadian user with a YouTube account years ago who uploaded classic VHS quality of Stampede Wrestling shows from the 1980s and early 1990s. She contacted them, asked them to convert it to DVD format, and make her a copy of the entire collection. They discussed a price, and the user shipped it out to her.

"Oh yeah," Shannon nodded. "I've had this gem of a collection for about five or six years now. When it comes to wrestling footage, I'm like the candy Skittles: I like to taste the rainbow. I didn't know you knew about the Mid-Atlantic territories."

"Like you Mark," Tyler began referring to Shannon as 'Mark,' his nickname for her because she was a super-fan. He started calling her that every since they had a match together at one of the NXT tapings. When Tyler suggested they form a team, she compared her fate to that of Marty Janetty when Shawn Michaels turned on him. "I also like to checkout whatever I can get my hands on. You know if you want to make a habit out of this-with us watching footage together-maybe we could have a system going," he said as he pointed to the television.

"What kind of system?" She asked as she joined him back on the couch.

"Let's say we do tape study," he reached down at the coffee table and raised a mug to his face taking a sip of the herbal tea she made him earlier. "You could pick a year, and I could pick a show or promotion from that year. Nothing would be off limits, whatever we had. That's not excluded to older territories either. Indie promotions-whether in the U.S, Canada, or anywhere else in the world-would be on the table as well. Then the next week, you'd pick a show or promotion, and I'd pick a year. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Shannon said with a smile. "I like that you'd want to watch whatever we'd had because the WWE Network doesn't have everything. They have ECW, WCW, World Class, and some territories, but there are gaps between promotions and some time periods."

"Speaking of that, I just picked up an 18 disc set with some of the best matches from the 1970s in the Mid-Atlantic territory. There's Blackjack Mulligan, Paul Jones, Andre the Giant, regular cage matches, dual cage matches and more. Many of which have Ric Flair in them," Tyler said with a huge smile on his face. "I'd love to watch it with you, before we start our system discussed previously. Interested?"

" _Interested_?" Shannon asking mockingly. "Is the sky blue? Of course, I'm interested. 18 discs sounds like a hell of a find!"

"Damn straight it was a hell of a find!" He yelled. "And for $100 bucks, I'd say it was a _steal_. For example, one of the diamonds in the collection is Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat with distorted audio. Would a fake fan buy something with distorted audio? I am just as much a fan as I am a performer. Distorted or not, I don't care! It's Flair vs. Steamboat and their matches are always off the hook, am I right?! Shit, we could make up our own damn commentary."

"Absolutely!" Shannon exclaimed."A fake fan would never get footage with distorted audio, nor would they buy old footage that's been later remastered. And hell yes, their feud from the '80s was off the charts! I can't wait for you to show me their matches from the '70s."

"I'm so glad you agree with me," Tyler said as he crouched forward and placed a hand on Shannon's knee that she didn't protest. She was so consumed by their discussion. "If you can watch old school wrestling and appreciate it, you deserve to be in this business in _some_ capacity. And my collection is just fucking amazing. There are tons of ones with Flair before the late '70s, before Oct…" Shannon thought she was cutting him off, but they ended up saying the same thing together.

"Before October 4th, 1975. Ric Flair's plane crash."

"Holy shit!" he shouted with a grin. "You know too?" She just stared at him.

"I'm right with you Tyler," Shannon said holding up two fingers and pointing them at her own eyes, before pointing at his. "I'll add to your point. Not only do you deserve to be in the business if you can watch old school wrestling and appreciate it; but if you can watch old school wrestling and not be bored, nearly finding something new to learn, or value afterward every time as well."

 _Wow! The periodic sexual banter is one thing, but this? This is pure joy. I could do this all day. The way he appreciates legends before him, picks out things to analyze, enjoys watching older tape, a real student? And a handsome blonde? He's just like...like...Hunter. Oh boy._

* * *

 **Two hours later**

Following Shannon and Tyler having an epiphany about one another as they watched footage from Stampede Wrestling, they decided to play Rockband 4 on her XBOX One. They pretty much ran through most of the set list in the game, finishing with Fall Out Boy's "Centuries" and Disturbed's "Prayer."

Tyler was helping her take the assemble of accessories down. Even though he played the guitar and she played the drums, when she purchased the game, she bought the singer's microphone, an extra guitar for bass, a keyboard, and optional set of symbols because she wanted to be able to play the "full band mode" in case other people stopped by her crib for a jam session.

"I didn't know you could _actually_ play," said Tyler who removed the shoulder strap from one of the guitars, and tilted it on its appropriate stand before sliding it into a corner. He snickered to himself as he looked high above a closet on the wall. He certainly recognized the object from 2001. It was a red and white tin stop sign from Jaks Pacific, one of the companies that created and licensed merchandise, from action figures to videogames, for the WWE. It read, "The Game Stops for No One." Yeah, she was a mark alright.

"Well I wouldn't call myself Sheila E, or Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, but I've got _some_ skills," said Shannon who pointed to one of the closets for Tyler to slide the guitar into after he repeated to the second guitar what he did to the first since they were the only two playing. "I mostly played steel drums. You know those Caribbean ones made of trashcans?"

"So if you played steel drums, how were you able to play so well on a traditional set of percussion?" Tyler asked.

"Every now and then in between rehearsals, my instructor would let me go off on the standard drum set, especially the snare. That's my favorite part of the drums. He'd teach us all the parts on the steel ones, then lead the band playing on a standard Pearl set."

"Did you keep up with it?" he questioned as he adjusted the microphone set and put it away. "With the drums I mean. Did you stay with the Caribbean ones or transition onto the regular ones?"

"Sadly neither," Shannon sighed. "My father wanted me to play Cello. I picked steel drums. The joke was on me though because the instructor was fired when the recreation center I attended found out about him having an affair."

"No fucking way!" Tyler snickered.

She nodded. "Yep, I cross my heart. I was using the restroom one day and as I came out of one the stalls, I caught the other woman trying to bathe in the sink where we were supposed to wash our hands. His wife came minutes later, and he was in the middle. It was quite the dramatic scene. Mr. Sember was his name. He and his wife were from Trinidad so you can imagine how entertaining the arguing was to watch with the accents."

"Yeah, I bet. Especially if you were a tween. That's ridiculous," said Tyler who now nudged his neck upward, gesturing for Shannon to get up from the stool so he could put the drum set away for her. "I had a band before I was in NXT. We still keep in touch. We haven't broken up, but are just on hiatus for a bit."

 _And he's a rockstar. I wonder if they sound like Fozzy._

"Yeah. So I never had the chance to really explore if I had an inner prodigy in me," said Shannon who span the sticks between her fingers before tossing them to Tyler, and he caught them with one hand. "Like I said before, I'm not Tommy Lee; but I'm not a bum either."

"Beauty, wrestling, and a drummer, how'd I get so lucky to have a girlf-I mean-friend like you?" Tyler caught himself, but wondered if she noticed anyway. Shannon didn't say anything. She just shrugged her shoulders. Feeling weird vibes by her gesture, he spoke. "Not to be arrogant or anything, but when I'm promoted and Jim Johnston works with me to change my theme music, I want you to record a drum solo on it."

Shannon raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking Mark," he insisted. "I'm _telling_ you."

* * *

After finishing up with Rockband 4, they decided to watch a movie randomly selected by Netflix since Tyler wasn't quite ready to leave, and she was enjoying his company. Eventually they fell asleep on the couch together. Tyler woke up a few hours later feeling something on the side on his neck. When he looked down it was Shannon nuzzling her nose in it, mumbling "This is nice." Shannon was completely out of it, and wasn't aware of what she said or did. Tyler didn't even know if she meant that. But since he was somewhat awake thanks to Shannon talking in her sleep, he picked her up, carried her to her bedroom, tucked her in, and went back to sleep on her couch.

Shannon woke up the next morning in bed and wondered why she was there because she didn't remember heading to bed on her own power. She rubbed her eyes, rolled down her comforter, and slid out the bed. She left the bedroom and went searching throughout the apartment. Hopefully she'd find the source responsible for taking her there. When Shannon made it to the living room, she found an equally awaken Tyler sitting on the couch. "Did you? Did we?" Even though he was still dressed, well, minus his shoes that were a few feet away, Shannon had to ask.

"No, on both accounts," said Tyler. "I was a perfect gentleman Mark. We fell asleep here," he explained pointing to the couch. "And being that this is _your_ apartment, I figured you'd want to sleep in your _own_ bed." He slipped on his navy canvas lace up sneakers by Joseph Abboud, grabbed his charcoal modern fit quilt jacket from the same designer, pulled his keys out of his pocket, and headed for the door. "I had a lot of fun last night, and I'll see you later today. You know we have quite the drive, and I know how you feel better following my car."

There weren't any tours scheduled this week, but they did have to make multiple stops promoting future events including the upcoming Takeover during Wrestlemania weekend, as well as forthcoming live events that would follow. For the past two years, the Takeover that occurred during Wrestlemania weekend would also tape the episodes airing the following month on the WWE Network at that particular Wrestlemania's host city. The people at Full Sail University didn't like it of course. They hated when the group left Winterpark to the December Takeover in London, participated in the Arnold Classic in Ohio in the Spring, or any other televised special that would take NXT away, such as the "Beast in the East" show in Japan, two summers ago. Full Sail became quite the spoiled bunch.

Tyler left and Shannon stared at the closed door. She trusted him that nothing happened, but part of her wished something did.

* * *

 **Author's Notes** : Shout out to **Cinnamon Muffin Punk** for allowing me to use parts of a real life conversation we had in some of the dialo _gue for one of the scenes in this chapter. You should know which one it is. I hope it puts a smile on your face because it certainly did for me._

 _To **Guest** : Once again, thank you for the kind words from Chapter 15. The goal of course is to make it seem as though you're a fly on the wall, experiencing these things with everyone. I try my best to give you that journey with as much detail and creativity that I can think of, strategically placing both real and relevant things there in the process. I told you I had some pretty cool things planned, and that was just a preview. I hope you and the others stay on board._

 _Have a safe and happy Independence Day Weekend to my American readers. I mean, technically Constitution Day is in September, but who's counting? :)_

 _Oh, and shoutout to Michael Phelps not just for becoming a father for the first time, or his birthday yesterday, but for being the first American male to qualify for five Olympic games. You've gone through a lot of personal setbacks man, but people in the 410 will be watching you do your thing in Rio! So bring home some hardware._


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Follow Your Lead

**March 1st, 2017**

"Come in, it's open," said Paul after he heard a gentle tap on his office door at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

"Hey Trips. Does the offer still stand with you checking out the talent in the ring when you're around?" Shannon asked as she pushed the door open, hoping he wasn't just cutting a promo from her first meeting with his staff about being dedicated to both brands.

"Absolutely," Paul responded looking up at her. He loosened his red tie and removed his black suit jacket, placing it behind his chair. "I'm looking through some scouting reports right now. Give me about ten to fifteen minutes, and I'll find you in one of the rings."

"Alright, thanks," said Shannon with a nod. "I'll see you in a bit." She closed his door carefully, not wanting to disturb his concentration.

* * *

 **Fifteen Minutes Later**

Paul made it to one of the rings where Shannon was sitting on the apron waiting for him. When he arrived, his tie was gone, and the first three buttons of his white Oxford shirt were undone teasing the beginning of his chest. He didn't know if what she wanted was advice; or if she wanted to get physical and have him demonstrate something, so he was prepared.

"What do you need Shannon?" asked Paul.

 _I mean when you say it like that Trips, it really depends on how giving you want to be. Shut up. You need to stop. Focus on why you called him down here. Not on what you're thinking about at the moment._

Shannon rose from the apron and climbed inside the ring. Paul walked toward the apron and gripped his hands tightly on the bottom rope, looking at her as she spoke. "When I was on the indies, I had a chance to meet Diesel, Razor, and Kid," she began. She knew their names were Kevin, Scott, and Sean, but like Paul, didn't feel comfortable calling them anything outside of their gimmick names because she idolized them so much. It was different from her fellow wrestling peers. Legends, she for the most part, continued to address by their gimmick names. "I did a show with them once in Cali. And I pitched to them the idea of this new move I wanted to do, paying homage to you guys."

"What'd they say?" Paul asked as his hazel eyes continued to stare intently at hers.

"They were cool with it," Shannon replied rubbing her sweaty palms against her hips. The perspiration was a physical representation of her nervousness. "But it's about respect for me. Whether you all are retired or not, I'm not a thief. I'm not going to steal any element of your schticks without permission. I'm a mark with manners. I told them I wouldn't want to do it without getting approval from everyone in 'The Kliq,' you know? I didn't know when I'd get here, but four out of five can't be that bad right? Maybe you could tell Shawn about it when you have time, then give me his thoughts later?"

Paul's cellphone rang and he reached for it in his back pocket.

"Excuse me Shannon," Paul began with a sigh. "I've gotta' take this. It shouldn't be long."

"No...yes... _why_ do you care?" Paul carried on with his conversation and Shannon folded her arms behind her back, waiting patiently.

Paul grimaced and rubbed his own head. "Well if it's _that_ important to you...fine!" He ended the call and put the cellphone back in his back pocket.

 _Shit. Someone's pissed him off. Maybe someone fucked up a contract. I hope the family's alright._

"Sorry Shannon," Paul apologized. "You were saying?"

"Right. I was saying I didn't want to do the move without knowing..." she was interrupted.

" 'The Showstopper' is in the building ladies and gentlemen!" Shouted Shawn Michaels as he entered the area of the Performance Center where the rings were. Shannon nearly pissed herself, and Paul had a ridiculously huge grin on his face.

 _Are you shitting me right now? Am I dead? Somebody pinch me._

Shawn jogged down the hall dramatically in slow motion like David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson trying to save a beach goer in Baywatch, until he finally reached the ring where Paul and Shannon were. When he got there, he nearly tackled Paul in an effort to hug him. Shannon thought their bromance was the cutest thing ever, but still had no fucking clue why Shawn was there, or where the hell he came from in the first place.

"Long time, no see man. How are you brother?" asked Shawn to his best friend as he released Paul from his hug.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing Chuck Norris," Paul said with a laugh noticing Shawn's brown and grey mixed long, thick, untamed beard. "You look like you're smuggling a squirrel in that damn thing. You take the terms 'rugged' and 'cowboy' to new heights, my friend. I thought the only way I'd see you any time soon was if you talked me into hunting with you again for that TV show."

"Yeah, well you know I figured I'd surprise you," Shawn said as he slapped Paul on the back. "Cam's 17 now and is fine tuning the college search. He's really into graphic design. Doesn't want to wreck his back like the old man, but would one day like to do production in some capacity for _your_ company," Shawn smirked as he placed emphasis on "your." He, Scott, Kevin, Paul, and Sean always joked when they were on the road together about running the wrestling world. It wasn't an entire joke. They were partly serious; but it appeared-and happily so-that his best friend Paul was the most serious and the _most_ _eager_.

"So Becca's got him in Winterpark checking out Full Sail," Shawn continued. "Meanwhile as it turns out, I had a book signing scheduled in Orlando. And since I was in your neck of the woods, I thought I'd stop by. But being that I had to call you to see if you were here today and not Connecticut or somewhere else, I guess it's not _really_ a surprise. You knew about my arrival thirty seconds ago."

It was Shawn who Paul was on the phone with. Paul knew Shannon was still close enough to hear his conversation, but was covertly playful enough with Shawn that while they understood each other, it was vague to Shannon on what was going on. He had no idea that Shawn was around, but when Shawn asked if he was in, and if he was busy, he pretended to be annoyed. Despite Shawn knowing he had an open invitation to sit in at an NXT taping at Full Sail or a tour of the Performance Center whenever he wanted, he had some courtesy and let Paul do his thing. Unlike Ric Flair-who Shannon, Paul, and Shawn equally loved dearly-when Shawn retired, he _stayed_ retired. Shannon mentioned wanting to get approval from everyone in "The Kliq," so Paul looked at this as not only a moment to catch up with his buddy, but for Shannon to show them whatever she wanted to demonstrate in the flesh.

"Where are my manners?" asked Paul humorously.

"Holy shit," was all Shannon managed at the present moment as she climbed through the ropes to greet "The Showstopper."

"Oh don't worry," Paul said to Shannon holding his right hand up. "Because of Shawn, it is indeed _holy_."

"What's up HBK?" Finally, Shannon was able to form a sentence, albeit, an interrogative one.

"You know," Shawn started with a smirk. "The moon, the stars, the heavens."

"This is Shannon. She's one of our biggest marks Shawn," Paul said before placing his left arm around Shawn's neck and his right hand on Shawn's chest. "Oh, and I don't mean the ones between '95 and '98 that we left naked at 2:00 AM in hotel beds, _long_ before Rebecca and Stephanie." He paused. "I also don't mean the ones that grabbed your junk after you posed for _Playgirl_. Nor the ones we tossed in the hoe wagon in '95 and '96 when Scott, Kev, and Waltman were still on the road with us before leaving for WCW. I mean an _actual_ mark."

Shawn chuckled as he adjusted the cowbay hat on his head. "And _that's_ a blessing."

"Alright man, since you're here, I'm going to put you to work," said Paul to Shawn as he removed his arm from around his neck. "Shannon wants to dedicate a move to us. You're going to give advice where needed."

"Well what's the move Hunter?" Shawn asked his former "road wife."

Paul slapped him on the back of his head. "I don't know it yet, being that none of us have seen it. _You_ called me and interrupted."

 _I love these goofballs._

Shannon took their exchange as a cue to get back in the ring. So she did and they looked on.

"Eddie Guerrero did three vertical suplexes in succession in honor of himself, Benoit, and Malenko," she spoke to the men who suspended their silliness and were back to being serious, giving her their full attention. "I want to do five."

"Five vertical suplexes?" Paul questioned raising his eyebrows. "That's not original. That's just Eddie's thing with two more added."

"Yeah, you not only have to do something that separates what Eddie did from what _you'll_ do," Shawn said pointing to her. "But we're five different guys. Five different egos. Five different personalities."

"I'm glad you both brought that up," Shannon said with a smile. "It won't be five standard verticals. It'll be five different suplexes, back to back, in succession. Shawn, you were first member, so you'll get the Standard Vertical. Razor was next because you linked up in Mid-South before you were in the WWF. He gets the Northern Lights. Then there's Diesel. He's from Michigan, which is one of the great lake states. He'll get the Fisherman Hook Suplex. It'll be neat because if someone tries to block me from doing the remaining two, I can just turn the Fisherman Suplex into a Fisherman buster for a quick pin as a counter. Kid was fourth and has the speed, so following the Fisherman, I'd do a Belly to Belly. It wouldn't be a release Belly to Belly because I'd need to maintain hold on the opponent for the final suplex. Trips, you were last, and you get the Butterfly Suplex because it's a teaser to your Pedigree. Both the Pedigree and Butterfly Suplex require a double underhook of the opponent's arms."

"Well you've certainly given it a lot of thought," Shawn said with a nod. "I can appreciate the meticulousness of you mapping it out. It shows you care. I can sense your passion. But does it _look_ good?"

Shannon shrugged her shoulders unconvincingly. Both her body language and Shawn's words were true. Yes, she did give it a lot of thought, attention, and detail. But no, she wasn't sure if it looked good because she hadn't tried it out. She just planned it in her head, and pitched it to the other three Kliq members who were not around for this moment.

"Alright enough," Paul said as he lifted his knee on the apron, propelling himself up, and entered the ring. "I need to see this. Shawn, you remember the five she called?"

"Standard Vertical into the Northern Lights, into the Fisherman, into the Belly to Belly, finishing with a Butterfly," Shawn repeated Shannon's order to Paul.

"Perfect," said Paul giving his best friend a thumb's up. "Shannon are you comfortable taking bumps from me? It's been a while, but I won't kill you."

 _Is grass green? I'll gladly take your bumps. Yes, please. Be as rough as you need to be._

"Yes," she said simply, pretending to be normal like this conversation were routine, and she wasn't marking out. Though she clearly was.

 _Wooohoo!_

"Great," said Paul giving Shannon a half smile. "Then let's do it. Shawn call them off as I do them."

Shannon and Paul locked up and he executed the five suplexes on Shannon, rotating his body through each transition as the suplex types changed, just as Shannon envisioned. It was fun both sharing the idea with her guys, and actually getting tossed around by Paul. He wanted to do it twenty times, so technically he suplexed Shannon one hundred times since the move required five suplexes. But she didn't complain. She was a perfectionist just as much as they were in the ring.

"Looks good!" shouted Shawn. "When are you going to use it?"

"I was hoping to hold onto it for a special occasion," Shannon replied to Shawn as she got up. "Kind of like how you and Trips would bust out a random submission in a given match. It was never that you two couldn't wrestle; but you were very selective about what you did, when you did it, and why."

"Smart," said Paul who got up, unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, and removed it. It was sweaty now from wresting with Shannon, despite the building being air conditioned. Shannon tried her best not to be distracted. But how could she not when tanned, sweaty, glistening pecs and complimentary abs were mere feet away from her?

 _Pure_ _torture_. _Look_ _at_ _that_ _inguinal_ _ligament_ _and_ _iliac_ _crest_. _They're_ _forming_ _that_ _perfect_ ' _V'_ _at_ _his_ _pelvic_ _bone_.

"So what are you going to call it?" He questioned.

"Curtain Call," said Shannon, winking at them both. They smiled.

"Do you have a gesture already picked out to signal for it?" asked Shawn, who again, adjusted the brim of his camouflaged colored cowbay hat. Shannon expected Shawn to be wearing a nice solid-colored, brown Stetson to match the boots he was wearing. But it was clear that he was plugging his hunting show, McMillan Adventures, even if indirectly.

"Yeah," Shannon nodded confidently. "I'll just throw up the 'Two Sweet' sign."

"No!" Shawn yelled disapprovingly. "The masses overwhelmingly associate it with the nWo when Kev, Scott, and Kid did it down there. The new kids associate it with the Bullet Club. But the genesis of the Russian Wolf symbol in professional wrestling originated from 'The Kliq,' _before_ we split up. And people identify the cross with DX."

"So she'll just do them both," Paul retorted at Shawn finding an easy solution.

"May I?" asked Paul, who tossed his sweaty shirt across his shoulder as he walked towards Shannon, reaching for her hands. She nodded and Paul took them folding her fingers appropriately making the Russian Wolf symbol. Then the two index fingers that were serving as the wolf's ears on her right and left hand respectively, were slowly guided to cross one another, forming an "X."

"See?" He showed off her hands to Shawn. "She's crossing the fingers for DX, but at the same time the other fingers haven't separated from their original pose of 'The Kliq's' Russian Wolf. It's a _fusion_ Shawn. You can still see the wolves' heads perfectly. No one group is getting more recognition over the other. They're each getting represented."

"Looks good big man," Shawn said after applauding Paul a few times. "You may want to get that gesture formally licensed for her as a logo for future merch. Glad you helped her find a way to make it her own."

Paul exited the ring and called Tenille Dashwood down, who wrestled as "Emma" since signing with the WWE in 2011. She was in another area of the Performance Center, but Paul called her in to perform the move with Shannon, with Shannon this time giving, rather than taking it. He stood outside the ring, still shirtless next to Shawn, and made the ladies do the move fifty times. This made Shannon's suplex count-after Paul's 100, and 250 with Emma-up to 350.

After they finished, Paul and Shawn gave her some final remarks before Paul wrapped an arm around Shawn and guided him out.

 _Just following your lead guys. Maybe one day I can talk Trips into giving me a pedigree._

* * *

 **March 8th, 2017**

With Orlando being the home of Universal Studios, the filming of TNA episodes, the WWE Performance Center, not to mention the new location of a WWE Restaurant with a Hall of Fame wing, the city pretty much renewed its already cemented status of a tourist attraction for the next few decades. Shannon wanted to relax at little at a beach, but not one near the Performance Center or Full Sail University. So she drove ninety minutes Northeast of Orlando to Daytona Beach to get away from the wrestling crowd. She loved wrestling of course-she always would-but needed a break from the physical scene for a bit.

Shannon was on one of the gravity lounge chairs by Sarasota Breeze lying on her stomach in a cobalt blue "Becca" by Rebecca Virtue Tivoli gauze cold shoulder tunic. The cotton tunic had a drawstring waist, keyhole front, centered back cutout, and crocheted scallop trim and tassel. She already applied a spray bottle of sunscreen to her body. Tyler approached her wearing a pair of solid black Santa Cruz board shorts and a white tank top.

"Is this seat taken?" asked Tyler gesturing towards the lounge chair adjacent to Shannon. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Go for it. It's not like I own the place anyway," Shannon said with a smile as she raised her gold and blue matte original "Ray-Ban" Aviator sunglasses above her head, and turned her face to him. He removed his tank top, and dropped it on the side of the sand before sitting down. "Come here to work on your tan?"

"Yep, you know how great Florida is," he said with a nod before kicking off his flip flops. He too had applied an appropriate amount of sunscreen on his body before he left his car and headed for the boardwalk of the beach. "It's one of the few places in the States you don't have to wait at the doorsteps of the summer season to catch one."

"I wouldn't know," Shannon replied biting her bottom lip slightly. "Luckily for me, I was born with mine."

"I've noticed," Tyler said raising his arms above his head as he leaned back in the chair. "Hey what's that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and tilting his head to his right, where Shannon was. "On your back, is that some sort of tattoo?"

"On my back, is it in the center?" Shannon asked reaching behind herself.

Tyler got up, crouched down to the side of her chair, and grabbed hold of Shannon's finger before her hand reached her back. "Right...here," he said, slowing guiding Shannon's fingertips along the dorsal side of her tunic cover up to the back cutout, stopping at the curve of her spine. He wasn't blind and knew damn well where the area was. He just took advantage of an opportunity to touch her. "It's like a backwards 'S', only horizontal," he added, tracing her finger around it once they reached it together.

"Yeah, that's just the way it healed," Shannon replied as she released her finger from Tyler's grip, bringing her hand back to the other, resting her chin on them. "It's a scar I got a while back slicing my back after taking thirty two shovel shots in a hardcore match. I ended up taking three powerbombs on a kitchen sink moments later. The scar doesn't do justice to the bruises that immediately followed, and the absolute hell it felt like at the time."

Tyler leaned forward and kissed her scar.

"Why did you kiss it?" Shannon questioned with a laugh. "The boo-boo is no longer hurting, Doctor."

"Yeah, well it wasn't a _healing_ kiss, but one for luck Shannon," Tyler responded as he rose and went back to his seat. "Hopefully that scar is the closest thing to you ever getting a back injury in the future. Wouldn't want you to take a four year hiatus like HBK."

"Thank you," she said before an awkward pause. "Hey, that's the first time in a long time you haven't called me Mark. You must have been serious."

"Of course I was serious," Tyler said matter-of-factly as he returned to his seat. "I wouldn't want to see _anyone_ seriously injured. Not even if I had heat with someone. I mean some guys are assholes , and _will_ try to injure someone they have an issue with. But I'd never go out of my way to really fuck them up in the ring."

"Even if one of the boys egged you on because they had heat with the same person?" she inquired.

"No, I _still_ wouldn't," he said confidently. "It's not about me bitching out, or being a pussy, but being a _man_. You don't fuck up someone's promotion by settling real heat in the ring. The promoter may not know you have shit going on backstage, and you could _ruin_ plans they have for future cards long term by taking someone out due to a personal vendetta. It's childish and selfish."

"What about Shawn and Bret?" Shannon asked. "They had real heat and still went out there."

"Yeah, but that's different. Shawn and Bret had real heat, but it's a business," Tyler said as he turned in his chair to face Shannon and leaned on his forearm. "Vince wanted those two as his top guys during that era, and the ability to use that heat made for a strong rivalry that just fell into his lap. Personal differences aside, they _never_ tried to take each other out _on purpose_. The most you got out of those guys settling actual heat in the ring were real, gritty, raw promos."

"This is true," Shannon replied with a nod. "I can't argue with that."

Suddenly a giant wasp flew by Shannon and after two unsuccessful attempts of swatting it away, she jumped from her chair, and tried to flee. Before she lost her footing or fell on her face, Tyler caught her.

"I guess Shannon Storm isn't so badass after all," Tyler joked and the wasp after circling her chair for a few more rotations vacated the area. "She can't weather the bugs."

"Shut up," Shannon replied as she delivered a light punch to Tyler's chest. "Did you see that fucking thing? It was huge!"

"Whatever you say," Tyler remarked as he shook his head, still holding Shannon. "Why is it that you always end up in my lap?"

"Always? More like the second time ever," she corrected him as she remembered falling in his lap as he tried to get his nuts back from her when they attended the baseball game two months ago.

"Same difference to me," he said smiling.

"And in my defense, I was trying to escape my doom. But if my _ass_ is hindering you from happiness," Shannon said as she started to rise, before being pulled back down.

"I never said it was," said Tyler. They stared at each other for several moments in silence, almost as if they were changing their minds every few seconds about whether the banter was just meaningless flirting among friends, or if they wanted it to escalate.

Eventually Tyler released his own grip and safely eased Shannon up on her own two feet.

"So are you ready to go for a dip?" Tyler asked as he removed his board shorts and revealed his red and black Nike "Yeah Buoy" Volley swimming trunks. "I know you haven't been out here long. Pam was on her way to tape an episode of 'NXT Kids' with Izzy, but she told me you just drove to Daytona a little over an hour ago. Which means you would've only been here a few minutes since your arrival."

"Yeah, I've just been chilling, staring at the beautiful view," Shannon said as she pulled her tunic over her head, revealing her royal blue "Island Goddess" two piece bikini by La Blanca. It was a nylon, strapless, bandeau top with sewn-in cups that hooked in the back. Her bottom piece, which was also nylon, had a shirred banded hipster bottom that provided full coverage around the buttocks.

Shannon unhooked the straps to her gold sandals, and slid them under her seat along with her shades and tunic top before she realized something. "I haven't gotten wet yet. Hey wait a second. Why did Pam tell you I was here?"

"Doesn't matter," Tyler grinned while shaking his head. "My trunks are on. Everything on you seems to be..." He took advantage of another opportunity to check her out. "Tight and tucked in the proper places. So let's have that swim."

* * *

 **March 14th, 2017**

Tyler, Shannon, Emma, Nia Jax, and Rich Swann were doing warm ups in the ring at Full Sail University. Some were running ropes, others were working out finishes. Shannon was one of the ones running ropes: after doing them for nearly two hours as punishment back at MCW, a few minutes was nothing. All of a sudden Shannon stopped mid stride when she spotted him. Jason Johnson. The boy from Indiana she met during his amateur wrestling meet before her indie event. After being so persistently forward, she slept with him in her car after her show. He noticed her looking at him so he waved as he mouthed, "Hi Shannon."

 _Shit! I've gotta' do something._ _"Obsessed" was a movie and a Mariah Carey song. And I'm living the real thing._

While Jason knelt down to place his drink on the floor and tray of snacks on his lap, she had an idea.

"Tyler come here," Shannon said. He wasn't moving fast enough, so she pulled him closer so that he was completely cornering her against the turnbuckle.

"Do I need to call the cops for assault?" Tyler asked sarcastically. He didn't know what was going on, or why she just couldn't wait for him to walk over like a normal human being. But he did enjoy her method. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't a bit of a turn on.

"I need you need me to do a favor," said Shannon in total seriousness, with no smile.

"Name it," said Tyler, who gripped the left and right top ropes of the corner she was in.

"I need to you kiss me," she replied.

"What?" he interrogated. It wasn't that Tyler didn't want to do it, but thought the circumstances leading up to it would be different.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Jason was finished adjusting himself and was about to gaze in her direction. "Quick, just fucking do it!"

Tyler leaned down, cupped her face, and complied. The kiss lasted much longer than it needed to, as Shannon was just trying to distract Jason from getting any ideas about what happened last year. That was a one time occurrence, and she was pretty fucking sure she would never see him again. Her goal was to be a WWE Superstar, not a ring rat. And she didn't want any ring rats of her own. But now that Jason knew she was a member of the WWE roster via NXT, maybe he was coming for a second helping. That was _not_ going to happen.

The idea seemed to work because when she and Tyler broke a part, Jason was no longer in his seat. Perhaps he went to the bathroom, although in all honesty, Shannon preferred he left the damn building.

"Geez Tyler," she said as she lightly smacked his chest. "I didn't ask for your tongue."

"Excuse fucking me if when a woman asks me to kiss her, I just go all out," Tyler said growing a little irritated. He thought she enjoyed the kiss. No, in fact, he _knew_ she did. But the fact that she was having a prissy freaking attitude about it bothered him. "Besides, you weren't complaining. I'm pretty positive caressing my shoulders and moaning into my mouth as I run my fingers through your hair is a compliment."

Totally ignoring Tyler's last statement, she scanned the seating section, noticing Jason still wasn't back. She exhaled.

Tyler continued, "See, you not saying anything tells me all I need to know. I _know_ you enjoyed it, and you're welcome by the way. But now that I helped you out, you can return the favor by telling me what the hell that was all about."

"I fucked some dude who was in the audience a while back," Shannon said.

"Was he an ex?" Tyler asked.

"Nope," she responded.

"So it was just a one night stand?" he questioned.

"Yep," Shannon remarked.

"So what's the problem?" he asked. "You're making it seem like you're in danger or something." Before Shannon could respond Jason returned to the arena, so Tyler caught a glance of him.

"One, he seems to remember me. Two, this was before I was in NXT. Three, he probably wants to make it a regular thing," she finished.

"I see," said Tyler. "Well do you want to make it a regular thing with him?" He hoped Shannon said no.

"Hell no!" she shouted. " _He_ may want that, but I sure as hell don't." Her reply relieved Tyler.

"Well just tell him to fuck off then," Tyler said emphatically. "I mean, that's what I'd do."

"But Ty, it's not that easy," Shannon commented. "If it were between two consenting adults, I could and I _would_ do exactly that."

Tyler glanced back at the young man, who looked no more than eighteen or nineteen before blurting out "So you're saying..."

"Yes. He was young, not terribly young, but young enough to where he was legally considered a minor," Shannon interrupted him. "Maybe he was 15, 16, or 17 at the time. I don't fucking know. I never asked."

"And you needed me to pretend we were together just in case he wanted to remind you of what happened?" Tyler asked, figuring out what the dilemma was.

"Yeah. It's one thing if he's just coming to check out NXT live. But if he's a student enrolled at Full Sail, I'm fucked," she admitted. "I know there's no statute of limitations on murder in practically every state. But for statutory rape," her face grew disgusted saying the term. "There _is_ a statute of limitations. I believe it's two years. One year has gone by, and he'd have one more year should he want to take me to court."

"Do you think he even would do that?" Tyler questioned, finally removing his grip from the two ropes, giving Shannon some space from completely hovering over her in the turnbuckle.

"I don't think he would. I hope he wouldn't. He probably won't as long as he believed there was a chance of us hooking up every now and again," she contemplated aloud as she stared at the ring canvas.

"Well we should figure out if he goes to school here," Tyler started before noticing a single tear coming down Shannon's face. "Look at me," said Tyler who wiped Shannon's tear with his thumb as she raised her head. This situation clearly made her distraught. "I'm not going to allow that fucker to get in your head or ruin your career before it even takes off."

"I appreciate you consoling me, but I need to come up with a plan," Shannon said as she grabbed Tyler's hand which began stroking her cheek as soon as he wiped her tears away moments before. "I've gotta' get outta here. I'm a mess. I need to clear my head before the tapings start." She left Tyler's hand at his sides before exiting the ring and power-walking up the ramp.

While Tyler certainly was attracted to Shannon and enjoyed the kiss, it didn't occur in the manner he envisioned it in his mind. Seeing her so conflicted and distraught by some stranger, who was safe to assume a potential stalker of Shannon's, did not sit well with him. The situation needed to get handled. He checked the time on his cellphone from his back pocket, and realized he had thirty minutes to do it.

* * *

Exiting the ring and hopping over the barricade, Tyler walked to the section to where Jason was sitting and spotted him.

"Hey, you, in the red shirt," Tyler said as he pointed at Jason. "Yeah, you, I need to speak with you outside. It's urgent."

Jason, who wasn't a student at Full Sail, was in Florida for his spring break. He decided to travel to Florida, Orlando, specifically. He wasn't interested in Universal Studios however, but NXT and a certain woman on the roster. It was a year ago that he slept with NXT's new addition, Shannon Storm. He hoped not only that she remembered him, but before he headed back to his own campus, she would be just as giving now as she was then. But his objective was thwarted when Tyler Breeze confronted him, and asked to speak outside. He wasn't sure what it was about, so before he would cause a scene to get security involved, he headed out the side exit door. And Tyler followed him.

Once outside, they walked a few feet away from the Full Sail arena and any surrounding cameras that would be near the area of the grounds of the campus. Jason tried to play things cool.

"Sup, T. Breezy? You're one of my favorites here," said Jason.

Showing no distraction from Jason's comments, Tyler spoke. "You a student here?"

"No," Jason said. "I'm just here for spring break and wanted to catch the show."

But that wasn't the only reason.

"Toss me your wallet," said Tyler, not exactly believing Jason didn't attend Full Sail. Once he looked through all of the identification cards and saw nothing with Full Sail University on it, he threw it back to Jason.

"What's this about bro?" Jason asked despite having an idea already. "I don't want any trouble."

"Good, and you _won't_ be causing any for Shannon Storm," said Tyler.

" _That's_ what this is about!" Jason exclaimed. "You're mad that I fucked your bitch?"

Tyler gritted his teeth at Jason's last statement. He wanted to send a message peacefully, but this punk was pushing his buttons. "After tonight, the closest you get to her will be on the other side of a computer screen," Tyler insisted.

"That was a great piece of ass though dude! There's nothing you're gonna' do to stop me from tapping it again,"Jason said smiling wickedly, before charging at Tyler.

Tyler swayed to the left of Jason, who stumbled before colliding with Tyler's right fist. Tyler then tackled Jason to the concrete. As Jason was grounded in between Tyler's knees, he punched him repeatedly in the face, lacerating his lip and nose, and leaving bruises under his eyes. Spotting a dumpster, Tyler grabbed Jason by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against a wall, before finally tossing him in the dumpster.

As Jason moaned in pain in the dumpster too sore to move, Tyler leaned over him surveying his work.

"We're not having this conversation again!" Tyler shouted before brushing off any residue from being on the ground from his tee shirt with his palms. As he headed back into the Full Sail arena, he grabbed a hand towel to wipe Jason's blood off his knuckles, then tossed it in a garbage can. Once inside, he spotted Shannon, who seemed to be calmer after what she shared with Tyler earlier.

"Hey, It's ten minutes to showtime," said Shannon. "Where have you been?"

"Keeping you safe," Tyler said as he removed his shirt, handing it to Shannon as he put on his long, fur vest, which matched the fur on his tights that covered his boots. "Your problem has been resolved," he said to Shannon, kissing her cheek before heading to Gorilla.

As Tyler "handled" the situation with Jason outside, back inside the hallways of Full Sail, a few of the ladies hounded Shannon about her impromptu make out session with Tyler. She lied to them, playing it off like it was no big deal. Shannon said she was dared to do it by another talent, and figured if she had to do it, why not make it "a good one" by doing it in front of a group of people. The point was a challenge was thrown, and she accepted. Truthfully, she didn't owe any of them an explanation about anything, not even the true story behind the kiss. But if they were going to keep gossiping about it like they were in high school, Shannon thought the quicker she gave them _something_ , the quicker they'd drop it. It worked.

* * *

 **March 20th, 2017**

Shannon was relaxing on another day off in her apartment. She was watching the 1993 Survivor Series on the WWE Network. She missed the days when a traditional Survivor Series elimination match was the main event of the Pay Per View sharing the same name. Prior to the match, which would be The Hart Foundation vs. Shawn Michaels and Jerry "The King" Lawler's "knights," a clip aired recapping Shawn Michaels promoting the main event on an edition of "The Heartbreak Hotel." In 1993, Lawler had a rivalry going on with Bret "The Hitman" Hart. There were times when Vince McMahon would visit Lawler's promotion in Memphis and even bring some of the WWF Superstars with him. For any passionate marks interested in seeing the genesis of the "Mr. McMahon" character, you'd see quite a bit of it from the early '90s when he traveled to Lawler's company in between the WWF's regular schedule.

According to many reports, Shawn was a late replacement to be added to the match. The Harts were supposed to take on "The King's Court" and Shawn was rumored to start a feud with Marty Janetty working a program on the road to Wrestlemania; but due to Marty violating the Wellness Policy, the idea was scrapped. So Shawn was slid into this position, and "The King's Court" was later dubbed "Shawn's Knights." The idea sounded absolutely ridiculous and the overall show wasn't great, but this match was worth watching.

"Shawn was so hot back then! You definitely made the ladies feel like they were on cloud nine! I loved his lip-shaped pillows and heart-shaped bed," Shannon spoke aloud as she watched Shawn interact with Lawler, insulting the Hart family. "I wonder if Rick Martel and Lex Luger were ever jealous that they couldn't break out from their 'pretty boy' mantra and be stars like HBK. They just weren't that good in my opinion."

"The Heartbreak Hotel" segment ended, both teams were introduced, and the match began. Shannon continued talking aloud to herself.

"See this wasn't a terrible match," she pointed at the screen when she saw Owen Hart bounce off the ropes and "accidentally" elbow his brother, Bret, in the eye. Bret then hopped off the apron and launched himself into the guardrail. "Take away Bret's habit of whining, he's setting up this angle to kick start his feud with Owen beautifully. And look at Owen selling in his face: the justified frustration of Bret failing to make tags. This was one of the greatest turns the WWF ever had. I think they fucked up by letting Bret retain the title in their cage match at Summerslam. That was a hell of a match, but Owen _so_ should've won the title! Bret vs. Owen was one of the best feuds of 1994. I miss 'The Rocket.' He was not a nugget. He was 'the King of Harts.' "

Her phone vibrated as Owen yelled at Bret another time, ignoring Bret's claims of not being able to see Owen reaching for him. It was a text message. She didn't pause the Pay Per View to respond to the message. Shannon saw the show numerous times already, so the match continued as she opened her phone to reveal the sender.

 **Ty:** Hey Mark. :)

 **Me:** Hey Rockstar. What's Up? :)

 **Ty:** You know how our roster will be in Minneapolis next week to do Access with the big boys?

 **Me** : Yeah. There's our Takeover show, we're in that ball game, and possibly some meet and greets. What about it?

 **Ty:** Right. Forget about all of that. Do you have an escort to the Hall of Fame Saturday night?

 **Me** : Nope. Riding solo.

 **Ty:** Great. It's settled then.

 **Me** : Wait, what? What's settled? :0

 **Ty** : U + Me = HOF. We'll be each other's Road Warriors. Only unlike Hawk and Animal, instead of face paint and shoulder pads, our dress will be much more formal. I'll text you later with my hotel details.

 **Me** : Hang on! These things have to be coordinated Tyler! How am I supposed to know if my gown matches your tux?

 **Ty** : I'm sure whatever you wear you'll look great, and we'll be fine. :D See you then.

* * *

 **Author's** **Notes** : _So_ _they've_ _finally_ _had_ _that_ _smooch_! I _promised_ _you_ **Chaka1967** _it_ _was_ coming! _Well_ _technically_ , it _'_ s _their_ fourth _if_ _you_ _count_ _the_ _times_ _they've_ _got_ _each_ _other_ _on_ _the_ _cheek_ , _and_ _the_ _time_ _he_ _pecked_ _her_ _on_ _the_ _back_. _Who_ _called_ _it_?! _I'm_ _curious_ _to_ _know_ _who_ _thought_ _it_ ( _the_ _real_ _kiss_ ) _would_ _happen_ _at_ _the_ _last_ _chapter_ , _when_ _they_ _were_ _together_ _at_ _the_ _live_ _event_ _and_ _he_ _grabbed_ _her_ _knee_ , _versus_ _who_ _felt_ _all_ _along_ _it_ _would_ _be_ a _bit_ _more_ _of_ a _delay_ _before_ _it_ _finally_ _happened_ _today_. :)

 _Shout_ _out_ _to_ **ArmbarNation** _for_ _helping_ _sort_ _out_ _part_ _of_ _a_ _scene_ _used_ _in_ _this_ _chapter_. _It_ _was_ a _mere_ _suggestion_ _in_ _the_ _very_ _early_ _stages_ _of_ _this_ _story_ even _becoming_ _a_ _thing_. _It_ _may_ _not_ _have_ _seemed_ _like_ _a_ _major_ _deal_ _to_ _you_ , _but_ _it_ _was_ _enough_ _to_ _me_ _because_ _the_ _suggestion_ _made_ _me_ _create_ _a_ _stronger_ _scene_ _in_ _this_ _chapter_ , _and_ _I_ _at_ _least_ _hope_ _the_ _reception_ _for_ _it_ _is_ _positive_. _If_ _you_ _have_ _no_ _idea_ _what_ _I'm_ _talking_ _about_ , _PM_ _me_ , _and_ _I'll_ _remind_ _you_ _of_ _it_ _if_ _you_ _forgot_.

 _I'm_ _not_ _sure_ _why I forgot to mention it in the last update, but we're a year removed from losing "The American Dream," Dusty Rhodes, and are a few weeks away from being a year removed from losing the 'Hot Rod,' "Rowdy," Roddy Piper. Like your other fans_ , _I miss you two gents. I wonder who Dusty's dropping that Bionic Elbow on, and who Roddy pissed off on purpose, just to create_ _an opportunity to rip them in a promo. Keep at it, boys. :)_

 _Since my next update will be after it happens, I wouldn't be a Kliq Chick if I didn't wish an early happy birthday to "Big Daddy Cool Diesel," Kevin Nash, who'll be celebrating on July 12th, and Lightning Kid/123 Kid/Syxx/X-Pac, Sean Waltman, who'll be celebrating on July 13th! So many of my boys have July birthdays._

 _On a serious note, my condolences go out to the friends and family members of the young African-American men shot and killed by police officers in Minnesota and Louisiana earlier this week. I'd also like to extend those same thoughts and prayers to the friends and family members of the five Dallas, Texas police officers who were murdered, and the eleven others who were injured by a sniper following a peaceful protest in honor of the two men from Baton Rouge and St. Paul, who were killed. Sadly, like acts of terror, this isn't exactly something foreign in sub cultures of America. My hope is that the families affected will heal in time, and whatever justice deemed appropriate through the legal system should the authorities of Minnesota, Louisiana, and Texas formally present charges, be served._


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Thank You

**Friday, March 30th, 2017**

Professional wrestling fans from all over the world were in Minneapolis, Minnesota as this was the sport's largest and most profitable week. All promotions hosted shows in neighboring towns of the same state that the WWE held Wrestlemania. It was literally like "pick your poison" for what you wanted to check out if you couldn't muster a last minute Wrestlemania ticket from someone. This occurred for a number of years now. All week long fans had the opportunity to meet superstars of both the WWE's main roster and NXT brand. There were various exhibits on display of WWE history, Q & A sessions with superstars, video game tournaments, and much more leading to Wrestlemania weekend itself. Today was one of two steps closer to the big day, with NXT's Takeover: Power. Kanye West's "Stronger" was the theme song selected for this show.

"Congratulations to Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano on defeating Jason Jordan and Chad Gable of 'American Alpha' to become your new NXT Tag Team Champions," said NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. Johnny Gargano, the fiancee of Candice LeRae, who Shannon had a match with in December, was one of Paul's secret signings. So was the "Sicilian Psychopath," Tommaso Ciampa. They signed shortly after the new year, but Paul did not go public with their signings via social media until this past week. NXT Takeover: Power would be their debut.

"That's right Tom, and we are just getting started," said fellow commentator, Corey Graves. "Folks this is NXT Takeover: Power. We are the official kickoff to your Wrestlemania weekend. We still have several matches to go. But right now, it's time for Shannon Storm to make her Takeover debut. She won her first match on NXT TV. Let's see if she can make it two for two in debuts."

" **They say I'm cocky, and I say what?**

 **It ain't braggin' motherfucker, if ya' back it up!** "

The track as discussed in Paul's team meeting started a Capella in the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, followed by a thunderbolt, before the song resumed. The edits were better than what Shannon expected. She asked for some snare drum, but there was a ten second drum solo of both snare and tom tom drums with the guitar under the beat as the track played. Shannon's titan tron was on display which had highlights of her nailing various maneuvers on one side, dismantling the other weather sequences on the other.

"Making her way to the ring, from Baltimore, Maryland. This is, Shannon Storm!" Eden Stiles announced with an upward inflection on the "O" dragging out the Storm portion of Shannon's name. Remaining loyal, she still bought her custom gear from Under Armour. When she debuted her new ring name last year on the independent circuit, she wore grey and white. Her epic hardcore match with Cheeseburger saw her in red and black. Tonight's gear was all white with black as the secondary accent color. The white leather hood on Shannon's vest was up. It was outlined in black, matching its zipper. She began walking down the ramp.

" **I used to be broke, confused, no joke!"**

 **Got used, smoked dope, pay dues, refused!**

 **To give up quick.**

 **Now it's ten million motherfuckers on my..."**

Shannon turned backwards midway down the ramp and pointed to her back side, which had "STORM" written in black on the buttocks of her white leggings. The original lyric in the song said, "Now it's ten million motherfuckers on my dick." The WWE didn't change the lyric, just like they didn't change the swearing. They just muffled the volume on certain choice words. But because Shannon knew this ahead of time, she very cleverly pointed to her own ass. It was a smart decision because there was double meaning behind it. To some, she was just pointing to her name, insulting the audience as if they needed to be reminded of who she was. To others, that was the proverbial gesture of telling the fans to "kiss her ass." Either way you looked at it, it made damn good sense to her. She'd get heat regardless.

" **So what? Say how? Say who?**

 **Fuck what? Fuck me? Fuck you!**

 **...I'm the illest fool!**

 **Cooler than the water in the swimming pool.**

 **Fly like a seagull, kick it like a beagle.**

 **More jams than a beetle from Liverpool.**

 **I deliver fool! (Now who the fuck are you?)**

 **I'm Kid muthafucking Rock from the 'Old School' !"**

The song continued as one of the cameramen focused on her while she made her way to the end of the ramp and approached the ring steps. She spoke into their camera, smirking as she did so.

"I'm walking out of here the same way I'm walking in: victorious in confidence, and victorious in the ring."

Danielle Moinet, also known as Summer Rae in the WWE, was Shannon's opponent, and was introduced next to a neutral reception. This was more so about Shannon and her Takeover debut; so the decision to put Summer in with Shannon was an intentional one by Paul. This was meant to be a squash match. Successful promotions usually build talents up before presenting them with a quality feud. You didn't see Shawn Michaels have his Pay Per View debut match as a singles competitor against the WWF Champion. And you weren't going to see Shannon take on a champion here.

The referee signaled for the bell to be rung so the match would be underway officially. Before Summer and Shannon locked up, Shannon inserted her mouth guard and held out her white, taped right hand for Summer Rae to shake it.

"Shannon Storm looks like she wants to show some...what would you say Corey?" asked Tom Phillips to his broadcast partner. "Solidarity? I guess losing to Bayley in a tag match on NXT TV with Apollo Crews and Tyler Breeze humbled her up. Maybe this is a sign of integrity."

Summer Rae looked at Shannon's hand, then at her face, and hesitated. Shannon held both hands up now, the right hand that was taped, and the left wrist and fingers that were taped, to show Summer that she empathized with her concerns. She then beckoned for the referee to come to her, and she shook his hand without an issue.

"You can trust her! You can trust her! You can trust her," chanted the audience encouraging Summer to go head and shake Shannon's hand, so the match could get started.

"The NXT Universe tends to think Shannon's turned the corner," Phillips continued. "Summer comes forward grabbing Shannon's hand...but Shannon kicks her in the gut and with the front facelock executes a quick snap suplex!"

"Our bad, Summer! Our bad, Summer! Our bad, Summer," the crowd apologized to Summer Rae for encouraging her to believe Shannon as she was blindsided by the attack.

 _These fucking NXT crowds make me smile! You guys are hilarious._

Shannon didn't cover Summer after the suplex on purpose. Summer rubbed her back with her left hand before she rolled over and took a moment to get up.

"Hey, that was just that one time," Shannon said to Summer, laughing through her mouth guard as she watched her get to her feet. "I was just playing. Come on. Let's go. I'm serious this time."

"Summer Rae raises her hands high for a test of strength, and Shannon Storm squats, but with her hands in the air," said Corey Graves. "Summer Rae lowers hers and locks with Shannon's."

Shannon didn't even ascend to try and out-power Summer. She remained low, quickly unclenched her fingers from Summer's grip, and went after Summer's thighs. She pivoted her own hips forward, causing the momentum of Summer's body to shift as she executed a double leg takedown.

"Summer now on her back...rolls over to her stomach, and Shannon gets on top of her riding her back before pulling Summer Rae's tights in an inside cradle...kickout at 1," Phillips explained trying to call the action as quickly as it happened. "You know Corey, I see what Summer's trying to do here, but I'm not sure if taking it to the mat is the best strategy against a collegiate amateur standout."

"For once, I would have to agree with you Tom," Graves said surprisingly. "Like Jordan and Gable, she too, is a Monarch on the mat. Look at her...drop toe hold on Summer Rae, right into the step over crossface."

"But Summer Rae with the height advantage," Phillips interrupted Graves. "Makes it quickly to the ropes."

"Shannon she's on the ropes," said referee Eddie Orengo. She wouldn't release the hold, so he started counting. "1, 2, 3, 4. Come on. Break it up." When Orengo got to four, he physically grabbed Shannon's arms that were pried on Summer Rae.

"What are you doing ref?" Shannon asked the referee as he pulled her, and she rose to her feet. "I have until five!" She yelled holding her hand out emphasizing the number. "You don't grab me at four! I have until five and you disqualify me at _six!_ What do you have against me? You're supposed to be impartial! Your shirt is black _and_ white! Do your damn job right Zebra man."

When Shannon turned around Summer Rae caught her with a DDT. Shannon rolled out of the ring to sell.

"Shannon needs to be more concerned about her opponent rather than cracking jokes on officials," said Phillips. "Looks like Summer can catch herself a break here. She's bought some time...on second thought, maybe not, running baseball slide by Summer Rae on a recovering Shannon Storm on the outside!"

"Let's go Summer, Let's go Summer," the audience started to shout. Even though Summer Rae wasn't a favorite of the crowd, and the smarks who were around were confident she wasn't winning the match, they were surprised that the match didn't end in seconds. They remembered two years ago when Ronda Rousey won the Divas championship defeating Nikki Bella on the Raw after Wrestlemania. The celebration was longer than the match itself. Summer delivered a trio of running knees to the middle rope to Shannon on every attempt she tried to get back in the ring. On her fourth attempt, Shannon caught her.

"Summer with yet another running...no!" yelled Corey Graves. "She gets caught up through the ropes...Shannon grabs hold of her legs, pulling her out, and nails Summer with a knee crusher on the apron...this is all Summer's fault! She went to the well _too_ many times. And even before that, remember the DDT she got on Shannon? Had she just stayed in the ring while Shannon was on the outside, she could've got a countout victory!"

"While you and Shannon Storm may not care how you acquire wins, I don't think Summer wanted to do it that way," said Tom Phillips. "Summer's rubbing her left knee in pain as she falls off the apron...and Shannon's backing away. Maybe she'll get back in the ring to interrupt the referee's count, who's now up to five."

Shannon backed a few feet away, but it was not to reenter the ring from another side. She delivered a running chop block to Summer's leg. When Summer reached for the bottom rope to pull herself up, Shannon chop blocked her again.

"Ahh!" screamed Summer as she curled up in a fetal position, holding her leg with one arm, and using her other to try and push Shannon away from her.

Shannon walked over to the commentary table and grabbed Corey Graves' bottle of water and removed the cap. She poured it on her back, face, and in her hair. The fans who were aware that she was a "Triple H Girl" may have thought this was some cool homage to him. But it really wasn't. Far from it actually. Even though she had fun matches on the independent scene and in Ring of Honor, those promotions didn't have the high quality of lighting that the WWE possessed. And since NXT replicated their sets after the main roster, they too, had grand lighting fixtures. Shannon didn't grab the water because she was being cute. She did it because she was hot. She tossed the bottle over to the crowd and continued on with the match.

Shannon climbed on the black barricade of the crowd. She had only been on the roster three months and they hadn't seen her do that before, not even at live events. She jumped from it delivering a double stomp between Summer's knee and shin.

"Perfectly _legal_ Tom!" Graves said emphatically. "I don't want to hear you whine. As long as she adheres to the referee's count of ten, she is doing nothing wrong. Summer was the one who brought the action outside."

Shannon heard the referee's count get to eight, so she rolled in to break it, before rolling backing out.

"Shut up!" Shannon screamed at Summer who continued to cradle her knee. She then picked her up, carried her to the steel steps and delivered another knee crusher on them, before lifting her again, tossing her in the ring through the middle ropes. Shannon slid inside, and grabbing both legs, made a cover.

"Here's another pin attempt," said Phillips. "1, 2, no! Summer in a lot of pain, clearly attempting to kick out would be ineffective, so she gets a shoulder up."

One of the cameramen picked up Shannon mutter "Dammit!" as Summer got the arm up preventing her victory. Shannon rolled on her own knee and pressed herself up. She was focused though, not irritated. She ran a hand through her ponytail before staring at Summer's lower half. She stomped her legs twenty times before pulling Summer's body in the center of the ring, and applying her submission finisher.

"Shannon grabs Summer's left leg, and puts the weight of her right hip on Summer's knee as she drops down to the canvas curling her own right leg between Summer's," Graves explained as she began to set up the move. "She crosses Summer's right leg over her left...Shannon raises her own free right leg and presses it right to the patela of Summer's knee...there it is...Storm Shield!"

The crowd yelled, "Woo!" thinking of Ric Flair. They were _warm_ , but not exactly hot.

"Storm's locked in a figure four on Rae as she screams in agony," cried Phillips.

"Don't feed into this crowd's stupidity Thomas!" yelled Graves. "Yes, you've annoyed me that much that I'm now calling you Thomas. That is _not_ the figure four. It is an Indian Deathlock, a modified version of a figure four leglock. More precision. More technique. A time-tested hold. I haven't seen it used in decades. Look at Storm, who has it perfectly executed, raising her pelvic region, while still on her back for added pressure. She's relentless with it!"

After about ten seconds in this position, Shannon, still with her legs entwined with Summer's, pressed herself up. She rose to her feet, then threw herself strongly to the canvas, torso first.

"And now..." Graves continued. "Shannon rolls on her stomach. Doing so creates the maximum amount of leverage!"

"Looks like she's doing push ups," remarked Phillips. "Is she mocking Summer Rae simultaneously as she puts her in the hold?"

"No. Not at all," Graves corrected him. "As she continues to elevate her chest from this plank position, with that leverage advantage, she is essentially transferring her entire body weight to the knee and lower leg region of Summer. Beautiful, textbook, and to no surprise folks: Summer's tapping right away."

"Can't argue with that Corey," said Phillips with a nod. "Shannon was just tenacious with the lower leg attack when she saw an opening on Summer. Summer did the right thing by tapping. Sometimes you have to live to fight another day. And just like that, Shannon is two for two. She's not undefeated on NXT, but has been victorious on both her NXT weekly webisode and Takeover debuts."

Shannon snatched away from the referee's grasp as he raised her hand in the air, following Eden announcing her as the winner. She climbed out of the ring right away, grabbed her vest, and looked for the main camera as her music blasted in the arena.

Shannon removed her mouth guard and clipped it around her ear before she spoke to the camera. "What more needs to be said? My talent speaks for itself."

Following Shannon's match, Tyler Breeze defeated Samoa Joe and Apollo Crews in a triple threat match. Joe, who had Crews hoisted on his shoulders for the Muscle Buster walked right into the Beauty Shot kick from Breeze. As he fell, he dropped Crews with him nailing the Muscle Buster, and Breeze covered Joe. The finish made for a great visual because Samoa Joe had his arms across Crews, but Breeze was on top of Joe, so from the referee's vantage point, both men were being pinned by Breeze. It was as though Breeze was the undisputed and decisive victor.

Other matches on NXT Takeover: Power included Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady defeating the Vaudevillians for a future tag team title shot against newly crowned champions Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Baron Corbin for the number one contendership for a future NXT Championship match against "The Demon," Finn Bálor. NXT Women's Champion Bayley defeated Dana Brooke, Becky Lynch, and Asuka in a fatal four way match to retain her championship. The main event saw Fergal Devitt, who was NXT Champion Finn Bálor, defeat Hideo Itami, retaining his title. Despite Shinsuke Nakamura winning the number one contendership for the NXT title earlier in the night, the fans were shocked at the conclusion of the main event. As Finn Bálor celebrated his win, Bobby Roode made his NXT debut nailing Finn with his Roode Bomb finisher to close the show.

* * *

When Shannon made it backstage, she checked her Twitter account to view the fans' reception of the show under the hashtag #NXTTakeover. She didn't plan on responding to any of them. She just wanted to see how much the crowd enjoyed the event. But there was one tweet she was tagged in that she did feel compelled to respond to, in character of course.

 **New tweet** from user: **AtAdam_luvsBayley:**

"Hey, **AtSStormWWE** , I hope you get hurt and break something. You suck and your a bitch!" #NXTTakeover

 **AtSStormWWE: "AtAdam_luvsBayley** : "I am a bitch. I'm just not yours. Someone doesn't know the difference between the possessive 'your' and pronoun 'you're.' Before you unpack the insults, unpack a composition book and a dictionary. Webster and Oxford are great pals. #WeatherTheGrammar first, and then maybe you can #WeatherTheStorm."

She felt compelled to respond because being called a bitch just three months on a roster where she was new to the audience-unless some of them watched independent promotions-was good progress. She wanted to keep the steam rolling.

* * *

 **April 1st, 2017, 12:00 Noon**

 **Target Field, Minnesota Twins Ball park**

It was the day before Wrestlemania and one of the last events offered to the fans during Access week was a baseball game between the NXT and main rosters. "Team Game," which was captained by Paul consisted of heel men and women of both the WWE and NXT brands. "Team Pain," which was captained by hometown favorite Brock Lesnar, represented the babyfaces of the two rosters. All proceeds of the ticket sales from the game would go to the charities of each captain's choice. The money would be split sixty-forty between the winners and losers. Paul's team played for Conor's Cure, a charity that he and Stephanie started in honor of the late Daniel Bryan's super fan Conor "The Crusher" Michalek, who died two years ago of childhood cancer. Brock Lesnar's team played for former WWE talent and Harvard Graduate Christopher Norwitski's foundation for concussion research on contact-sport athletes, which Paul served as a board member of.

"Team Game" jerseys were black, white, and silver. On the front of the jersey, which was black itself, were two sledgehammers sticking out of the left and right sides of a white skull. The numbers were in white beneath the skull and outlined in silver. The back of the jerseys had players' numbers enlarged in the center of the same color scheme. Instead of individual names across the shoulder blades, Triple H's old 1999 hHh logo was displayed, again repeating the silver and white color scheme. "Team Pain's" jerseys were red, white, and black. The jersey itself was red and in the front was a white sword, outlined in black, followed by players' numbers. The sword was an exact replica of the one tattooed on Lesnar's chest. The back of the jersey had the numbers enlarged in the center, with "LESNAR" across the shoulder blades, repeating the white and black color scheme.

Mauro Ranallo, life long fan of professional wrestling who'd been commentating for eighteen months for the Smackdown show, was calling the ball game, which was streaming live on the WWE Network for those who were not in attendance. Prior to joining the WWE, he did commentary for NJPW, Strikeforce MMA, kickboxing, and Showtime Boxing. He definitely provided the feeling of "big time sports" legitimacy to the company; so he didn't hesitate to offer his services for the event after finishing the Smackdown tapings for the week.

"Folks, we are underway with Chairman, CEO, and fourteen time World Champion Triple H, approaching the plate," said Ranallo.

Paul noticed The Big Show, who was "Team Pain's" pitcher, raising his arm about to wind up for a pitch, when he shouted, "Hey big man! What's going on? I don't get a few practice swings?"

"Hey dude, you're 'The Game', right?" Big Show responded with a grin. "You don't need any."

"I guess you're right," said Paul who joined Big Show in smiling. This game, which was recommended by Shannon in January to be resurrected from the Summerslam weekend of the 1990s for Wrestlemania Access week, was for charity. But it was also a time for them to have fun. The Hall of Fame ceremony was tonight and Wrestlemania was tomorrow. Big Show threw the ball.

"Big Show throws the slider at a slant, and it's headed Triple H's way," Ranallo said beginning the call. "He swings and it's going...going...Randy Orton, heading toward the warning track, jogs backwards. He's playing center field. Maybe he can grab it. We know he has great elevation with those dropkicks," Ranallo's volume increased with excitement. "But _not_ high enough! That ball is _gone_! Oh my goodness ladies and gentlemen, in the first inning, on the first pitch, with the very first swing, the captain himself delivers a home run putting his team on the board!"

Big Show shook his head in disappointment. Randy Orton couldn't believe he did not snag the ball before it exited the ball park and smashed someone's car window across the street. The "Team Game" dugout was full of celebration as teammates cheered and exchanged high fives while Paul jogged across the bases.

"It's all about the game and how you play it... _literally_ ," joked Tyler.

"Haha. I know he played little league like a year before he dropped everything, falling in love with wrestling and bodybuilding," Shannon replied. "But damn. I guess he never lost that power stroke!"

Shannon's comment was rather poignant. During an episode of Smackdown in 2000, the then WWF showed some behind the scenes footage of D-Generation X filming their music video at Times Square in New York City when Run DMC performed a remix to the stable's theme called, "The Kings." After the sequence when the group exited the limousine and partied at the club, there was a cut scene where DX walks through an alley, leading to a large, open space. Chaos then ensues and riots erupt. Triple H starts smashing a burning car with a baseball bat. At the end of the behind the scenes clip on Smackdown, the music video director revealed that they only brought ten bats to set and Triple H destroyed every last one of them during the takes. Luckily, the tenth and final bat didn't snap completely until after he got the shots and angles he needed. After seeing Triple H smash the windshield and windows, completely unaffected by the glass popping up, cutting him right above the eye, the director joked that he could be a starter for MLB's Boston Red Sox anyday if he decided to hang up the wrestling boots for baseball cleats.

"Up next, quite fittingly is 'Mrs. Game,' Stephanie McMahon," said Ranallo. "Can luck strike twice for the Helmsleys?"

"We're just getting started Show! Bring it on," Stephanie yelled at Big Show as she approached home plate with her bat in hand. He struck Stephanie out.

"Well I guess someone forgot to tell Stephanie that she doesn't have to swing at _every single_ pitch," said Ranallo. "Now approaching the plate is NXT Superstar Shannon Storm, who looks to me... _more_ than prepared."

Everyone on both teams wore sneakers and either shorts or sweatpants with their jerseys. Shannon however, loved going all out and committing to character. It didn't have to be for a match. This charity game was supposed to be fun and to her, part of having that fun was making the experience also _cool_. Prior to the game starting, earlier in the day, she contacted the Minnesota Twins' training staff and asked them to supply her with some actual MLB licensed gloves, hard hat, cleats, shin guards, socks, and pants. She topped her uniform with some eye paint. While many teammates of both sides shook their heads, Bayley smiled on from the "Team Pain" bench. Shannon was her best friend and she totally got it. That wasn't Shannon trying to upstage anyone. That was her having a blast.

"You do realize you're still a member of the WWE and _not_ on an actual audition for a Major League Baseball team right?" asked Big Show to Shannon, who grinned at his comment.

"Big Show wrenches back and pitches a curveball to Shannon...Strike one!" said Ranallo. "She swings and misses."

"Show are you pitching to me underhanded because I'm a woman?" Shannon asked placing the bat on her right shoulder, while raising her left arm in the air. "What's up with that?"

" _No_. I'm pitching underhanded because you're so damn short," he retorted back. Big Show threw another pitch.

"Big Show throws another underhanded pitch. This one's a changeup. And Shannon connects," Ranallo stated. "Oh, but she doesn't get all of it! It barely goes down the right field line. Big Show is waving off Roman Reigns, who is the back catcher for Lesnar's 'Team Pain.' Roman was close enough to grab the ball and toss it to first base! Show jogs down from the mound...and Oh no! Horrible toss from Show to John Cena, who is at first base. As Shannon crosses first base, Cena cowers over in pain as Big Show hit him in the crotch, instead of tossing the ball at his glove!"

"Team Pain" was not off to the best of starts. Thus far, they already gave up a score with Paul's home run, and now when they had an opportunity for a second out after eliminating Stephanie, Big Show made a careless mistake, aiding Shannon to get on base. After Shannon made it successfully to the base, she hopped away for a few yards. Big Show turned to her, and asked if she was alright. She held her thumbs up, and limped back to first base.

Up next was Kevin Owens. When he approached the plate he raised his right hand up to Big Show as though he wanted to warn him of something.

"Wait a second, wait a second. I don't do baseball, I'm Canadian!" shouted Owens. "And so is that guy," he continued pointing to Tyler. In kayfabe, Tyler's hometown was "Prettyland," but Kevin-when he did break kayfabe-was selective about it in the WWE, and it wasn't so over the top as he could be when he broke character in other promotions. "Where's the ice? Where's the hockey pucks?" As Kevin hilariously whined about needing to properly warm up as baseball was not Canada's pastime, Big Show grew tired of the tirade and just tossed a ball at Owens, who ducked. Big Show however, took his eye off Shannon. The second the baseball left Big Show's fingers, Shannon took off running and stole second base.

"What the-how did she? She was just limping moments ago!" Ranallo shouted. Shannon raised her index finger and pointed to her head. Her teammates gave her a thumbs up. "Well ladies and gentlemen, these are WWE Superstars after all. And if you're going to be a part of 'Team Game,' I guess you ought to be 'that damn good,' pun absolutely intended!" Shannon knew they were playing a fun game for charity. WWE did not explicitly state though that there were any rules against playing possum to take advantage of Lesnar's very confused infield.

The superstars, like the real MLB players, played a full nine innings. Seth Rollins made an impressive grab and stole Brock Lesnar's home run that was mere inches away from escaping Rollins' glove. That moment was a huge killing of momentum for "Team Pain." Rollins somersaulted over the stands on the reach for the ball, and Lesnar's team was already behind. In the seventh inning, Tyler literally picked up the third base he was defending, preventing Bayley from crossing it. By the final inning, "Team Game" was winning 6-3. All things considered, Dave Batista, who was not active on the roster but flew in just to be a part of the charity event, pitched a solid game; and his defense-both the infield and outfield-were doing their part. "Team Pain" was down to their final out. Batista decided to intentionally walk the next three batters: Adrian Neville, Dean Ambrose, and Dolph Ziggler because he was confident he could strike out the last batter on the line up: John Cena. Facing a 3-2 pitch, Batista's decision although it was strategic, proved very costly as Cena did the unthinkable.

"Batista, looking very poised here, delivering a fastball on the 3-2 pitch..." Ranallo conveyed. "Cena swings and it could be...it's long enough...home run by the fifteen time World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena! Down to the very last swing, Cena pulls out a beauty! The grand slam causes all runners-including himself-to cross the bases, ending the game! "Team Pain," who was down the entire time, gets saved by the Cenation leader with a final score of 7-6. I will not at all be surprised if he's named MVP. I'm Mauro Ranallo. On behalf of the WWE, have a great afternoon everyone! Tune in tonight at 7:00 PM Eastern standard time, 6:00 PM Central, for coverage of the Red Carpet Hall of Fame pre-show, with the actual Hall of Fame ceremony immediately following at 8:00 PM. And of course tomorrow night we return right here in Target Field for Wrestlemania 33, live on Pay Per View and the award-winning WWE Network!"

* * *

 **Later that evening, 6:00 PM**

 **Tyler's Hotel Room**

Tyler heard a knock on his door, figuring it would be Shannon, so didn't hesitate answering right away.

"Hey! How'd you know I'd be wearing white?" Shannon asked in excitement. "Did Pam tell you?"

"Well hello to you too," Tyler said as he smiled. "No, she didn't tell me. No disrespect to dudes who choose to wear everything in all black all of the time. Real men of sophistication aren't afraid to embrace a balance, or even variety in a color scheme."

Tyler wore a black and white tuxedo. The dinner jacket was white, with black buttons and a black grosgrain silk shawl lapel. Complimenting the lapel, he had a black pocket square of the same material in the left breast pocket. Under the jacket, he wore a white executive tailored-fit, spread collar French cuff shirt, and classic silver oval cuff links from Tiffany and Company at the end of the sleeves. The slacks were black poly-rayon, with solid white stripes down the side of each pant leg. Because he wore a single breasted jacket, instead of a vest, Tyler opted for a black cummerbund. Some men decided to do without vests and cummerbunds for a more relaxed look, but to Tyler, it defied the whole point of a black-tie affair. This wasn't a casual outing, but a formal event. So the standards of dress should be higher. The shoes were white Concorde cap toe Oxfords by Stacy Adams with black shoelaces. His hair was straightened and down.

As Shannon entered his room, Tyler closed the door behind her and admired her look.

"See, I told you we'd be fine. You look gorgeous by the way."

Shannon wore a white, long, form-fitting strapless dress with a cape train that draped from the midpoint of her shoulder blade. Both the color and tight fit made the gown simplistically elegant and timeless. The dress having a cape starting from the midpoint instead of directly on the shoulders because it was a strapless gown, gave it just a little bit of modern edge, without losing sophistication.

She wore nude peep toe pumps, her hair in a side twisted bun, and carried a small cream wristlet. For jewelry, Shannon wore a silver tone, diamond infinity bracelet on each wrist, dangling aqua-marine blue tear drop earrings, and coil wrapped sterling silver rings on her thumbs. She did not wear a necklace: the cut of the strapless dress made her collarbone, neckline, and cleavage the accessory in the chest area. She completed the look by going light on the makeup: basic foundation all over the face, soft pink blush on the cheeks, and Million Dollar Mocha lip gloss from the Covergirl Queen Collection. She never overdid it with make-up normally, and this was no exception. After all, the dress was suppose to be the star here.

"Thanks. Do you mind if I tie it?" Shannon asked noticing the long black fabric dangling around Tyler's neck. For a bit of flair, he decided to contrast the lapel and stripe of his pants with a velvet fabric for his tie, which he purchased from The Tie Bar. "I love when men wear real ones and not that clip on bullshit."

"You know how to tie a bow tie?" Tyler asked raising an eyebrow.

Shannon laughed as she shook her head. "No. I just wanted to see if you'd let me try. I tried learning by watching tutorial videos posted on YouTube, but I could never figure it out."

"May I?" Tyler asked, extending his palms out in front of Shannon. She placed her hands in his and he lead her to his bed, sitting on it, while she remained standing. Still holding hands, Tyler raised Shannon's hands to his neck, twisted, and guided her fingers along the fabric. Tyler didn't need to look down as he tied ties countless of times. They stared at each other intently, not that they were pugnaciously trying to cause the other to blink. Tyler and Shannon gazed at each other almost as if they were examining their pupils for answers. But there were no questions.

"There you have it," Tyler said breaking the silence. "You've tied your first bow tie Mark."

"With your help," Shannon added. "Does the blue in your eyes always grow intense in shade when you're focused on something?" She asked, still not letting go of Tyler's bow tie despite it finally being fixed.

"Perhaps," he said shrugging his shoulders. "Can't say I really noticed. Does the bit of brown always compete against the green in yours?"

"Maybe," she replied.

Tyler removed her hands from his bow tie and stood up. "So how do I look?"

"Dashingly Dapper," Shannon responded, and Tyler bent down to polish his shoes with a cloth one last time.

"Thank you," said Tyler. He grabbed his hotel and car keys, buttoned his jacket, then folded his right arm to Shannon. "Shall we?"

Shannon grabbed hold of his arm with her left. "Let's."

* * *

 **Hall of Fame Red Carpet Event**

 **New tweet** from User **: AtIHeartDivas:**

"Okay, okay, okay, so I KNOW this is supposed to be all about the legends tonight, but **AtSStormWWE** is #SLAYING with that gown at the **AtWWE** HOF pre-show! And having **AtMmmGorgeous** in a few pics as #ArmCandy ain't bad either! ;)"

Shannon didn't willingly take self portraits with anyone, or post anything from this weekend's festivities to her own personal Twitter account. And she kept to her promise of not making a Periscope, SnapChat, or any other account from all the other popular social media platforms. However WWE photographers were capturing the moments throughout the entire Wrestlemania Weekend. This event was no different. They uploaded a few photos from all of the Superstars and Divas-past and present-who were in attendance during the pre-show for the Hall of Fame. A fan must have seen a photo of Shannon posted on the WWE's Instagram page. It was a compliment though. So with a sigh, she responded again, in character:

 **AtSStormWWE:** "Thanks **AtIHeartDivas**. Anything less than the best is a felony. Right, **AtVanillaIce?**

#IfThereWasAProblemYoI'llSolveIt #CheckOutTheHookWhileMyDJRevolvesIt #WordToYa'Mutha' "

* * *

 **Hours later at the 2017 Hall of Fame Ceremony**

The ceremony took place like the baseball game from earlier in downtown Minneapolis. However unlike the baseball game and Wrestlemania tomorrow, the Hall of Fame was indoors, inside the Target Arena, home of the NBA team, Minnesota Timberwolves. Following the 2013 ceremony, the WWE decided to have The Script's "Hall of Fame" song remain the annual theme for the induction of each forthcoming class. "The Rocket," Owen Hart, "Mr. Perfect" Kurt Hennig, Bull Nakano, "The Whole Fucking Show," Rob Van Dam, and Jushin "Thunder" Liger, were all inducted at the evening's Hall of Fame ceremony.

"For our next induction, please welcome NXT Superstar Shannon Storm," announced Howard Finkel who served as the master of ceremony this evening. Shannon was escorted by Damien Sandow to the podium of the stage to make the next induction. Even though Tyler was her date to the event, joined her at the Red Carpet pre-show, and sat with her in the audience until the staff gave her the signal to report backstage, the WWE always had Divas escort the male inductees and inductors to the stage. So they did the same thing for any women who were inducting or being inducted at the ceremony. It was a way to get more talent seen-even if briefly on television-if they weren't used in a predominant role in more significant storylines.

Shannon smirked at the very light applause she received.

 _Good to know the people in the building watch "the other show."_

She pressed her hands firmly on the podium, and waited for the audience to stop before she spoke.

"In 1998 when most young girls were playing with Malibu Barbie, five year old me was playing with pro-wrestling action figures. Some of the girls in my neighborhood would ask, 'Are you trying to be like Ms. Elisabeth?' I'd smile at them, shake my head, and reply 'No.' When I was thirteen and most girls my age were prepping for high school cheerleading tryouts, I was preparing to join my school's amateur wrestling squad. Some of the young ladies asked me, 'Are you trying to be the next Alundra Blaze?' And I would repeat my reply of 'No.' While I too respected people like Alundra, Mae, Luna, Dawn, Liz, and a host of other women in our great sport-I knew then as I always did-who I wanted to be like. I wanted to be like _Chyna_."

The audience applauded, as they realized who Shannon was inducting, and she smiled. Because Chyna deserved it. Shannon continued her speech.

"You see Chyna set a standard of her own, and that standard to me, began with two words: 'Why not?' People do not want to see a ripped, female, physical specimen in professional wrestling," Shannon said with a smug look on her face, mocking the criticism from promoters. "And Chyna thought, 'why not?' "

"People don't want to see men get beat up by women. And Chyna thought, 'why not?' Women can't _draw_ in professional wrestling," Shannon remarked, shaking her head. "But when Triple H and Shawn Michaels saw a young Chyna a year or so removed from wrestling school, working out in a hotel gym in New England twenty years ago-they rushed to Vince McMahon-urging him to sign her with the same question in mind…"

The audience shouted " ** _Why_ _not_**?" for Shannon.

"Damn straight," Shannon responded to them with another smile. And then pressed on.

"Chyna went on to become the _first_ woman to compete in the Royal Rumble match. The _only_ woman to both qualify _and_ advance in the King of the Ring tournament. The _only_ woman to become number one contender for the WWE Heavyweight Championship. The _only_ woman to become Intercontinental Champion. You see, Chyna didn't simply want to _be_ one of the boys. She wanted to _beat_ the boys."

The audience laughed, including many of the WWE Superstars in the front row.

"Many years ago, I viewed Chyna as a pioneer, and a hero. 'Xena: The Warrior Princess,' is what I called her in my head because she always looked gorgeous kicking butt. Now that I am an NXT Superstar, I view her...still as a hero," Shannon remarked with a laugh. "But also as a mentor and a friend. Chyna has accomplished a lot of firsts in her career, and I am both honored and privileged to bestow upon her one more. Ladies and gentlemen, the first woman to be inducted _twice_ in one night at the WWE Hall of Fame-as both a singles competitor and later tonight as a member of a faction-let's happily welcome back to the family, the Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna!"

" **Don't treat me like a woman.**

 **Don't treat me like a man.**

 **Don't treat me like you know me.**

 **Treat me for just who and what I am!"**

The lyrics to Chyna's theme music played and out walked Chyna, who was not seen on WWE programming since 2001. She had on a long, emerald green gown with a "V" neck and cap sleeves. Chyna was escorted to the stage by Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, holding her silver bazooka in her opposite arm not entwined with his. When he left her, she shot streamers from the bazooka to the left and right sections of the arena.

Chyna placed her bazooka on the floor and walked towards Shannon. The Miz jogged back on the stage to grab the bazooka, so other people wouldn't trip over it. Even though Shannon's six inch heels brought her height up to five foot nine, she still had to reach for Chyna's neck, who with just three inch gold, metallic, brocade pumps by Oscar de la Renta stood at six foot, one. Shannon hugged her for a full ten seconds.

"Why are you crying?" asked Chyna still holding onto Shannon during the hug. "This is my moment!"

"Because this is _so_ surreal for me," Shannon replied in Chyna's ear. "Thank you for asking me to do this."

When Paul made the phone call to Chyna that he wanted to induct her in the Hall of Fame and she accepted, he asked who would she want to induct her. Chyna wanted Paul and Shawn to induct her since they were the ones that convinced Vince McMahon to hire her in 1997 when he originally was very adamantly against it. Paul told her that he didn't think that idea was for the best. It wasn't that he didn't feel humbled by the request, but felt that he and Shawn inducting her would take her moment away from her. They were a part of another induction in the night and despite them ending their romantic relationship, he never wished anything negative for her professionally. He always believed her accomplishments were earned and she deserved to be enshrined with the company's ultimate accolade, despite what many fans on the internet spread about his thoughts on her otherwise.

Chyna then asked him if there were any fans of hers from the new crop of talent and Shannon's name was mentioned at the very top of the list. Chyna then found excerpts of interviews from various media outlets online where Shannon named Chyna as one of her influences. So she called Paul back and confirmed that she would like Shannon to induct her. Paul asked Shannon when he was finalizing the list if she would do it, just as protocol. But he was confident that she'd be both shocked and thrilled to do it. He was right.

Shannon rubbed Chyna's back and whispered "Congratulations," before linking up again with Sandow to head off to the side of the stage where all the inductors sat.

After Chyna made her speech and was escorted by The Miz back to the side of the stage with the other inductees, the room went dark for about thirty seconds. During that time, a member of the stage crew in dark clothing placed something on the podium. Chyna left the stage, and a four minute video started playing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, to make the seventh and final induction of the 2017 Hall of Fame ceremony, please welcome 2006 Hall of Fame inductee, Bret "The Hitman" Hart!" Finkel announced.

Bret's speech was rather lengthy as he started going on a tangent about particular people. Eventually, he brought it home.

"If you would've told me twenty years ago when I called some good workers-who in my view happened to be real punks behind the scenes-nothing more than a bunch of degenerates…"

The crowd roared. Bret grunted as he waited for the audience to calm down before he continued.

"That they would go on to become equally important individually as they were collectively, contributing to the business' growth in popularity with such a cult-like, loyal following, I would've told you that you were just as full of shit as those assholes were. But I've grown since then-as have they-and I find it very fitting that after burying the proverbial hatchet, I am the one saying, your final inductees in the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2017: Degeneration X!"

" **Are you ready?"**

Bret left the podium and went to the side of the stage where the inductors sat, as the base drum, then cymbals were tapped twice, and the DX theme music began to play. The lights went out for a second time.

" **You think you can tell us what to do?**

 **You think you can tell us what to wear?**

 **You think that you're better?**

 **Well you better get ready,**

 **To bow to the masters.**

 **Break it down!"**

More cheers from the fans, including today's superstars, filled the crowd as the sick guitar riff from the track played on. The lights returned, but were now glimmering in green and black. A spotlight circled the area before stopping at Chris Warren on the far side of the second level of the arena, who was accompanied by the DX Band. Yes, indeed folks. These degenerates were not only played to the ring for Wrestlemanias 14 and 16, but at their damn Hall of Fame induction ceremony too. But honestly marks, would you expect it any other way?

Howard Finkel, who was waiting on the far side of the stage, raised the microphone to his face and spoke.

"Presenting, Degeneration X! A former Intercontinental Champion, 'The Insurance Policy,' 'Ravishing' Rick Rude."

The lights returned with the cameras zooming in on a large portrait of Rick Rude on the front of the podium. This was what the member of the stage crew in dark clothing jogged on the stage to prepare during the playing of the video package.

Some fans whistled, while others clapped, appreciating the gesture of class by the WWE to include Rude posthumously in the induction. For a few seconds, a "We miss Rick" chant started.

" **Degenerate ain't just nothing fools!**

 **We just got tired of doing what you told us to do!"**

"The first ever, grand slam winner, obtaining the WWE Tag Team Championship, the European Championship, Intercontinental Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, and winner of the Royal Rumble, and King of the Ring. 'The Showstopper.' 'The Icon.' 'The Main Event.' 'Mr. Wrestlemania.' 'The Heartbreak Kid,' Shawn Michaels!"

Shawn walked out and with huge grin on his face, returned the audience's applause, and mouthed the words, "Thank You" to them. Tonight, he would be joining Ric Flair, as the second person to be inducted in two different WWE Hall of Fame ceremonies. In 2008, Ric Flair was inducted as a singles performer. In 2012, he was inducted as a member of The Four Horseman stable. Shawn was inducted as a singles performer in 2011. Tonight, he'd get his second Hall of Fame ring with DX.

" **That's the brakes boy!**

 **Yeah!**

 **That's the brakes little man!**

 **Break it down!"**

"The second ever grand slam winner, record holder for most Hell In the Cell appearances, as well a participant in the longest Hell in a Cell match to date, sharing the record with the man soon to be standing next to him, your Chairman and CEO: 'The Monarch of the Mat.' 'The King of Kings.' 'The Cerebral Assassin.' 'The Game,' Triple H!" Just as excited as the crowd was for the induction of Degeneration X, Howard Finkel's spewing of statistics enhanced their excitement even more.

Paul walked out with his arms crossed in an "X," and the crowd followed suit. When they did, he spit out water in their direction. All of the men were wearing black tuxedos with white shirts and black ties. Paul was the only one who decided to wear everything in black, including his shirt and tie. He didn't even wear a bow tie like the others did. He opted for a solid, jet black thick, neck tie. He always said, "Chicks dig a rebel." He proved it here too.

" **Degeneration X!**

 **Degeneration!"**

"The first woman participant in the Royal Rumble, the _only_ woman participant in a King of the Ring tournament, and the _only_ woman to hold both the Intercontinental and Women's Championships. Tonight, the _only_ woman to be inducted twice at the same ceremony. One more time Minneapolis, the Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna!"

There were cheers throughout, but some fans shed tears of joy. It was fair to say a vast majority thought they would never see the day that Chyna and Triple H would ever be on WWE television together again, especially on a joyous occasion. It was unreal.

Chyna came back out waving with a smile before standing next to Paul. This was it. Rick Rude, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Chyna. That was the original D-Generation X. They were the founding fathers. Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words.

" **You think you can tell me what to do?**

 **You know who you're talking to?"**

"A European Champion, a Tag Team Champion, a member of 'The Kliq', X-Pac!"

But they weren't done. And rightfully so. DX didn't end with Shawn, Chyna, Rick, and Triple H. When Shawn left for back surgery after Wrestlemania 14, Triple H started the genesis of D-Generation X. And just like his promo on the Monday Night Raw following Wrestlemania in 1998, "when you start a new army, you go to your blood. You go to your buddies. You go to 'The Kliq.' " Howard Finkel got the order right. So far so good.

X-Pac came out wearing his traditional bandana around his head doing crotch chops and sticking his tongue out. The fans marked out. He greeted Shawn and Paul with "The Kliq's" Russian Wolf symbol, and kissed Chyna on the cheek after a brief hug, before standing next to her.

" **Well you better get used to how the way the ball bounces!**

 **I see what ya' got. It's measured in ounces!"**

"A Hardcore Champion, a multi-time Tag Team Champion, and one half on the New Age Outlaws: the 'Road Dogg' Jesse James!"

Roadie came out doing his shake, rattle, and roll signature dance, before hugging everyone. He then stared at Rick Rude's picture for a moment before coming back to stand next to X-Pac.

" **You think you're a big man?**

 **Ha, ha, ha.**

 **I'll treat you like you're a little man!"**

"An Intercontinental Champion, a King of the Ring Winner, a multi-time Tag Team Champion, and the other half of the New Age Outlaws: 'Badass' Billy Gunn!"

Billy walked out a few feet, turned around and wiggled his backside before greeting the rest of the members. Paul smirked because he knew they weren't quite done.

" **Yo, tell me what it's like to be a little man.**

 **It must break your heart to see what I am!"**

"A former Women's Champion, and Chief Brand Officer of the WWE, Stephanie McMahon!"

Stephanie walked on the stage wearing a long, lime green, shining sequins gown with an "A" line, spaghetti straps and back cutouts. A "This Is Epic," chant began.

Even though everyone was in formal attire: suits and gowns, they all wore a green and black "DX" broach clipped to the left side of their chest. The crowd went absolutely bat shit crazy and gave the group a standing ovation. Inducting Degeneration X in general was truly a moment to be cherished. But to have Triple H, Chyna, _and_ Stephanie McMahon all involved in the induction and appear on stage together, in peace? Well, you couldn't write better storylines than that. And the beautiful irony, was that it was all real. Very real and very present.

" **But that's the brake boy!**

 **That's the brakes little man!**

 **D-generation X!**

 **D-generation!"**

Shawn grabbed Rick Rude's portrait, and all of the members held hands, raising their arms in the air while their music began to fade out as the DX Band wrapped up. Shawn placed Rick Rude's picture back in front of the podium, and everyone on stage did a crotch chop. It was a very good thing that the camera crew focused on DX and the audience, but not the inductors. Because Shannon was an absolute mess on stage, balling her eyes out at how magical a moment that was. Not just for it to happen, but to be a part of it in some respects as she inducted Chyna earlier-and to witness everyone together in the flesh.

When the music ended, Paul and Shawn remained on stage to give the acceptance speech in behalf of D-Generation X, while the other members went to the inductee side of the stage.

"Wow, uh," said Paul rubbing his eye. "You just uh, you just never know…"

The crowd interrupted him shouting, "Three Words For You: Hall of Fame! Three Words For You: Hall of Fame!" The reception from the audience was getting to him, and Shawn being his best friend could tell, so tried to interrupt.

"It's true," Shawn said, affirming the crowd's chants. "And it's um…it's very…"

"D-X is immortal, D-X is immortal, D-X is immortal!" Now the audience interrupted Shawn, and it got to him too. Although it wasn't planned, Roadie left his seat and jogged over to Paul and Shawn, throwing an arm around them both.

"Guys, guys," Roadie began. "I know you're going to say sweet nothings about us, but if this is the last time you're going to have me on live TV boss man," Roadie said, directing the last remark to Paul. He knew Paul hated being called that, but that was Roadie's way of getting Paul back in character, and snap out of he and Shawn's sappiness because they had a speech to give.

"I've got to do this one...last...time," Roadie grinned and removed the microphone from its stand on the podium. He walked a few feet away from it and squatted as close to the front of the stage, inches away from the audience, as possible.

"LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLadies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages. D-Generation X proudly brings to you the most awesome, the most epic, Hall of Fame induction in the worrrrrrrlllld: 'Ravishing' Rick, HBK, the lovely Ninth Wonder, The Game, his Queen Steph, the X-P-A to the C, she's not with us, but let's not forget about the green machine, Torie! And last-but for _damn_ sure not least-your most charismatic WWE Tag Team Champions of the worrrrlllllld, the 'Road Dogg' Jessie James, the 'Badass' Billy Gunn: the New Age Outlaws!"

The audience laughed.

"She's all yours boys." Roadie placed the microphone back in the stand on the podium, gave Paul and Shawn a slap on the back, then returned to his seat. That was enough to get them back on track to deliver their speech.

Shawn called Chyna back to podium, and she greeted him. He grabbed the photo of "Ravishing" Rick Rude another time while dangling his arms over both Chyna and Paul, telling the crowd, "these are the originals baby." The audience was truly in awe as Shawn and Paul seemed to be feeding into the fans' energy, taking the moment in.

After about ten minutes of remarks from Shawn, Paul spoke to the crowd for the same length of time. He ended his speech by joking, "Out of all of the crazy things we did Shawn contributing to putting WCW out of business, why is it after maturing and having families we _finally_ realize that it was never D-X versus the NWO? It was just 'The Kliq' versus _itself_." Shawn ended their time at the podium agreeing with Paul saying, "Twenty years later whether you like us, love us, or still hate our guts, we'll _always_ have two words for ya'!" The crowd erupted with a "Suck It," before "Break it Down" played again. Everyone returned center stage where their pictures were taken by WWE photographers, and some fans attempted to do the same with their smartphones.

* * *

 **April 2nd, 2017**

 **Wrestlemania, Target Field**

Dolph Ziggler kicked off the show cutting a promo about going on a "streak of greatness." This "streak of greatness" that he guaranteed the audience would begin by "defeating a former World Champion." A surprise return of Kurt Angle-who had not appeared on WWE television in eleven years-shocked the fans. They were even more surprised when he lost to Ziggler. The next match saw Doc Gallows and "Machine Gun" Karl Anderson defeat The New Day to retain their WWE Tag Team Championships. "The Phenomenal One," AJ Styles defeated John Cena clean with the Styles Clash. Following the match the fans shouted, "About damn time," signaling a clean John Cena lost-by anyone, heel or face, was long overdo. And those were just the first three matches.

Tyson Kidd defeated Stardust to retain his Intercontinental Championship, countering the Beautiful Disaster Kick into the Sharpshooter. Natayla defeated Paige to become the new Divas Champion. Kevin Owens defeated Brock Lesnar, who countered Owen's Pop up Powerbomb, but was later countered when Kevin delivered an F-5 to Brock of his own. It was a great moment for Kevin to get some heat. It was one thing beating a hometown favorite. But this hometown favorite wasn't an ordinary man. It was Brock Lesnar. The Cruiserweight Championship was reinstated. It was a title that was deemed exclusive to the NXT brand on the WWE Network, but it was the first time ever an NXT match was contested live at a Wrestlemania, not the pre-show, or even at the brand's Takeover. Rich Swan defeated a returning Justin Gabriel to win the crown.

The main event saw Cesaro retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against challenger Roman Reigns. The situation backstage was weird. Reigns won the Royal Rumble this year, "guaranteeing" his spot in the Wrestlemania main event against the world champion. Twenty four hours later he was suspended for violating the wellness policy. Paul issued him not a thirty, but a _sixty_ day suspension, which would mean he'd miss the Monday Night Raw fallout from winning the rumble match the night before, the subsequent Road Block Pay Per View a month later, as well as some action in March. Creative already made plans for Reigns and Cesaro for the Wrestlemania main event, following their Summerslam clash this past August.

As fate would have it for Reigns, his suspension ended March 24th, ten days before Wrestlemania. He could have returned on the last Raw before the largest Pay Per View of the year, and the subsequent house show dates leading to it. But considering what he did and the impact of how it made him look, he contacted Paul and told him he was willing to miss all of those shows and subsequent pay for them. Paul respected him for that gesture. A lesser man wouldn't have done that. Make no mistake about it, Paul was upset the violation even happened, but Reigns willingly requesting his suspension be extended until Wrestlemania itself was selfless. Many of the boys and girls-even Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose-were upset about the entire ordeal. Sure, Reigns didn't have to add extra days to his suspension. But the way they saw it, it was the _least_ he could've done after basically having Cesaro carry a feud-not just any feud-the main event of Wrestlemania, basically on his own for three months.

While you could argue that John Cena did the same thing with The Rock for a year leading to their match at Wrestlemania 28, it really wasn't the same thing. The Rock was a bonafide icon in pro-wrestling and had been a major movie star with quality films under his belt for over a decade. Roman Reigns on the other hand, was one of Vince McMahon's last, determined, pet projects to make "the guy" before Paul took over as Chairman and CEO. With him still on the roster, Paul was trying his best to make it work.

Reigns kicked out of The Neutralizer, and Cesaro kicked out of the Superman Punch. The match ended when Reigns charged at Cesaro for a spear. Cesaro using Reign's momentum, lifted him in the air, and nailed him with European Uppercut for the pin.

* * *

Shannon stayed in town to watch Wrestlemania from her hotel in Minnesota before flying back to Florida. After the show finished, she tweeted the phenomenal one.

"Congrats to **AtAJStylesOrg** on his first of what I'm sure will be many, **AtWrestlemania** wins!" #SleevelessHoodedBigBrotha'FromAnotherMutha' #P1 #WM33

#OhWrestlemaniaBeenInTheseSeatsAllNight #PumpItUpPumpItPump

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtAJStylesOrg:**

"Thanks, **AtSStormWWE**. Saw you do your thing at Takeover as well." #ThrowItUpGirl #MyFlyLil'Sista'FromAnotherMistah LOL

#OhWrestlemaniaWe'reFightingToSurvive #JustLikeThatJustLikeThat

* * *

 **Author's** **Notes** : _I'd_ _like_ _to_ _dedicate_ _this_ _chapter_ _to **Chaka1967**_ _and_ _Chyna_. _She_ _and_ _I_ _are_ _huge_ _fans_ _of_ _Chyna_ _and_ _if_ _you've_ _read_ _one_ _of_ _my_ _author's_ _notes_ _from_ _late_ _April_ , _you'd_ _recall_ _me_ _saying_ _I_ _had_ _something_ _nice_ _planned_ _for_ _Chyna_ _in_ _advance_ , _well_ _before_ _her_ _death_. _And_ _with_ _this_ _being_ _an_ _alternate_ _universe_ , _I_ _wanted_ _to_ _keep_ _the_ _scene_ _in_ _tact_. _I_ _hope_ _I've_ _put_ _a_ smile _on_ _your_ _faces_. _If_ _anyone_ _cried_ _during_ _the_ _Hall_ _of_ _Fame_ _scenes_ , _you_ _wouldn't_ _be_ _alone_. _I_ _did_ _so_ _writing_ _it_. _But_ _they_ _were_ _happy_ _tears_ , _and_ _I_ _think_ _I_ _did_ _right_ _by_ _Chyna_ _and_ _the_ _elephant_ _in_ _the_ _room_ _known_ _as_ _the_ _drama_ _between_ _she_ _and_ _the_ _power_ _couple_ _in_ _the_ _WWE_. _That_ _was_ _my_ _goal_ _at_ _least_. _I_ _really_ _hope_ _this_ _one_ _was_ _enjoyed_ _by_ _everyone_.


	20. Chapter Twenty: Hesitation

**April 3rd, 2017**

Following Wrestlemania last night, the NXT roster and crew flew back to Orlando. Bayley had wrapped up a workout session on one of the leg press machines in the Performance Center. It was late morning and while the Performance Center was always lively, no one was in the particular section of the building that she was in right now. The place was huge with various hubs and wings. It very well could have been that some talent were on another floor. For that reason, Bayley decided to remove her headphones from the port of her smartphone and sync it wirelessly to her "Beats by Dre" portable pill capsule shaped speaker. Currently playing was the song, "Speaking from Heart," by "Macho Man" Randy Savage from 1993's "Wrestlemania: The Album."

Shannon walked in the room, grabbed the Apple Cinnamon scented bottle of Febreeze on one of the shelves, and sprayed it. Yes, all gyms had their fair share of musk and sweat, but the room was cleaned a few hours ago by janitors on the facilities management staff. Shannon was just being playful and sprayed to get Bayley's attention.

"Pam, I have that same CD!" Shannon squealed as she sat on the bench to the shoulder press machine, but didn't bother grabbing the bar handles themselves to go to work on her arms. She did work with rope earlier in the morning. So if her shoulders, traps, and bis wanted more reps of something else, then they'd just have to freaking wait. "I cannot keep a straight face whenever I listen to this song. It's too...fucking...hilarious. You know when I was little, I actually thought the roster were singing their songs. It wasn't until later that I realized the CD was just packed with promos chopped and spliced with vocals from real singers and rappers alongside it."

"Yep, and Savage's song is one of the funniest," Bayley replied matching Shannon's smile. "Simon Cowell produced that album, and has some Brit background singers on the chorus. If you listen closely, instead of 'Macho Man,' they say 'Nacho Man.' "

The chorus repeated and the ladies collectively burst into laughter, following Bayley's epiphany.

" **Get ya' heart a'pumping!**

 **He gets the party jumping!**

 **He's the Nacho Man!**

 **Ho! Ho! Ho!**

 **Everybody's saying,**

 **He's really quite amazing.**

 **He's the Nacho Man!"**

"Hahaha. I knew I wasn't crazy!" Shannon yelled pointing a finger at Bayley. "I thought I was the only one who thought that."

"Nope," Bayley replied with a shake of the head. "I'm an even bigger Savage mark than you. I _definitely_ noticed. 'The Deadman' even had a track. I heard him say 'Dance with the Undertaker. ' I heard it clear as day! But it seemed _so_ wrong, given his gimmick!"

Shannon paused for a moment before a devilish smirk slowly emerged on her face. "Hey, do you have Corbin's number?"

"Yeah," Bayley nodded with the response. "Why?"

"I haven't forgotten about him fucking with me," Shannon said with a grimace. "Let's rib his ass! Give it to me."

Bayley gave her best friend Baron Corbin's number, and Shannon saved it before getting up and pausing the music on Bayley's speaker. Then she dialed another number.

"Hey Jamar," said Shannon as Bayley twisted her head not yet sure what was on Shannon's mind. Shannon just placed a single finger to her lips, alerting Bayley to keep quiet for the moment. "Good morning, or afternoon depending on where you are."

"Morning," said the wrestler known to many as former ROH World Champion, Jay Lethal. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"Have you been watching this season of Breaking Ground?" Shannon asked.

"Psst. No," Lethal responded with a grunt. "My WWE Network subscription is used _strictly_ for the wrestling. I'm on the grind just like your main roster ladies and gents are, helping Cole carry the brand. I don't have time for that reality show bullshit you guys put together at the E. I get why it's being done. I see the business side if it. But personally, it's not my cup of tea."

Shannon laughed at Lethal's remarks. She didn't disagree.

"Well anyway, a few months back when I came to NXT this Baron Corbin douche who was a fucking bum in the NFL, was talking a lot of shit. I tweeted about one of your shows, and he called me out on being a traitor, said Uhaa worked for you guys, and broke my laptop," Shannon explained to Lethal as she sat back down on the bench.

"This loser sounds like a total tool," Lethal responded as he slapped his knee. "Crews was never here, and he wrecks your shit over a damn tweet?"

"Yeah, I know. He almost hit me too," Shannon continued and Lethal sat up in his seat by her last comment, although she couldn't see it on the other end. "So I need you to do me a favor."

"I'm not one to abandon a friend in a time of need Shannon, but how helpful can I be when you're in Orlando and I'm in Kalamazoo?" Lethal asked. He had to do press there before the live event later in the evening. Then the national TV taping would take place still there in the state of Michigan, but in the city of Detroit.

"You don't have to leave," Shannon affirmed. "I want to rib him. Pam's with me. You two are _huge_ Savage marks! And no one in the business does a better Flair or Savage impersonation than you. She's given me his number. I'm going to block mine before I call it. Then I'll put my phone on speaker, but you need to stay on for three way. I want you to talk to him in your Savage voice."

Bayley laughed. Finally, she understood the meaning of this phone call and from the looks of it, was going to enjoy yet another rib she and Shannon played on another talent.

"Ha, alright, well what do you want me to say?" Lethal asked as he checked his watch. "I've got press to do in 30 minutes, and I don't have anything prepared."

"That's fine man," Shannon remarked. "It'll be only for a few minutes. And you can totally wing it Jamar. I don't care what you say. Alright, stay on the line. I'm about to dial."

Shannon grabbed a blueberry, oats, and lemon "Whenever Bar" by _Pamela's_ to snack on. The bar had ten percent of fiber, nine grams of whole grains, and 150 milligrams of Omega 3 fatty acids. The phone rang and on the fourth dial, Corbin picked up.

"Hello," he said in a pissed tone, noticing a vacant display on the caller ID.

"Hello to you as well sir," Lethal began and Shannon and Bayley had to cover their mouths with both hands because it was hysterical how eerily spot-on Lethal was with his impressions. From the voice, to knowing which vowels and consonants Savage placed an upward inflection of emphasis on, Lethal was unmatched. "Is this Mr. Baron Corbin?"

"It is," said Corbin. "Who are you?"

"I am..." Lethal paused dramatically. "What I am. I soar with the eagles, and slither with the snakes!"

Corbin looked down at his phone to reconfirm what he knew the moment he accepted the phone call. "This number's blocked. Where are you from?"

"I'm from the tower of power, too sweet to be sour, where things get funky like a monkey, and the sky's the limit, but the space is the place!" Lethal said wildly standing up. The ladies couldn't see him of course, but like many actors, physically moving could help you get into character more.

"What the fuck do you want from me?" Corbin asked angrily.

"First young man, you need to watch your tone with me," Lethal began pointing a finger towards the window of his hotel room. "Just because you've grown a little taller over the years and put some bass in your voice, it does not make you sound intimidating or more of a man."

Lethal could hear Corbin's snorts through the phone. Apparently it didn't take long to bruise his ego.

"Secondly, before you snap into the insults, you need to snap into some statistics. You may want to be a star sunshine. But given that you weren't even aware that Apollo Crews never worked for Ring of Honor, you don't even deserve to be in the pathway of Orion's Comet!"

Bayley and Shannon were stomping the carpeted floor to fight off the laughter. She spit some of her bar out of her mouth. Thank God it was soft and chewy or she would've likely been choking if it were something hard like an oats and honey crispy bar by "Nature Valley." Shannon quickly covered her mouth again to veil the laugh. She and Bayley's stomachs were hurting holding it in.

"And while we're on the subject of snapping, have you been skipping out on leg day Baron?" Lethal asked. "Snap into a Slim Jim! Your body may not improve, just like your tackles didn't in the pros. But you'll definitely feel the madness of protein with every bite! Dig it!"

"Look I don't know who the fuck you are or what this shit's about!" Corbin screamed so loud that it sounded like he was spitting in the phone. "I'm about to hang up."

"Just know that wherever you go, I will be with you," Lethal said with a clenched fist as he started pacing in his hotel room. "I will _always_ be with you. From the moon, the stars, Venus, Pluto, Saturn. We will be here together. And we will be here together, forever! Ooh yeah!"

Shannon, Bayley, and Lethal heard a click. Corbin hung up.

"Well I guess that's it," Lethal replied after a chuckle. "He stayed longer on the phone than I anticipated."

Bayley and Shannon finally removed their hands from their mouths, and laughed for a solid three minutes. Lethal had to remove the phone from his ear.

"Ladies, was it really all that funny? Lethal asked.

"Yes!" Bayley exclaimed. "You don't realize how great you are. Because you've done it so long that it's like breathing to you. That's how _genuinely_ _natural_ it comes across."

Shannon couldn't say anything. She was belied over still laughing her ass off.

"Thanks man," Bayley replied, who now after staring at Shannon, started to laugh again too. "That was awesome. We'll let you head off to promote your shows."

"You're welcome," Lethal responded. "Take care you two."

Bayley grabbed Shannon's phone and ended the call for her.

* * *

 **April 9th, 2017**

Shannon, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Finn Bálor, Jason Jordan, and Chad Gable were in the conference room at the WWE Performance Center having a meeting with some of Paul's team. The meeting that Shannon attended in January was about presenting the character of "Shannon Storm" to the audience. This was a hybrid Creative and production meeting for future storylines. For that reason, only agents Amy, and Dean were present alongside Paul. Even though Road Dogg was a producer like Kidman and Noble, he was Paul's head producer and right hand, like Kevin Dunn was for Vince McMahon. So he had to be at the meeting as well.

"Alright, everyone. You're at this meeting because I want to go over some storylines that I want to begin, which will culminate at the NXT Takeover: Passion, which takes place in June," said Paul who was wearing a grey suit with light purple pin stripes and a lavender dress shirt. His tie and pocket square complimented the shirt in color.

"Alright, let's start off with the man, the champion, Finn Balór," Paul continued and Bayley playfully rubbed Finn's shoulders as he grinned. "Even though Nakamura won the number one contendership to face you next, we ended the show with Roode taking you out. I'd like to do more with that. People aren't idiots, and I don't want to treat them like they are. They know you were in the 'Bullet Club.' They know Nakamura's from New Japan. They know you were once there. They see the connection. But it doesn't mean I can't _tease_ them."

"You want to delay the title defense with Balór and Nakamura?" asked Dean.

"Yes," Paul replied. "But not by just calling the match off altogether. We can screw with the crowd's mind. Question their logic. Right now, they're probably thinking, 'Oh, Bobby Roode's here now. I guess he's the new challenger for Finn instead. Hunter's not giving us what we want.' "

"Or maybe they don't know what they want because you'll throw them a curveball so to speak," said Road Dogg.

"Right," Paul quickly responded with a nod. "Roode's here. But he hasn't shared his intentions of _why_ he's in NXT to the world. Maybe he doesn't want the NXT Heavyweight title, but wants to send a message to the locker room. We just reinstated the Cruiserweight Championship and have made it exclusive to the NXT brand. Rich Swann is the champion. I want Roode to attack him during a match at one of the tapings."

"Bobby's 6'1, 240, and in great shape. It's not impossible if we asked him to drop twenty pounds by the next Takeover to join the cruiserweight division," said Amy.

"Yes Amy, and that's my point," Paul replied leaning forward in his chair, nodding at her. "We need to beef up the depth in that division. I haven't decided for sure if that's the role I want Roode to have-being a leader in that weight class; but I love the idea of him attacking different champions with singles titles. Without even cutting a promo or doing an interview, attacking these people every week gets people talking. It's like, 'What's this fucker's deal? Does he want this title? Does he want that title? Does he just want to hurt people and cause all kinds of raucous and mayhem?' "

"So he's attacking me, he's attacking Rich, and people don't know if me and Nakamura is still green-lighted," Finn remarked with a grin. "It could put GM Regal in a position to have to add Bobby to the next title defense, making it a triple threat. It's not what they want, but they get Shinsuke and Finn some way."

" _Or_ ," Paul began holding a finger up. "You still get Shinsuke-Finn at Takeover, but Baron Corbin calls Bobby out, thinking he's trying to replace him as the proverbial big bad wolf of NXT so to speak."

"How about Shinsuke taking on Bobby at the Takeover for the right to face Finn?" asked Bayley. "That gets heat for Bobby because Nakamura's _already_ earned the right to face Finn from the most recent Takeover. The crowd embraces Nakamura even more. They already like him, but now sympathize with him even more for having an unnecessary match."

Paul didn't say anything, but he was paying very close attention.

" _And_ , let's say Bobby goes over," Amy said. "The fans wonder, 'what does this mean? Are there two number one contenders now as Nakamura won in March and Bobby won in June? Does Nakamura's win cancel out because we're going by the most recent number one contender's victory?' "

"That's not a bad idea," said Paul.

"I say we go with that," Road Dogg said, pulling up his seat closer to the table and placing his forearms on it. "So the world doesn't know if we have one contender or two. Meanwhile, we haven't answered the question of what Finn's doing at Takeover? Maybe he says in an interview at the Takeover, 'if Regal can't resolve the situation, he'll take on the winner of the match in the main event anyway. That is if either man is willing to take on a recuperated demon.' "

"Good stuff Roadie," Paul said with another nod. "I think I'll go with that. And to spice things up, _Finn_ will go over at Takeover. And being the good guy that he is-despite the irony of calling himself 'the demon,' he'll give Nakamura an individual title match on NXT TV at a later date anyway."

The group didn't interrupt Paul this time. They listened on to see what was up the "King of Kings' " sleeve.

"I like that idea because that's what NXT is supposed to be: a force. We don't just stop at Takeovers. This brand is so good in terms of the quality of talent that we want people to know at any given day, on any given episode, you can expect a stellar show. I want my people here _hungry_. Competition brings out the best in people. While my main roster folks are scratching, clawing, and bitching about _who_ gets a Wrestlemania moment, my kids here are confident because they bust their asses, knowing they're capable of creating Wrestlemania moments any day of the week, twice on Sunday."

"Wednesday big man," said Road Dogg with a smile. "Takeovers are usually Wednesdays. "

Paul rolled his eyes. He was the Chairman and CEO of the damn company. Of course he knew the schedule and airing of every show. He was just saying that form of expression for emphasis.

"I mean not that anyone's counting though," Road Dogg said and intentionally coughed to avoid the awkwardness between Paul and everyone else's stares of irritation.

Shannon, Bayley, Finn, Becky, Chad, and Jason all smiled and applauded Paul's passionate claims.

"Yeah Hunter, it's true. There were times when some fans would argue this brand was better than the main roster, and I would be taken back by it. Because it seemed like such an ass backwards compliment," said Dean. "But now, I see the intent by it. We work very hard _here_ ," he pressed his index fingers of each hand hard on the table. "So they are prepared to go _there_ ," he finished pointing his thumb towards the door figuratively implying the talent's departure from developmental to the main roster.

"Thanks Deano," said Paul. "That's the goal. The future is now. Anyway, moving on. Jordan and Gable asked me earlier if they could work with Shannon since they all have an amateur background."

Shannon leaned back in her seat and turned her head to Chad, who was next to her, but across the table from Jason. This was news to her. Chad gave her a half smile and and Jason shrugged his shoulders with his hands opened as though to give a her an optimistic, "Maybe."

"But I think that's a terrible idea," Paul said dismissing their Creative and Shannon was close enough to Chad to hear him mumble "Damn." She reached her hand under the table and gave him a friendly-not sensual-pat on the knee, reassuring him that it was alright.

"We've worked too hard to get you guys over as a team," Paul continued. "As you know Chad, you were very over in the beginning. The whole, 'Ready, willing, and Gable' thing took off. But people were lukewarm to Jason. Last year things changed. And you were finally over as a team. So we put the straps on you. Doing something with a heel Shannon Storm I believe _destroys_ that progress."

Chad and Jason tilted their head to the left, thinking about Paul's words and realized he was right. They were disappointed, but he was right. The move would be counter productive.

"And besides, you just lost your titles to Gargano and Ciampa. The crowd was behind you on your rise to the championships. Let's see if they stay with you watching the babyface team's journey back toward recapturing the gold."

They were now over it. They were grown men, not children. They wouldn't pout about Creative just because their idea got shot down despite some famous wrestlers of the past who did just that.

" _But_ ," Paul remarked rubbing his beard. "What we could do during the next tour is have Shannon work matches with you guys during live events. Some six-person tags. Some regular tags with her serving as your valet. Some singles matches for her with you two in her corner. It could be a test run to see how I think you'd guys be if I decided to turn you heel, or turn _her_ face. Dean, will you give me feedback on the reaction the crowd gives them?"

"Yeah," Dean snapped, not being one of many words.

"Cool," responded Paul. "It's not like I want you guys to ignore your backgrounds, or stop being friends if you are. I'm your boss, not your therapist, or life coach. It's just that I don't want your interaction televised for purposes of the directions each of your characters are."

"Understood," said Chad.

"We got it," Jason affirmed.

"Perfect," Paul said unbuttoning his suit jacket and then reaching his right arm up rubbing the back of his head. "Now to you ladies," he turned to Bayley, Becky and Shannon.

"Shannon you've partaken in some live events, had a few squash matches on the webisodes on the WWE Network, last week's Takeover, and a nice mixed tag with Bayley, Crews, and Breeze. It's time you start to matter on the roster. It's time you become _relevant_."

 _So far, so good._

"Becky and Bayley, you two have had excellent matches with each other and some of the other women around. But people have seen that. After awhile like bread, it can get stale," Paul explained and Bayley let out a snort as Paul found a way to use food as a simile. It was a morning meeting, and she hadn't had breakfast yet. Shannon laughed at Bayley's snorting.

"So I thought of a way to freshen things up a bit. You remember the Dusty Rhodes Classic tournament I started in 2015?" No one said anything, figuring that Paul's question was a rhetorical one. It was. "That got a surprisingly positive response. And I think it's because people miss tournaments. People loved the 'King of The Ring' because they got qualifying matches on Raw. Then got to see quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals live on the actual Pay Per View. It was a way to raise the stock in talent who weren't yet champions, but had the potential to be. Eventually the Pay Per View was discarded-not my decision-but I digress."

 _Yeah, that's on Vinny Mac. Not you, Trips._

Everyone remained silent. But _curiously_ silent. Finn Balor, teamed with Samoa Joe to win the first ever Dusty Rhodes Classic at the October 2015 Takeover. Shannon, Bayley, and Becky wondered what this had to do with them because there was no female tag team division on the brand.

"Well I've decided to create another tournament called the Attitude Era Invitational," he said with a bright smile. "It will be a tag team tournament featuring solely the women of the roster and will serve as a tribute to all of the ladies that have contributed to the company's success during that time period. All of you will be in that tournament. Becky, Shannon will be your partner."

Becky, who sat across from Shannon, but next to Amy reached her arm across the table to high five Shannon. "Weather the lass kicking! I like it!" Becky shouted with glee as Shannon joined her in the high five.

"Great," said Paul. "One, I love the pairing because it's different. Two, I've always liked intentionally having an imbalance of faces and heels in multi-person matches. It plays with the crowd as they don't know _when_ or even _if_ someone will turn. So throughout the tournament as partners, you and Becky will be doing that, teasing the crowd. The journey will be an interesting dynamic because you'll be a face-heel tag team."

The ladies nodded and Bayley spoke.

"Who's my partner?" asked Bayley.

"I haven't decided just yet," he said simply.

"Well, who's winning it?" she followed up.

" _Not_ you," Paul stated. "You're already the NXT Women's Champion. You'll participate, but you won't win. I believe that was my father in law's problem with Cena. John was _his_ guy. But he put everything on him. He was a Tag Team Champion with Shawn. He was a Tag Team Champion with Dave. U.S. Champion. WWE Champion. World Heavyweight Champion. Won the Royal Rumble twice and was inserted in _my_ Wrestlemania main event despite me already being due a rematch with Orton. Won the first ever Money In The Bank Ladder Match where the actual world title was on the line. He accumulated multiple victories over folks fans viewed astronomically better than him in the ring, which was true. Every title he lost, he won it back just as fast that you never remembered him really losing it."

"No kidding," said Bayley with a smile. "It seemed like he was champion for an entire decade even when I know it wasn't always the case."

"Yeah, it can work for a heel, but if you put too much on a babyface, people will rebel," Paul responded to her. "Believe it or not, there was a time babyface Shawn was getting booed in '96, especially during his Sid Vicious feud. It took Bret calling his knee injury phony in '97 for people to get back on him. I can't stand Bret personally, but I can be cordial with him professionally. I guess he tried taking a dig at Shawn, who did have a legit knee injury at the time. It was not kayfabe. And it ended up biting Bret in the ass. Because Shawn used that to turn heel. And well, you know how entertaining the 'Heartbreak Kid' of 1997 was."

"Who doesn't?" Finn asked with a laugh.

"You won't be defending the Women's Championship at the June Takeover since you'll be participating in this. We'll have the semi-finals and finals matches on that show," Paul explained and everyone at the table nodded their heads. "Becky, you and Shannon will be going over. Then Shannon will turn on you afterwards. By that point you would've worked as a unit, got the job done, and a small gesture of respect would be shown, which trolls the smarks. It reminds me a little of 'Big Evil' Undertaker against Jeff Hardy for the title in a ladder match in '02. Big Evil was the heel obviously, but he showed respect to Jeff. It was rare and unique. That's something heels don't do, _like_ _ever_. They may true enough respect you, but they never admit it to you or acknowledge it. They'll gloat to you about how you ought to respect them, but not you. So once the 'turn,' which isn't even a real turn since she's been heel the entire time, happens, it'll be a big deal."

"So Becky will be Shannon's next program following the tournament?" asked Amy who stuck a ball point pen in her hair to scratch her head.

"We'll see how all of this plays out first-how they perform, and how the people react," Paul replied to Amy's question. "Sometimes if you plan too far ahead, you stunt the natural progression of something great happening organically. Take for example my push. The '96 'King of the Ring' was mine on paper. I was booked the victor. But I fucked up, did something I shouldn't have done, and it was taken away. Had plans remained in tact, God knows where I would be. 'The Blueblood' wasn't ready for that push. 'Stone Cold' was. My time came later, and everyone benefited from it."

Finn, Becky, Bayley, Shannon, Chad and Jason all folded their hands on the table. Now knowing what their short term Creative was, they wondered what else was going to be talked about.

"Well everyone, if there are no further questions, you're dismissed," Paul said rising from his seat, and grabbing the two buttons on his suit jacket to fasten. "I will contact you when I fine tune the details with the full writing team on Creative, and have a larger meeting with all other talent involved in your respective matches."

* * *

 **April 13th, 2017**

NXT was wrapping up their leg of live tours in Pennsylvania today, and per the request of Paul, she sent a tweet promoting it. He still didn't mind her infrequency or the extent of her tweets, but she at least was opening up to sending at least one per house show solely for purposes of promoting the event.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Yeah. Uh-huh. You know what it is. #BlackAndYellowBlackAndYellowBlackAndYellowBlackAndYellow See you later tonight Pittsburgh at **AtNXT** live!"

 **New** **tweet** from user: **AtSteelCurtainDude2004:**

"Fuck you, **AtSStormWWE**! You're from BMore. GTFO here. We don't like ratbirds."

She responded to this clown. Just because you were from or lived in a particular city, didn't mean you followed the sports teams there. Shannon went off on the young man. It didn't matter to her that he was thirteen.

 **AtSStormWWE:** " **AtSteelCurtainDude2004** : _And_? Not everyone in Baltimore is a Ravens fan. So let me take a moment to school you son! When the punk ass Colts lied to the city about not leaving and hopped on the Mayflower trucks in the middle of a blizzard in 1984 for Indianapolis, we went 12 years without **AtNFL** football. We don't like D.C., so refused to be Redskins fans. Some of us started following the Cowboys. But quite a bit joined #SteelerNation. Even though we got the **AtNFL** back in 1996, some fans remained loyal to the Steelers here. But since you want to be a dick about it, fuck the Shittsburgh Squeelers! I'm glad Flacco beat your ass in the playoffs on YOUR turf in **AtHeinzField** in January. #7TDsOnThatRidiculousBackfield #SoMuchForASteelCurtain"

Later in the afternoon she texted a friend.

 **Me** : Hey Lukey.

 **Luke** : Sup girl?

 **Me** : For whatever strange reason, I decided to watch a little bit of the NFL Network today. They were showing highlights of your NFC Championship game against the Seahawks last year. Nice sack.

Shannon was texting starting middle linebacker of the Carolina Panthers, Luke Kuechly. They dated briefly when she went to college at UPenn. The relationship was very short, lasting only for a semester. No one cheated on the other, but he was a senior and she was a freshman. He accumulated enough credits to graduate, but still had a fifth and final year of academic eligibility to play football if he so chose. So after graduating from UPenn, he transferred to Boston College to start a Masters program. The decision proved successful because after a solid season with the Boston College Eagles in 2012, he was drafted in the first round by the Carolina Panthers. He also went on to win the NFL defensive rookie of the year award in his inaugural season as a pro. The two remained friends.

 **Luke** : "For whatever strange reason" my ass! I saw that tweet you sent this morning burying a fan from Pitt. Don't be so mean to people's children. :P

 **Me** : Well he's not my kid! He shouldn't write checks that his ass can't cash. Lol

 **Luke** : And which sack? I had a hat trick in that game.

 **Me** : Haha. All of them. You were on beast mode that night. But what the fuck happened in the Superbowl last year? That wasn't even a _good_ Peyton!

 **Luke** : :( Let's not even get into that one. At least we made it to the Superbowl. This year we didn't. I have faith we'll be back this year though. You're hearing it from me first: We are very close to signing JJ Watt from the Texans. With him causing mayhem blitzing the quarterback, I can drop back in coverage with a tight end, or fuck up a wideout's route! Today's linebackers don't just have strength and smarts, but _speed as well_. ;)

 **Me** : Sick! Man, you'll be like the Basham Brothers. Houston's going to be pissed that they dropped 100 million on him two years ago, with 56 guaranteed. But I'm not hating. The homie wants a ring.

 **Luke** : Haha, of course you'd throw a wrestling reference in there! I know we haven't talked all that much in a few years, but I'm not a stranger. I'm proud of you Shannon. I'm glad you made it to the WWE. Nothing's changed: you still have that fire. And you're still beautiful. :D

 **Me** : Aww, thank you Lucas! I'm proud of you too. That Carolina blue goes great with your eyes. Send Cam Newton, and all of your squad my best. :D

 **Luke** : I will. I've gotta' jet for Offseason Training Activities. I'll see you when I see you. And for the record, that Corbin dude will always be subpar. Not just during his stint here on the gridiron, but whatever he _thinks_ he's doing in NXT.

Shannon smiled as she closed the text messaging window of her phone. Luke must have seen their exchange on Breaking Ground, all those months ago. Or a clip of it at least. She didn't name drop him when she cursed out Baron Corbin, but Luke would've known she was talking about him when she mentioned dating someone who was in the NFL that didn't mention Corbin being particularly great.

* * *

 **April 16th, 2017**

Shannon was at the Performance Center this afternoon. She finished up a promo class with "Superstar" Billy Graham. She did a promo for him on a random subject, and he noticed that she liked to swear. Not in general, just in the promo. Graham told her while it didn't bother him personally hearing such words, she needed to be poised with her placement of them. If every other word was a curse word coming out of her mouth, she may come across as a crazed woman in an HBO film, rather than a heel doing a good job at berating the crowd or their rival due to frustration about what happened in an angle. If it made sense throughout the course of promo, then go for it, but don't make it a priority to do it just for the sake of doing it.

He stepped outside for some fresh air. She remained in the classroom and decided to log on her YouTube account on the smartboard in the room to watch some classic Ric Flair promos. She subscribed to a user's account that uploaded hundreds of promos from the second "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, "Superstar" Billy Graham, and "Ravishing" Rick Rude. She thought this was convenient because rather than watching a full match, or a segment break down to a brawl, these were just clips of promo after promo.

There was a knock on the door. Shannon thought that was weird because Graham already knew she was in there, so why would he knock? She decided to answer it anyway.

"Oh, hey, Lita." said Shannon before Amy moved to the side. Shannon's volume raised. "O-M-G, and Trish is with you? Come in, come in!"

"Hey, I know we're doing the segment a little later, but I wanted Pat to meet you and chat a little bit," said Amy with a grin as she pointed her thumb to Patricia Strategias, known to millions of fans as Trish Stratus. "Superstar's out for a smoke. He told us that we'd find you here."

"We hope you didn't mind," said Patricia.

"Mind?" Shannon said looking at Patricia as though she should know Shannon wouldn't dare have the audacity to dismiss a visit from _either_ woman. "Are you freaking kidding me? This is exciting!"

"The place is really great," Amy replied with an affirmative nod. "I like the atmosphere, the set, it's all very refreshing. I'm glad I decided to come back and help out."

"Yeah Amy, it is," Patricia responded as she stepped further into the room. "I think they're a little spoiled though if you ask me. Seven rings in the Performance Center, an arena that replicates the exact setup of a Raw or Smackdown show at Full Sail, promo coaches, and a ridiculous array of workout equipment and machines better than any other sports training center in the world? We didn't get all of that. We had to grow and figure a lot of shit out on our own."

 _Hey, but I work hard to earn my keep! And you've gotta' give Trips the credit. He drew up the proposal, budget, and designed this entire place._

"Sorry Trish, if I'm marking out a little bit. I just have to get it out of my system before the tapings start. I'm like this meeting most legends for the first time," Shannon clarified.

"Truly everyone that's ever been considered great has a little bit of a mark in them. We're _all_ marks," Amy said as she rubbed a hand on Shannon's shoulder to soothe her of her nervousness. "That's how we all got started in this. There was someone we thought was rad or badass and wanted to be like them. Or do what they did with our own spin. It's totally cool. The more you wrestle, the longer you become a vet, it'll dissipate and you won't react this way to other legends. You'll still be a mark, as we all are to an extent, but you won't react the way to people the way you are to us now."

"Yeah girl, don't even worry about it. Mainstream fans knew that I was a model, but the hardcore fans knew it wasn't just a pinup, Victoria's Secret sort of thing," Patricia remarked agreeing with Amy before beginning her story. "I was a fitness model, but I was _always_ a wrestling fan. In between university and modeling, I used to co-host this show with a guy back home in Toronto. I guess it would be the equivalent of what you kids consider a podcast or whatever now."

Patricia continued, circling the room before settling at a window to catch the view outdoors.

"Anyway, we would review episodes of Raw is War and Pay Per Views. Austin was one my favorites. Once I was in the WWE about six or seven months and they put me in programs with the top guys: Triple H, Rocky, Angle, and Austin, I'd mark out a little before house shows. Most times when a program is about to begin with two people, the company has them work house shows with each other a few weeks before the angle starts on TV. So they can get their chemistry together. So it was great working with them. Austin and I even have the same birthday. Weird huh?"

"Me too," Shannon muttered before biting one of her fingernails.

"I'm sorry, what?" Patricia asked, turning away from the window.

"The birthday," Shannon confirmed to Patricia. "I share a birthday with you and Austin.

"No fucking way!" yelled Amy.

"December 18th right?" Shannon asked and the two older women remained silent, knowing it was. "Yeah. You, Austin, RVD, and me. I guess I got lucky," Shannon said with a smirk.

"Ha, that's incredible!" shouted Patricia before folding her arms and playfully nudging Amy with her shoulder. "Yeah Amy, she won't be a mark for long. She was born to do this, _literally_."

"Totally," Amy said smiling at Shannon before looking back at Patricia. "Hey, but she could totally use that shit to get over more, right Pat?"

"Definitely!" Patricia exclaimed.

"What do you guys mean?" Shannon asked.

"Even though Randy was in the company in '02," Amy began. "It wasn't until a year later when Hunter put him in Evolution that he started really getting over with the crowd."

"Right. In his promos, he talked about how being a champion was his 'destiny' because he was a third generation superstar. And if you remember at the height of Steph's character early on in '01-ironically the same year Hunter got hurt and I had a feud with her-was when she got the 'Billion Dollar Princess' nickname," Patricia explained to Shannon. "She'd talk about being a fourth generation McMahon, and how running the business was her 'birthright.' "

"Yeah, I remember that vividly," Shannon replied. "It was great stuff. I loved the role all of you played during that time. But what's that got to do with me?"

Amy started smiling. Patricia was her best friend. She knew where she was going with it.

"Well you're a hybrid of sorts," Patricia said, placing a hand on Shannon's shoulder, like Amy did minutes earlier. "No, you're not related to anyone in the wrestling world. Nor did you marry into it. _But_ , you share a birthday with three iconic performers in our industry, which are all hall-of-famers! So for heat, you could cut some pretty heavy promos, claiming that greatness is also _your_ birthright. You share a birthday with icons, champions, legends. It's not a matter of if, but _when_ and for _how long_ you're champion. Because you belonged here the day you came out of the womb!"

"Holy fucking shit," Shannon said looking down at the carpet after a long pause. "That's great! I love it! Lita, do you think if I pitch that to Hunter he'd go for it?"

"He might. I don't see why he wouldn't," said Amy as she shrugged her shoulders. "But if he doesn't, come find me, tell me what happened, and I'll try pitching it again to him. That's my job as your agent, bridging the gap between you two, and making what happens in the ring as smooth as possible."

"Sweet," said Shannon. She leaned forward, stretching her arms out, and hugged them both.

"Well I'm gonna show Pat some more things to check out and people to meet around the PC before we head over Full Sail when the show starts. C'mon Pat," Amy said as she headed for the door.

"See you later, _little sister_ ," said Patricia to Shannon. "I'm a fan." She winked at Shannon before following Amy out.

 _Totally fangirling out right now!_

* * *

 **Later that evening, at Full Sail University in the NXT Arena**

Patricia and Amy kicked off the first round of tapings promoting the new Attitude Era Invitational tournament Paul created. They went on describing great moments all of the ladies in the era had for a few nostalgic pops. They ended their speech by telling tell fans they became "bffs" after a long, heated rivalry; so they were looking forward to the women who were in the current tournament to "bring some sass, and kick some ass!"

After Patricia and Amy introduced the tournament to the NXT Universe and informed them that they will be crowning the winners at the next Takeover, there was a cut scene on the show where Shannon was in the trainers' room getting her hands and fingers taped up by the medical personnel on staff. Her hair was straightened and down. She hadn't yet put it in the ponytail, nor was she was wearing her signature hooded vest, but all other elements of her gear were on. The camera then zoomed out of the shot to reveal Becky Lynch standing behind Shannon. The crowd cheered. Shannon exhaled before turning to Becky with a look of disgust on her face.

"Easy there mate," said Becky who held a single hand up indicating to Shannon that she came in peace. "I'm not here to ask you 'What's the craic?' or to share a pint of Guinness."

"Whatever it is...I'm _not_ interested," Shannon said and turned back to the trainers. Becky did not move.

"I know you heard about that Attitude Era Invitational tournament starting," Becky said talking to Shannon's back. "You haven't been around for donkey's years, but you seem to be a prize fighter. Wins are great for you, but even better if something's up for grabs. So I say we team up and take the damn thing. Whataya' say? Give out?" Becky asked, extending her hand even though Shannon couldn't see it.

The crowd cheered once more, not knowing what to expect from what may be an unusual alliance. There was another pause.

Shannon finally turned around a second time, and nearly chuckled at Becky's ridiculously quirky-looking goggles resting on her forehead, but held it together.

"I don't follow the pack," Shannon spoke. "I'm an Alpha Female. A Lone Wolf."

"Well think about it," Becky said pulling her hand back when Shannon didn't shake it. She exited the room, and Shannon stared ahead as the door closed.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked NXT commentator Corey Graves.

"More or less Corey," Tom Phillips, fellow NXT commentator, started. "Shannon basically told Becky, 'No deal.' I hope the 'Lass Kicker' finds a partner before the tournament begins."

* * *

 **April 20th, 2017**

It was a day off for Shannon, and she just finished a workout. Bayley's boyfriend, Aaron, wasn't in town. Bayley was busy taping more episodes of NXT Kids, a show that aired on the WWE Network where kids ages seven to thirteen came to Full Sail, and interviewed NXT superstars and officials; but not the likes of interviews adults would conduct regarding feuds, title defenses, etc. These kids would ask children-oriented questions. Izzy, Bayley's superfan who attended every NXT taping and Takeover held at Full Sail, co-hosted the show with Bayley. Shannon was lonely and unoccupied.

Shannon decided to call Tyler. After the fourth ring, he answered.

"Hey Mark," said Tyler.

"Well _finally_ Rockstar," said Shannon. "It's nice to know The Undertaker and his druids didn't come and just bury you alive at random. Where the hell have you been? You do still work here. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Hahaha, I can assure you I am nowhere near a cemetery," Tyler replied. "I'm in Phoenix."

"So the rumors are true?" Shannon asked with her happier tone, growing serious.

"Rumors? What rumors?" Tyler asked. "What am I being accused of doing?"

"Being promoted," she said simply. "That's what the dirt sheets say anyway."

"Not exactly. Orton dislocated his shoulder, so Hunter has me filling in at house shows due to his injury," Tyler clarified. "I haven't heard anything about being on TV, or if I'll be a permanent house show replacement for Randy. A few more folks should be due back from injury soon anyway."

"Oh," was all Shannon said. "Well I'll let you go then."

"Cheer up Mark," Tyler said picking up on the sadness in her voice. He thought she was just doing that mockingly, but perhaps not. "You're settled now. And you can always find another driving buddy."

But he was more than just a driving buddy. Wasn't he?

After hanging up the phone with Tyler, she received a text message from another friend. Once she read it, she knew just what would make her feel better.

* * *

 **"Dirty, sexy, slinky thing.**

 **Power over all with the love you bring.**

 **Spinning from your mind control..."**

"And introducing his opponent, being accompanied to the ring by the Young Bucks! From Panama City, Florida, weighing in at 207 pounds, representing 'The Elite,' he is the current ROH World Heavyweight Champion, Adam Cole!"

 **"Baby, you won't leave me alone..."**

As Adam Cole, Matt and Nick Jackson entered the venue, Adam mouthed the words to the chorus of his theme song.

 **"You are that one**

 **That makes me scream and shout,**

 **I've got something for you!"**

Adam pointed to himself, raised four fingers, then pointed to the crowd. Seconds later, he smirked, then stopped after taking a few steps on the stage. Adam, and the Young Bucks squatted down and pointed their index fingers behind them. Momentarily, Shannon walked out and the crowd roared.

"Surprise!" Shouted Shannon to the crowd with her arms stretched wide as she came out, and the other men smiled. "It's a little wrinkled, but it still fits," she said referring to her black 'Elite Club' shirt as she feigned rubbing dust from her shoulders.

Ring of Honor had a live event in West Palm Beach and because she had the day off, decided to attend it. Paul didn't ban her from attending because it wasn't a Pay Per View or television taping, just a ROH house show. She figured he wouldn't mind because he granted Sami Zayn permission to make appearances for EVOLVE in 2015, where he competed as El Generico during his ROH career before getting the NXT call in 2013. Still, she informed him of where she was headed as common courtesy. People had smartphones, so he'd find out eventually if she declined to report her trip.

Shannon linked her arms with one of Matt's and one of Nick's as they followed Adam down the ramp and eventually to the ring. Rather than joining the crowd in a seat, she remained ringside with the Young Bucks, just taking a different side. Now when Paul allowed Sami Zayn to appear at EVOLVE, which the WWE began having somewhat of a recruitment talent exchange working arrangement, Sami merely cut a promo, and signed autographs following the conclusion of the show. He was not allowed to wrestle, nor was he featured on their live stream. The promo was cut for the audience in the live crowd before the stream started.

Adam was defending the title against the 6'7, 270 pound, Donovan Dijak. Dijak had just hit a moonsault on Adam. He was now signaling for his finishing move, "Feast Your Eyes," which was a reverse "Go to Sleep," when Shannon distracted the referee. This allowed the Young Bucks to grab Dijak's ankles and pull him out of the ring through the bottom rope. Shannon kept referee Bobby Cruise distracted long enough so Matt and Nick could execute the "Indy Taker," which was a springboard spiked piledriver to Dijak on the outside. Once the Young Bucks nailed it and pushed him back in the ring, Shannon walked away from the referee, so he could once again focus on the match.

Adam attempted a pin, but Dijak kicked out. So Shannon and the Bucks switched sides of the ring. And now it was Matt and Nick's turn to distract the referee. Adam kicked Dijak out of the ring, slid out, and grabbed Dijak in a front facelock position. He raised him high in the air as if he were delivering a vertical suplex in order to execute his suplex-neckbreaker to the knee. Adam had been using this maneuver as a new finisher for the past year. He'd still get wins with the "Florida Key" and "Figure Four" leglock, but this expanded the variety of his moveset. However, with the referee distracted still by Matt and Nick, instead of dropping Dijak on his own knee, Shannon lunged her right leg forward and Adam dropped Dijak on Shannon's quadricep. She helped Adam push Dijak back in, and the Young Bucks abandoned the referee. Adam got another two count; but collectively, 'The Elite Club' weakened Dijak enough for Adam to start nailing several signature maneuvers before eventually getting the submission victory.

Like Sami, Shannon didn't have a match here. And although she did get physical, it was very minimal, with a small spot. She was confident she wouldn't be reprimanded for it. And if she was, well, she'd just deal with it then.

Following the match, Adam exited the ring with his championship. Shannon hopped on the center of the ring apron. Matt and Nick joined her on the left and right side, kissing her cheeks. Adam squatted down with a smirk kneeling between her legs, while she smiled holding her hands up doing the Wolf Pack gesture proudly. This wasn't a foreign position for Adam. A month into her joining 'The Elite Club' faction, she slept with him twice. It was more of a friends with benefits situation. It wasn't that either of them were against a relationship, but the timing was way too fresh on exploring that possibility. They felt more like buddies who were as close as siblings, but just happened to take advantage of a mutually beneficial moment on two occasions. And soon after, she was fired.

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later**

 **New tweet** from user **: AtROHFan4Ever** :

"What in the hell was **AtSStormWWE** doing with **AtMattJacksonYB,** **AtNickJacksonYB** , and **AtAdamColePro** at a **At** **ROHWrestling** live event?"

Shannon responded.

 **AtSStormWWE:** "Hey **AtROHFan4Ever** , The promotions will come and go. But bonds are forever. #EliteClub"

Adam immediately retweeted Shannon's reply, and then gave one of his own.

 **New tweet** from user: **AtAdamColePro:**

"Always, **AtSStormWWE**! :) Many are mediocre. Few are excellent. Even rarer, are #TheElite."

Matt and Nick retweeted each of their fellow stable mates' replies, then commented on each of their posts:

" **AtAdamColePro** & **AtSStormWWE** , We aren't just elite, but too damn sweet," remembering what Shannon said on ROH TV during one of the last times they were all together.

* * *

 **Author's** **Notes** : _For_ _anyone_ _wondering_ , _Shannon's_ _mentioning_ _of_ _sharing_ _a_ _birthday_ _with_ _RVD_ , _Trish_ , _and_ _Stone_ _Cold_ _wasn't_ _just_ a _creative_ _decision_ _on_ _my_ _part_ , _but_ _an_ _absolute_ _shoot_. _I_ _do_ _in_ _fact_ _share_ _the_ _same_ _birthday_ _with_ _these_ _legends_ , _which_ _I_ _find_ _pretty_ _damn_ special and _amazing_.

Additionally, the "Wrestlemania: _The_ _Album_ " CD that Bayley and Shannon were cracking up so hard on was also real. I've had that CD for over two decades and to this day, it still makes me laugh. I find it ironic that the Bret Hart song is like the only one that skips the most recent times I've played it.

 _Also, just like I did last week, being the **Kliq** **Chick** I am, there are more birthday wishes to be spread. Today, July 22nd, I'm wishing a very happy birthday to "The Icon, The Showstopper, The Main Event, Mr. Wrestlemania, The Heartbreak Kid," Shawn Michaels. And because my next update will be after it's happened, I'm wishing a future happy birthday to my favorite wrestler of all time: "The Monarch of The Mat, The Cerebral Assassin, The King of Kings, The Game," Triple H, who will be celebrating on July 27th. So will "The Showoff" Dolph Ziggler._

 _For anyone missing in-ring action (even though you got some in Chapter 19), don't worry. Trust me, I've got you. It'll make it's way back around eventually, and hopefully it'll be fun for you, especially you **spanky1988 . awj.** **Chaka1967** , and **McMahon** - **Levesque** : You ladies absolutely crack me up in your reviews, and the next update I presume, will address your "pressing" concern. _


	21. Chapter Twenty One: In-Sync

**April 23rd, 2017**

 **AtSStormWWE:** "I don't have long sideburns, but my hair's slicked back. I'm coming to your town, preferably in a blue Cadillac. ;) #NXTLive"

 **New tweet** from user **AtDirtySouthGrappleGirl:**

"Honky Tonk Man, **AtSStormWWE**? Is **AtNXT** in Memphis today? Are you #CoolCockyandBad?"

Shannon responded.

 **AtSStormWWE:** "You're very observant **AtDirtySouthGrappleGirl**! Good job. And yes to all three of those questions. Right, **AtRealJerryLawler**?"

* * *

 **April 29th, 2017**

NXT had a live event in Jackson, Mississippi. It had been nearly a month since Shannon last saw Tyler, but she thought she recognized his car parked outside the venue of tonight's show. It wasn't his actual car as they weren't touring their circuit cities in Florida. But she traveled with him long enough to know the type of rental car vehicle he preferred: soccer mom mini-vans for leg room, which usually translated in modern times as a Honda Odyssey, and if they were unavailable, then a Nissan Quest. She was fairly confident that the one parked next to Bayley's ride was his. He was doing house shows with the main roster, so she wasn't sure why he was around. Maybe Paul gave him a break for a bit; or maybe on his day off in between heading to the next live event, he decided to catch up with everyone. And by everyone, he meant she and Bayley, who happened to be in Mississippi today.

When Shannon saw him, his back was turned and he was talking to another woman. She was heading up the hall to greet him, when she stopped mid-stride, not liking the words coming out of his mouth to her.

"I could definitely get used to seeing that everyday," said Tyler to Becky Lynch and the two exchanged a hug.

When Shannon heard those words and saw the embrace, she ran a hand through her hair and turned around to the opposite end of the hall. She had a pouch of a dried fruit and nuts mix in her opposite hand. She was going to tease him about their little playful scuffle when he offered her his snack in January at the baseball game, but changed her mind as she walked away.

Eventually she had her match on the show, but intentionally avoided Tyler the entire time at the building. But Shannon had the wrong idea. Tyler wasn't talking about exploring anything beyond a platonic encounter with Becky. Becky was telling him about Paul's idea of creating the Attitude Era Invitational Tournament that would culminate at the next Takeover, and Shannon being her partner booked to win it. When Tyler said he "could definitely get used to seeing that everyday," he was referring to consistency in good, relevant, booking in the women's division.

* * *

 **Later that evening on an episode of NXT TV**

 **The first round of the Attitude Era Invitational Tournament**

Although it was recorded a few weeks ago, the first round of the Attitude Era Invitational tournament aired tonight on the WWE Network. The first opening round match, which aired last week, saw Asuka and Bayley defeat the team of Alexa Bliss and Peyton Royce. The second first round match, which aired on tonight's episode, featured Shannon and Becky.

"The following contest is quarterfinals match number two of the Attitude Era Invitational, and is set for one fall," announced Eden Stiles, and the crowd cheered in anticipation of who was in the match-up.

"Wrestling out of Orlando, Florida, making her way to the ring, Cameron!" Eden shouted into the microphone and the Full Sail faithful welcomed the hometown favorite in the arena. Cameron made her way to the ring, but gestured for Eden to give her the microphone. She complied.

"This tournament is about to be on and poppin' because _I'm_ in it," began Cameron. Apparently she was trying to get some heel heat. "And I know for certain the winners will be from the Sunshine State! We all know the sun shines brightest on the fliest!"

The crowd booed Cameron after that statement. It wasn't as treacherous as the boos she received in 2011 when she said as a contestant on Tough Enough that her "favorite match of all time was Melina vs. Alicia Fox," before revealing she never watched a wrestling product of any kind. Nor was it as bad as fans pointing out in a match against Naomi in 2014 where she neglected to remember that an opponent's shoulders had to be on the mat to obtain a victory via pinfall. Naomi was face down on her stomach, and Cameron yelled for the referee to "Count it!" It was an embarrassing moment because you could audibly hear the referee say in the Monday Night Raw broadcast, "Count what?"

Shannon thought Cameron's promo was rather poor. It was one thing trying so hard to get pops from a state you weren't even really from. It was another to try to speak confidently when the rest of your demeanor or ring style didn't exactly reflect it. Still, Shannon gave her credit for trying.

"And introducing her partners..." Eden started. The crowd grew quiet because they thought Eden misspoke when she said partners, with an S. This was a tag tournament after all. There should just be one partner.

 **"You're not enough for me!**

 **Oh no!**

 **Just another man in love with me!**

 **Ahh, well.**

 **Gotta' open ya' eyes and see!**

 **That you're not enough for me!"**

"Making their way to the ring, from Palatka and Miami Beach, Florida respectively, Michelle McCool and Layla El, LayCool!" Eden introduced Layla and Michelle, who received a massive pop. They were heels. But Full Sail embraced them not because they were a smark crowd, but for nostalgia of not seeing them in quite some time, in addition to being from Florida. Sure Layla was a Brit originally, but after being a Miami Heat cheerleader for numerous years, once she signed with the company, she was billed from that town. The crowd _wasn't_ swerved and Eden was exactly right by saying partner in a plural fashion. So was Cameron when she referenced her partners and pending victory going to the Sunshine State.

 **"At first, I thought it was me.**

 **The way you flip your attitude constantly.**

 **But I think I finally figured out**

 **You're the type of man I like to call a spout...**

 **See I'm a lady, those girls are petty.**

 **You just ain't ready for this woman's rock steady.**

 **Ya' not ready. No, ya' not ready.**

 **You're not enough for me..."**

Michelle and Layla took their time twirling each other around the stage, and milking the reaction from the crowd as they continued down the ramp, and eventually the ring. Cameron smiled at her partners as they did so.

Despite Layla and Michelle retiring from in-ring competition, they still had their gear. Amy suggested Paul give them a call to see if they would be interested in helping out the NXT brand. He wanted some unpredictability during the tournament and asked what the ladies were willing to do to contribute to an angle. Thankfully, he got more than that. They were willing to temporarily come out of retirement to have a match. The fact that it was in Florida was appealing. Mark Callaway, known to many as "The Undertaker," was not only Michelle's husband, but the only other person in the wrestling business Paul respected more than his Kliq friends. Michelle understood their bond. But more importantly how much NXT meant to Paul, and what he was trying to accomplish with it. If The Undertaker could put on a Wrestlemania worthy match once a year, Michelle thought she could at least put on a solid one for this tournament. Even though LayCool were an older team, technically, they fit the bill. They debuted in 2004 and 2006 respectfully. They didn't compete in the Attitude Era, so were eligible to enter.

"And introducing their opponents. First, from Dublin Ireland, Becky Lynch!" Eden said, placing emphasis on the Y in Becky and H in Lynch. Celtic Invasion, the entrance music for Becky, started and out she came to a huge pop.

"And her partner," said Eden, but no one's music played. "Her partner...Introducing her partner." The same thing happened. Each and every time Eden announced "her partner," no music played. No titan tron started. And no one came out.

Becky shrugged her shoulders in the ring, before referee David Wuertz approached her and muttered a few words. Moments later, he sounded for the bell.

"Okay," NXT commentator Tom Phillips began after a long pause. "It appears that this match _will_ go on as advertised with Becky Lynch squaring off against Cameron, who enters the ring first."

"I guess her partner had a layover during their flight," said fellow NXT commentator Corey Graves. "Or maybe they overslept for the booking," he joked.

"Do we even know who Becky's partner is?" asked Phillips. "Nice shoulder block by Lynch who gets Cameron on the rebound from the ropes after she attempted to follow up from grounding Lynch with a side headlock takedown."

"I don't know who her partner is," replied Graves. "You think I'm her publicist or something knowing her _every_ move Tom? The last we've heard, weeks ago, she was trying to get under Shannon Storm's good graces, recruiting her for a partner. Who knows who she's contacted in the past 7 days? The only thing more embarrassing than being no-showed at an important match such as this, is being stood up at the prom."

Becky whipped Cameron into one corner of the ropes, and ran forward with a charging clothesline in the turnbuckle. Michelle grabbed Becky's hair and aggressively pulled her backwards. Becky sold landing on her neck and used her feet to slide a few feet backwards, away from Cameron's corner.

"Hey, hey!" shouted Wuertz at Michelle. "Keep your hands on the tag rope. This is your first warning!" Michelle grabbed the tag rope momentarily, before Cameron mounted Becky and slapped her in the face a few times. Cameron then got up and walked over to an unoccupied corner of the ring, ideally where Becky and her partner would be, to work the crowd.

"LayCool Lay Rules," yelled Cameron. "It's a Sunshine State thing!"

The fans booed.

"Get under her good graces?" questioned Phillips emphatically. "Were we watching the same interaction on NXT TV? Lynch was being reasonable. Storm certainly didn't have a welcoming attitude when Lynch made the offer."

"That's because Shannon Storm is _misunderstood_ ," Graves defended. "You're treating her like she's some conceited, apathetic person, but she's not. She's an honest woman. She told Becky she's a lone wolf, an alpha female, and tagging wasn't her style. Who doesn't appreciate honesty? It's not Shannon's fault if Becky started her partner search too late! Lynch on her feet...going for possibly that exploder suplex...no. Cameron pounds her in the back, blocking the attempt. And nails her 'Girl, Bye,' snap DDT!"

Cameron went for a cover, but Becky kicked out at two. Cameron walked to her team's corner and tagged in Layla. Becky slowly crawled on all fours, using Layla's knee pads to pull herself up. But Layla nailed a low spinning roundhouse kick to Becky's abdomen.

"Too late, Corey?" Phillips asked rhetorically. "This is NXT. Talent pops up around here out of the woodwork all the time. I wasn't aware that Becky had to formally post want-ads, or make time to schedule appointments to review resumes. El now with multiple blows to Lynch's back. That could be the target tonight...and it appears that way as she wraps her legs around Lynch's waist for the body scissors."

"C'mon ref!" Layla shouted. "Ask her!" She continued to periodically pound Becky's back as Wuertz asked Becky if she wanted to submit. She did not. Layla then extended her own arms to the lower half of Becky's face. As she pulled Becky backwards-with her legs still around her waist-Layla applied a chinlock-body scissors combination.

The referee again asked Becky if she could continue, and she gave him the nonverbal response of a nod. Becky continued to sell the drainage of the pressure of Layla's hold on her for several moments before slowly and methodically crawling, military style, to reach the ropes. When she was mere inches away, Michelle, who was 5'10, with ease extended her long legs in the ring to stomp Becky's hand. The referee spotted the sneaky tactic, which caused Layla to break the hold and confront him for addressing her team. This gave Becky a few seconds to rest.

Layla then dragged Becky to her team's corner, placing her in a seated position on the canvas, with her head resting between the bottom and middle turnbuckle. She then tagged in Michelle. Before Layla exited, still in the ring, she and Michelle delivered several stomps to Becky's abdomen. Both women held on the top rope for leverage to do so. After about twelve stomps, Cameron joined in stomping Becky's leg, before curving her own foot at a ninety degree angle so she could place it at Becky's throat to choke her.

"Oh come on now!" Phillips whined. "This is truly unfair. If Lynch happens to prevail-and I don't see how she can-she'll probably need a substitute for the duration of the tournament."

The referee gave a very lenient count of three and a half before strongly advocating Layla to exit the ring and end the double team of stomping. Of course, the closer Wuertz approached Layla and Michelle to pull them apart, Cameron smartly removed her foot from Becky's throat, so he couldn't see a triple team. The loud pop LayCool received earlier for being from Florida was long gone. The crowd embraced them as heels again once the match was well underway.

"How is it unfair Tom?" Graves asked stretching his arms as though he was genuinely confused. "It's 'the Freebird Rule.' What are they doing wrong? They're tagging in and out. Any three members can tag in and out to compete."

"Well Freebird Rule my ass! This is NXT, _not_ the NWA Corey! This is LayCool and Cameron vs. Becky Lynch. It's not the Fabulous Freebirds vs. The Von Erichs!" Phillips yelled. "And if I'm not mistaken, 'the Freebird Rule' only applies to teams of 3 or more who are defending their tag team championships on any given night. No titles are on the line here, and no other company has such a rule."

"Tom, with all due respect, I know you're my broadcast partner," Graves began calmly. "But you've never competed in the ring. _I have_. And I know for damn sure, you haven't seen more matches than me! Many promotions have adopted 'the Freebird Rule' from the '80s: Hall, Syxx, and Nash in the Wolfpack in WCW in 1997. Ax, Smash, and Crush from Demolition in the WWE in 1990. The Jersey Triad of DDP, Bigelow, and Canyon in WCW in 1999. In fact, they perfected the rule if you asked me-competing interactively throughout a tag match-even when titles _weren't_ on the line. And I could go on. Keep trying to be Batman when you know you're Robin, and I'll school you every time son!"

"Fine," Phillips remarked with a grunt. "Freebird Rule applicable or not, let's call a spade a spade here! This is not a tag team contest. It is a freaking 3 on 1 handicap match. I don't even know why General Manager William Regal hasn't called this thing off."

Michelle guided Becky from their corner, and delivered a vertical suplex. She didn't attempt to cover. She opted to grab Becky by the hair and tights, and tossed her out of the ring through the middle rope.

"Michelle's uh...looks like she's directing traffic here calling the other women who are leaving the apron to follow her as she guides Becky along," Graves explained. "Cameron and Layla help hoist Lynch on Michelle's shoulders...triple powerbomb on the steel steps! And the mauling continues as the ref makes a count of 5!"

The crowd was hyped for the spot. Triple powerbombs from The Shield were getting old. It was nice to see not only one from the women, but to see it not on the typical commentary table, folding table, or in the ring itself. It was on the steps. The spot was unique.

* * *

"And here comes the cavalry!" shouted Phillips as Shannon ran down the entrance ramp, removing her vest and dropping it to the floor before quickly sliding into the ring. The audience screamed. "Perhaps a change of heart, but better late than never I suppose."

"Michelle slides in and rushes to Shannon...Storm ducks...float over neckbreaker on McCool by Shannon!" Graves said, wildly calling the action. "El comes to McCool's aide and holy cow runs right into Whirlwind, Shannon's dual jumping knee-enzuigiri strike to the temple! She could've knocked her the hell out! I mean is this even legal? We already had a match going on. And she..." Graves checked his watch. "13 minutes and 45 seconds in, wants to finally join the party?"

"Cameron trying to enter the ring for her team...but a recovering Lynch grabs her legs, pulling her back out, and slams her hard against the barricade," Phillips remarked excitedly. "Lynch reenters the ring as the ref makes a count of nine...she kicks the seemingly unconscious Layla El out of the ring, leaving just McCool on the canvas. How is it not legal Corey? Referee David Wuertz didn't suspend competition when the trio started their assault on Lynch! The odds are more favorable now. How would WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross describe a moment like this? Business is about to pick up?"

Shannon and Becky stared at each other the entire time as they circled Michelle. They were feeding off the energy the crowd provided. It was so loud that the roof sounded like it was about to come undone. Michelle, now on her knees, crawled to Becky, pleading for a way out. Becky said nothing, just stared at her with a blank face. Michelle, still on her knees, turned to Shannon's side, doing the same thing. She too, gave Michelle the same response as Becky. Michelle, then extended her arms on each side of Becky and Shannon, before folding all fingers, leaving the one in the center at each woman. With now the proverbial "Fuck You," Becky and Shannon smirked at one another, then ferociously kicked Michelle repeatedly.

It was a good thing Shannon ordered kickpads with her gear. Having kickpads may have covered more of her skin to the displeasure of male fans, but the shin bone was one of the largest bones of the leg. It wasn't anything to mess with. Nor was it fun if you shattered it. Because Becky and Shannon were really going for it with these kicks, it was imperative for their safety they had that protection. Michelle was a trooper taking them all.

"Shannon with a kick to the back...Becky with a kick to McCool's sternum...Graves began. "And they're not stopping! What is this, some sick, twisted, game of oneupmanship? Do they even care about winning the match at all?"

After receiving fourteen kicks from each woman, Michelle cowered over and Shannon ducked in between the middle ropes of Becky's corner to exit the ring. Becky was the legal opponent after all. The crowd was both excited and befuddled at the same time. Becky did a great job of selling Cameron, Layla, and Michelle's beatdown. And just when all hope was lost, her partner showed up. But it was a heel. And not just any heel. It was Shannon. The same person who practically told Becky in so many words there was no chance in hell she would team with her. So why after all of that drama, does she not only show up, but _help_ Becky? Was this a face turn? This is exactly what Paul meant by teasing the audience.

Becky tried three times to lift Michelle from a front facelock position, and dropped her on every attempt. She then stumbled backward into her own corner, and Shannon gently tapped her on the shoulder. Becky wasn't really hurt. She was executing good ring psychology, remembering the target of her back being attacked with the body scissors from Layla, the suplex from Michelle, and the triple powerbomb from all three women. Shannon loved working with her.

"I don't know if they find it twisted at all Corey, but I find it effective," remarked Phillips as he defended the ladies. "Ahh man, Lynch rubbing her back. She still must be reeling from the earlier attack. You have to give her credit for taking them all on. She didn't complain one minute about their advantage in numbers. Oh, but she gets McCool up on the fourth attempt. That's it girl. Fight through the pain. Brainbuster on McCool!"

"Becky absolutely drilled McCool with the brainbuster...could go for the cover here, but no!" exclaimed Graves. "Shannon blind tagged Becky at the very last second though as she staggered away from Michelle a little bit, shaking off the cobwebs from this grueling contest."

Shannon climbed rapidly in the ring and Becky stared at her before shaking her head, and slowly making her way out, adhering to the referee's orders. Once in the ring, Shannon grabbed an already dazed Michelle, and carried her to the corner of the ring diagonal to the side of the apron where Becky stood.

"I'm not sure if there's a communication mix up or what between Lynch and Storm," said Phillips. "It didn't look like Becky wanted the tag."

" _Want_ the tag?" asked Graves. "It was a blind tag Tom. She didn't even expect the tag."

After Shannon placed Michelle on the top turnbuckle pad, she backed all the way to her side, holding the top rope with her right hand, and squatted three times, squinting her eyes as she narrowed her focus on the target.

"Shannon races to the the other side of the ring...vertical leap to the top and whoah! What was that?" asked Phillips excitedly.

A portion of the crowd shouted, "Perfect Storm, Perfect Storm, Perfect Storm!"

 _So some of them know what's up. Love you guys. More than you will ever know._

"It seems Full Sail is more informed on the superstars than you Tom, and _you're_ supposed to be the commentator," said Graves with sarcasm. "Sometimes I shake my head at what Hunter's given me to work with. Anyway, you heard it from the people. The Perfect Storm: Shannon's Falcon Arrow from the top is just as beautiful as she is."

It was not Shannon's first time doing the move. She debuted it wrestling Asuka the first time in Japan last May. She did it through a flaming table with Candace LaRae at one of her last indie shows this winter. But this was her first time doing it in front of the NXT audience. This wasn't a match on Pay Per View. But it was one that kicked off a new tournament. So to Shannon, it was a significant match nonetheless, that warranted a significant moment.

Wuertz made the three count, and Eden Stiles announced that Shannon and Becky advanced to the next round while Shannon's music played. Becky entered the ring and the referee stood between the two women, holding their hands up, acknowledging them as the winners officially to the Full Sail crowd. They broke apart from the referee almost instantly and stood in each other's faces, pressing their foreheads against one another. Shannon's music stopped as they argued.

"What the hell was that Storm?" Becky asked angrily. "I had the match won fella. You didn't have to do that," Becky added referring to Shannon tagging her out, so she could do a special move and get the victory herself.

"Hey, I'm the damn doctor of this team Becky," said snapped back. "I'm here to save your ass, not kiss it!"

"Becky Lynch's got a point," noted Phillips to Graves. "What happens if Shannon slipped on the sweaty ropes, fell, and possibly got injured? Would it be worth it... _just to show off_?"

"Absolutely!" Shouted Graves without hesitation. "Why can't she do both? Is there a crime against it? You call it gloating. I call it _greatness_."

The NXT episode went off air with the ladies' heads remaining in lock and yelling at each other. This was Paul's idea. He wanted the women to be victorious. But he also wanted to plant the seed of doubt in fans' minds that the unusual alliance may not be a well-oiled machine after all. And their existence as a team could end in combustion at any given moment.

* * *

 **May 2nd, 2017**

Shannon had a few days to sleep on her behavior from observing Becky and Tyler's exchange, and realized her reaction was immature. After all, she didn't hear the entire conversation, and there was no harm behind a friendly hug. Eventually she caught up with him, and after he finished an afternoon live event with the main roster in Panama City, Tyler drove back to Orlando. He agreed to meet up with Shannon, Bayley, and Aaron at seven for a friendly competition at Big Daddy's Roadhouse, live karaoke lounge, restaurant, & sports bar. Bayley and Shannon were there months ago as a duo. Tyler and Shannon weren't a couple like Bayley and Aaron, but over time the four of them became a clique of their own.

Everyone finished their meal before coming upstairs to the karaoke lounge to perform a song. " '90s Night" was the theme for the evening. Bayley did "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls. Aaron did "Don't Wanna' Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. Tyler, who was actually in a band before and performed the vocals to his own theme in NXT, performed "1999" by Prince. Even though the song was released _before_ 1999, Tyler argued with the owner that " '90s Night" didn't have to be exclusive to songs that came out _in_ the 1990s, but could be those that _talked about_ the 1990s as well. It was a clever technicality that the owner overlooked, and let Tyler get by doing it. Some of the locals knew he was a WWE Superstar, but were very impressed by his guitar skills. Shannon was no exception, as she bobbed her head getting into the riffs of his impromptu guitar solo after his song ended.

Shannon was next and performed Mariah Carey's "Sweet Fantasy." She wore one of the headset mics that she and Bayley wore when they performed as a duo because they danced in their numbers. She didn't even attempt to perform Mariah Carey's whistle note warm-ups during the introduction of the song. Those first twenty four seconds or so, she worked the crowd, urging them to put their hands together.

"When you walk by every night talking sweet and looking fine, I get kinda hectic inside," Shannon sang and pointed to Tyler. Even though it was just karaoke and everyone was in it for the fun, when Shannon saw Tyler tap his feet along to the music and smiling in the crowd, she left the stage, walked over to him, and continued to sing.

"Ooh baby, I'm so into you. Darling if you only knew all the things that flow through my mind," Shannon sang sitting on his lap. He instantly wrapped his arms around her waist and began to nod and sway her side to side in time to the music. She wasn't expecting him to do that, but embraced the moment leaning into him further for a few more seconds.

Aaron nudged Bayley looking at the two of them. " _Still_ think they're not fucking?"

"Some people just have good chemistry," she said to Aaron with a laugh. "She's performing! Besides, if they are, it's _none_ of my business. I still think she would tell me if they were."

"Chemistry, performance, my ass Pamela," Aaron smirked, shaking his head. "I don't buy it. If they're not fucking now, they will be soon."

"Why is it _just_ down to them eventually sealing the deal once, Aaron?" Bayley asked. "Maybe, just maybe, they're capable of having a _fling_ , or dare say, an actual _relationship_?" Bayley playfully added holding a single finger up, and raising her eyebrows like she made a magnificent discovery.

"I don't know babe," Aaron said with hesitation. "It's possible. You know we're both cool with Mattias, but he's not the committed type. I'm just getting strong vibes that they both want to bone, and badly."

"Not committed _yet_ ," Bayley said reaching for Aaron's hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aaron asked, now turning to face Bayley looking away from Tyler and Shannon.

"He's older now. Just because he hasn't mentioned any relationship specifically to you or I doesn't mean he hasn't had one recently he's kept on the down low," Bayley clarified and Aaron nodded. "It also doesn't mean he's not looking either. Men can change when the right woman for them comes along."

"And you're saying Shannon's the right one for him?" Aaron quickly questioned back with the lines in his forehead extending.

"No, I'm not saying she is or isn't," said Bayley. "Only _he_ would know that."

"Fair enough," Aaron replied finally dropping the subject, and they continued to look on at Shannon's performance.

Meanwhile, before things became awkward as Shannon noticed the audience and her friends looking on, she rose from Tyler's lap and headed over to another section of the crowd.

"But it's just a sweet, sweet, fantasy baby. When I close my eyes you come and take me on and on. I'm so deep in my daydreams, but it's just a sweet, sweet, fantasy baby," Shannon grabbed the Fedora of a random guy, and put the hat on her head as she sang him the chorus.

Eventually Shannon worked her way to a third side of the crowd and interacted with them for the bridge and next verse. When she made it back to the stage for the final time of repeating the chorus, she caught Tyler wink at her. She gave him a smirk in return. Shannon wasn't sure what compelled her to serenade Tyler for those few moments at the beginning of the track. Or maybe she did, but didn't want to admit it.

* * *

After having so much fun from karaoke, the group decided to go a club for some dancing. Bayley being a Latina, chose Tropical Magic Fusion, a hot Spanish club in downtown Orlando, for the gang to go to. The only "Pop" artists played in this club were Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Carlos Santana, Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera, and Shakira. You may have heard the occasional Hip Hop from artists such as Fat Joe or Big Punisher that had Puerto Rican ties. Otherwise, all the other musicians played were only well known in the Latin community. Shannon didn't care because she was still having fun. While Aaron danced, he didn't enjoy it as much as Bayley-at least not unless one of his favorite songs played. Tyler was not much of a dancer at all, but he still wanted to hang out with the gang. So he had a White Russian at the bar section of the club, watching everyone. Aaron, as usual, left the dance floor when he was no longer into the music, while Bayley and Shannon stayed.

Aaron went to the bar to converse with Tyler. The ladies were dancing, no more than thirty five minutes at this point, before the two men noticed something about Shannon. She was moving too quickly, and the zipper to her dress was coming down slowly and slowly as Prince Royce's cover of "Murder She Wrote" played.

"You see that?" said Aaron. "It's quite the view."

Aaron was referring to Shannon. She wore a white, faux leather heart-shaped front strapless party dress from Loli Couture dot com. The dress had a plunging neckline and zip closure at the back. Earlier when the gang was at the karaoke bar, she wore some black "Athena" pointed toe pumps by Riverberry; but she smuggled her pair of black lace ballet flats from Nordstrom in her purse. No offense at all to Beyoncé who danced in heels in all of her shows. But Shannon didn't having the luxury of canceling on Paul in the ring if she sprained an ankle, like Beyoncé could postpone a date of a world tour.

"Yeah," Tyler said, as he only half heard what Aaron said, distracted by Shannon. He returned to the conversation. "Wait, what? Isn't _Pamela_ your girlfriend?"

"She is," Aaron nodded after downing his Blackberry Mojito. "Doesn't mean I can't look though. I'm a man first."

Tyler twisted his mouth a little at that last comment. Shannon wasn't _his_ girlfriend. He wasn't supposed to feel offended if a man-even if this particular man _had_ a girlfriend-looked at her that way. Yet, his eyes remained locked in Shannon's direction.

"Man, oh man!" Aaron shouted. "So damn close! Just a few more inches, and this will make my night! And it's strapless! It shouldn't be very much longer!"

That was it for Tyler. He and Aaron we cool, but right now he was finished with the asshole's small talk. The conversation leading to them noticing her was boring anyway, and goading Shannon's dress to come undone was no longer just making him uncomfortable. It was pissing him off. He finished his third straight shot of Vodka after having his White Russian earlier, and walked over to her.

"Hey Matt, where are you going?" asked Aaron. Tyler just ignored him. He needed to get to Shannon and fast.

Shannon suddenly felt someone grab her by the waist, pulling her closer, causing her to turn to them.

"Tyler, um, I thought you said you said you didn't dance?" Shannon asked. She wasn't resistant to his touch, but wondered just what in the hell was he doing.

Before he replied, he grabbed her zipper and pulled it all the way up on her dress; then gave her back a gentle tap reassuring her of what had occurred.

"Oh...my...God. Thank you," Shannon said blushing in shame.

Trying not to embarrass her in front of the other people in the club with the save, Tyler tried to play off his actions as merely wanting to ask her something. "Don't mention it," he whispered in her ear. "I wouldn't want you to give anyone a show unless you consented to it." After helping Shannon avoid disaster, Tyler started to head back to Aaron, who he was sure was going to be upset with his heroism, when Shannon grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

"Stay," she said. "A slow song just came on anyway. Think of me in your arms as a gift for saving my ass."

"Literally," Tyler added as he smirked.

* * *

They finished the dance and after another thirty minutes everyone was ready to go. Bayley and Aaron said their goodbyes and headed off. Shannon and Tyler walked to his car.

"Keys?" Shannon held her hand out gesturing for Tyler to hand his keys over.

"What?" Tyler said as he gave her a puzzled look. "No. It's my damn car, and besides I've got to get you home anyway."

Unnerved by his fit, Shannon walked over to Tyler, snatched his keys, and opened the door.

"You were drinking. Maybe just a few, but I'm not getting in a cab, not knowing _who_ or _what_ you possibly hit."

"Okay. So what now?" he replied.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm driving, so get in," said Shannon. "I'll just spend the night at your place. I don't bite. Just nibble a little." Tyler acquiesced and Shannon drove to his apartment.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," said Shannon as she looked around checking out Tyler's place.

It wasn't the first time Shannon ever came to Tyler's apartment, but the first time she was actually inside. Usually she would just drive to it and wait for him outside to follow his car to events. Sure, they were in the twenty first century, but Shannon in many ways, was very old school. She didn't trust GPS devices. After letting her down on so many trips on the independent scene leading to dead ends, she felt more comfortable either reading a paper map, or following Tyler whenever NXT left Full Sail to go on tour.

"Yep," said Tyler as he grabbed her coat and hung it up near his on the coat rack. "I've been around long enough to snag up a pretty sweet place."

Tyler had a habit of always leaving his stereo system on in his apartment. Many times as Shannon would honk the horn of her car letting him know she was outside, he would come out, but run back inside, telling her he had forgot to turn the music off. Apparently, this evening was no different. She was not sure what station he had the stereo set to, but it certainly wasn't anything resembling rock.

As she walked further in his apartment scanning the area, Usher's "Nice and Slow" was playing in the background. A few hours ago she serenaded him to Mariah Carey's "Sweet Fantasy," and now _this_ of all songs was playing at _Tyler's_ place. Coincidence or not, the universe needed to stop fucking with her. She didn't find this shit funny, but there went the chorus:

 **"Let me take you to a place that's nice and quiet.**

 **There ain't no one there to interrupt.**

 **Ain't gotta' rush.**

 **I just wanna' take it nice and slow.**

 **Now baby tell me what you wanna' do with me?**

 **See I've been waiting for this for so long.**

 **We'll be making love 'til the sun comes up, baby.**

 **I just wanna' take it nice and slow.**

 **Now baby tell me what you wanna' do with me?"**

"So..." before she could finish her statement, she turned around with Tyler's lips on hers.

Tyler knew he was drinking earlier, but was very aware of what he was doing. He hoped Shannon didn't think he was drunk, and wanted to use that as an excuse to be a pig. So after a few seconds, he pulled away, praying for some sort of sign. He didn't know if it would be her smiling or slapping him in the face. They stared intently at each other for a moment before Shannon lunged for his neck and kissed him back. He got his sign, and it was even better than what he anticipated. With that, he hoisted Shannon's legs around his waist and carried her upstairs into his bedroom, never breaking the kiss.

* * *

Tyler planned on taking his sweet time with Shannon. He wasn't sure if this would become a regular past time for the two of them; so if it wasn't, they at least would end this night on a high note.

Shannon pivoted her hips forward for several minutes meeting Tyler stride for stride as he remained on top of her.

"Don't stop," Shannon begged as she dug her fingernails deep into Tyler's upper shoulder blade repeatedly. Her nails penetrated through his skin enough for him to know that he was cut; but it was a minor laceration that would not affect his rhythm, and could close up as soon as it opened.

"Oh, I don't plan on it," Tyler said with a smirk before he bit her collarbone. "Not for awhile." Shannon moaned and Tyler gripped her hips tightly, pulling her closer to him as he continued to pound away. "Let me fulfill that need Shannon," Tyler said in between a growl of his own. He leaned against her ear, "Let me give you what you want."

"Oh Ty," Shannon managed to cry in between pants. "Give me what I need. Take me there baby."

Whoah. The night was getting even better for Tyler. He did not expect Shannon to call him "baby" or any other term of affection for the record. This was just meaningless sex with someone he happened to know, happen to regularly exchange flirtatious banter with, who also happened to be a co-worker. Someone who he rode town to town with bonding over wrestling's past and present. Someone who had a habit of falling in his lap on more than one occasion. Someone he saved from a potential law suit, and possible termination from the company. But when she said "baby," it sent a wave of adrenaline in his system. He mixed up his variety to an unpredictable pace with Shannon: fast and wild thrusts, followed by slow, methodical, and rugged ones. She rolled her eyes, let out a scream, and nibbled at his ear.

"I'm...so...damn...close," Shannon said as reached under the covers and squeezed his ass, almost trying to push Tyler even further inside her which was impossible. She felt the full length of his hardness.

When Tyler heard her say how close she was to her release, he wrapped one arm around her and in one swift scoop, flipped her on top of him. "Ride me the rest of way babe," he urged. "And open up. I wanna' see your eyes."

Shannon obeyed and caressed Tyler's abdomen while he groped her breasts, circling her nipples with his index fingers. They didn't have a chance to remove her sterling silver "Storm" choker written in cursive around her neck. The clothes themselves were enough of a priority. "Now!" was all Shannon could muster out of her mouth as she came. Tyler let out a groan, slapped her ass with one hand, then squeezed her clit with the other. He hit a few hard final strokes of his own as she joined his release with her second.

He slowly removed himself from her, and Shannon slid to the other side of the bed while he got up to dispose of the condom. When he returned to her, he licked the remaining wetness from Shannon's opening, and lead a trail of kisses from her thighs, abdomen, breasts, neck and cheek, before joining her back in bed.

"I always wanted to know what it was like to sleep with a rock star," Shannon remarked after calming down from the panting.

She had only been in NXT five months and managed not to hook up with anyone in the locker room. Until now. Sure there were tempting moments, but she was here to wrestle. She was here to be a star. She didn't want to be a ring rat. She was adamant about that. Yet, here she was in bed, naked, with one of NXT's highest prospects. It wasn't that she regretted sleeping with him. Better him than anyone else there. She just couldn't believe it _actually_ happened. Perhaps humor was the right approach for a talk. If there ever was a talk to be had.

"Well, you know," Tyler started. "Part wrestler, part rock star, part awesome. I'm like a modern day Chris Jericho."

Shannon paused, laughing to herself before she responded. "Well Chris Jericho's a rock star, but never sang his own entrance music. HBK, and you do. So you're an evolution of them both."

Tyler turned on his side in the bed to face Shannon. "You are such a fucking mark! God, I love you." He pulled Shannon closer, cuddling her against the layer of sweat on his body, before he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

It wasn't that she didn't hear what he said. She just didn't know what to make of it, or even if she should. People casually said they loved each other all the time, but not always in an intimate context. Surely, she heard of the term, "Love at first sight," but never "Love at first fuck." Was that even possible? She was too tired to think about the answer to that question, so rested her head firmly on his chest and fell asleep.

* * *

 **The Morning After**

"So...?" asked Shannon.

"So...?" Tyler repeated.

"We've shared a ring, a match," Shannon smiled before finishing her sentence. "And now a bed."

"I mean it didn't _have_ to be a bed," Tyler started. "I just figured you'd want to be safe and comfortable."

"Tyler we had sex," said Shannon. "You make it seem like we went rock climbing without gloves, a harness, and I had a major fear of heights." She paused while turning on her side to face him. "But I appreciate the chivalry," she added as she leaned down to kiss the dividing line of his pectoral muscles.

"Hey, if you'd rather have the floor, the kitchen, hood of my car, broom closest, bus stop, park bench, washing machine, elevator, rooftop, or airplane bathroom," Tyler said as Shannon raised her eyebrow at his last preferred venue of sexual escapades. "We can totally have that arranged for round two."

"Sounds like you've had a lot of time to think about it," Shannon stated as she looked on intently at him.

"Well that wasn't a _no_ ," Tyler said as he swiped a piece of hair from Shannon's face and tucked it behind her ear. When he noticed she didn't stop him from doing so, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. "And a man can dream."

Raising her arms to stretch, she pulled from his embrace. "A man needs to let me use his shower," Shannon responded.

"You sure you just don't want me to drop you off at your place, so you can use yours?" Tyler questioned as he sat up in the bed. "I know how you women can be, so particular, about so much."

Shannon shook her head in response, got out of the bed, walked over to Tyler's closets, and then drawers. Tyler assumed she'd likely be in search of a pair of sweats to borrow.

"Fourth drawer from the bottom for the pants..." said Tyler. Remembering that he had a certain top in another drawer, he said, "You can find shirts on the right side drawer, third from the top."

Although her back was turned to Tyler, she smirked at how perceptive he was. This was the first time they slept together, and here he already implied there would be a second time; and as if on instinct, he knew she was searching for something of his to put on before he eventually took her back to her place.

She grabbed a pair of his track pants, and was stunned when she pulled the top. It was a black crew neck tee shirt with a large grey funnel cloud in the center. There were three words, in capital letters, surrounding the funnel cloud in royal blue: "WEATHER THE STORM."

"Why is _my_ shirt in your drawer?" Shannon asked as she turned to him.

"Well, Mark, you're not the only one who's a mark," he said. "I can assure you that is definitely _my_ shirt. Shannon Storm. I'm a big fan of hers. She's really good. Don't be jealous though. She's probably preoccupied with some loser anyway."

Tossing the two articles of clothing over her shoulder, she walked over to Tyler, who was still sitting up in bed. She could not muster any words. Realizing Tyler already noticed her blushing as he described her, she simply walked over to him and kissed him passionately. The situation, if it even was that, was truly an unusual one. Unusually comfortable. Tyler and Shannon, who never went on a proper date, or declared any intention to explore any feelings with one another, seemed to be indirectly doing just that.

Feeling Tyler begin to pull her to him on the bed, she pulled back talking through the kisses.

"I...need...to...take...a...shower...you...do...too..." Shannon felt his hand traveling from her hip trying to grab her ass, but she swatted it away. "Stop...it..." She finally managed to get away from him, and walked to his dresser where her purse was, to search for a few travel-sized toiletries. Tyler started laughing.

"What?" Shannon asked. She missed the joke.

"You," Tyler said simply.

"Is something in my teeth? Oh God, how embarrassing," she said as she hurried to the over-sized mirror attached to another one of his dressers.

"No. You walk around naked in my place so openly and freely. It's sexy," said Tyler. "No one else I ever fuc," Tyler caught himself, knowing she was different. "No one else I've ever slept with did that. They wanted to cover up right away. They were so self-conscious. You're not."

"You said we're tag partners for life right? We were partners of a _different_ kind last night," said Shannon with a wink. "Besides, I have nothing to hide."

Grabbing what she needed from her purse and Tyler's clothes, Shannon headed towards the direction of the bathroom. Immediately, Tyler hopped out of the bed, raced towards her, and scooped her into his arms, causing her to drop everything. She shrieked, not in fear, but in shock.

"Well in that case, you won't mind sharing your shower with me," said Tyler.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : _Well, they've finally sealed the deal! Aaron called it! Initially, when I mapped this story out in December of 2015, I didn't plan on writing any smut partly because it's not my strong suit, and this was my very first attempt. Secondly, because I didn't think it was necessary. But after a lot of contemplation, I realized that this chapter needed to end with a physical culmination after the slow, emotional build I've worked hard on to illustrate. For those of you who like smut, you're welcome. For those of you that like smut, but felt that mine was lacking, I apologize. There are plenty of other writers who are excellent at writing it, and I'm friends with some on here. To those homies, you know who you are. I don't drink, but know I'm throwing up a glass of the strongest sparkling water in your honor. :) I felt Breeze and Storm deserved some action, but I tried not to make it so over the top. Hopefully the overall story is still being enjoyed, and you continue to read on. Because I've still got some cool things planned._


	22. Chapter Twenty Two: It's official

**May 12th, 2017**

Every since the night Shannon drove Tyler home after hanging out with Bayley and her boyfriend Aaron at the karaoke spot and club, they regularly slept together taking turns at each other's apartment whenever he has around, without actually discussing the meaning of what they were doing. Even the morning after their first time, there were moments of emotion that seemed veiled by humorous banter. He wasn't around today, but her best friend was. After some preliminary stretching to calm herself down, she found Bayley in one of the locker rooms at Full Sail University. But she didn't look for her to talk about a match. She needed advice.

"Hey Pam, can I talk to you for a second?" Shannon asked in a rather mellow fashion.

"You know you can talk to me about anything at any time Shanny," Bayley replied after giving Shannon a quizzical look.

This was weird and it concerned her. They were girls. They had been for years. Why was Shannon asking her if they could talk? And why did her tone sound hesitant, and broken? Hopefully this wasn't a permanent personality change, and Bayley was determined to get to the bottom of the issue.

"You and Aaron have been together for some years now," said Shannon, who remained standing with her arms folded as she looked on at Bayley in a locker room. "He's still on the indies, and you're here. You're still together, yet apart. How do you do it?"

Figuring that she knew where the conversation was going now, she just went ahead and asked the question that her instincts lead her to. "Is this about you and Mattias hooking up?"

Shannon looked to the right, then to the left. The door was closed, and she was positive she locked it behind her. But naturally, with Bayley picking up on the issue right away, she was being a little paranoid. "What have you heard?"

"Nothing," Bayley responded shaking her head with a small grin before reaching for her Lady Speed Stick deodorant, and applying some under her pits. Shannon used Secret Outlast Clear gel. "But your _face_ tells the story. So am I right?"

Shannon looked down, before slowly raising her head to face her friend. "Yeah," she said blushing.

Bayley nodded. "Aaron saw this a long time ago before me. So he deserves most of the credit."

Shannon and Bayley laughed for a few moments.

She rubbed her knee before pulling up her pads, then got back to Shannon's initial question. "It's tough. But what's worth having that _isn't_? We're both grinding, me here, and him out there. He can't control if he'll get hired here, and I can't control if I'll get a spot on the main roster. That's out of our hands. Is it frustrating? _Yes_. Do we argue sometimes? _Yes_. But we're it for each other. As long as we stay focused on the positive, we're good."

"Cool," Shannon said simply.

"My advice and that's what I think you want..." Bayley started. Shannon didn't interrupt her, but just continued to look on. They understood each other's body language and Bayley knew Shannon wanted her to finish her explanation.

"Is for you to figure out what you and Mattias are, or what you want. You're not teenagers. You're adults. You have my blessing. But if you're not on the same page, someone will get hurt. I would hate to lose two friendships in one span because you're confused, and this just ends in a mess."

"You're right," Shannon agreed. "Hoes before Joes, right?"

Bayley smiled. That was a fun phrase they used from time to time, which was their female equivalent of men having a "Bros before Hoes" code.

"Whatever I become with him, I'll always value you friendship Pam," Shannon affirmed.

Bayley rose and spread her arms wide, inviting Shannon for a hug. She gladly accepted.

* * *

 **May 16th, 2017**

Tyler would be gone from NXT for good in a matter of weeks. He called Shannon earlier and told her about the news of Paul promoting him. Shannon felt it was imperative that they talk about what was going on between them _and_ _fast_.

Tyler came over Shannon's apartment after driving back to Orlando from one of his last NXT live events in Jacksonville, Florida that afternoon. She convinced him to finally try one of the workouts from her "Cize" fitness DVD collection from Track and Field star, personal trainer, and choreographer Shaun T. Shannon would be considered by many for her frame as "jacked," since she loosely competed in powerlifting as a senior following three collegiate years of amateur wrestling. She did powerlifting mainly as an activity to stay in shape, maintain her core, and have some remnants of "competitor's spirit." She never put as much work in it to become a prestigious Olympic lifter. Wrestling was and always would be her true love. Still, despite all of that, she was a woman of versatility, and enjoyed encompassing various backgrounds of exercise in her regimen. Dance was one of those, and the cardio gained from it over time could not be underestimated.

Tyler thought it was impossible to enjoy a workout that involved dancing. But when he saw that weights, Pilates, and isometrics were incorporated into some of the routines by instructors, he acquiesced. He was a little hesitant to try at first. But after seeing the trailer of Shaun's T's "Insanity" program and how he pushed even some of the better conditioned people to their limit, Tyler respected the man. He figured his dance workouts could bring out puddles of sweat too. To Shannon's pleasant surprise, Tyler even acquired some musicality and rhythm in the process.

Following the workout and a quick shower, they entered her bedroom. While on her bed, Tyler began kissing Shannon's collarbone and caressing her left hamstring. Shannon didn't stop him, but talking to him during his moment of tenderness certainly disrupted his mission to set the mood.

"You smell like White Diamonds," Tyler mumbled with his lips still perusing Shannon's skin.

"Oh, you know about the Elizabeth Taylor fragrance?" Shannon questioned.

"I don't know shit about Liz Taylor," he responded without losing focus on what he wanted. "It's what Jessica wore."

"Who's Jessica?" Shannon asked pushing him off of her.

"An ex," he replied, before easing Shannon back down on the bed and going back to work, making his way to her earlobe and nibbling it.

"Well maybe I can wear Bright Crystal by Versace," Shannon said in a wince as she began to physically respond to Tyler's foreplay.

"That's Melissa," said Tyler grinning against her ear and slipping a hand under her top.

"Really Tyler?" Shannon asked angrily. "Is that how you remember women, by their scent?"

"Hey, it's better than calling out the wrong name!" Tyler yelled back defending himself. "We all have a system. That was mine."

"Well I refuse to smell like any of your previous..." Shannon paused trying to think of the proper word. " _Conquests_. What about...Chanel Number 5?"

"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell," he said as his mouth transferred from her ear to the beginning of her chest. "It'll be all yours."

"Tyler, what are we doing?" Shannon asked while rubbing his back.

"Trying to have sex if you cooperate," he mumbled, annoyed by her questioning the obvious. It wasn't like he needed the assistance from Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" playing in the background. But if she'd take the hint from the song, Tyler would greatly appreciate it.

Shannon looked down at Tyler's growing erection and licked her lips. It was beginning to give her a full salute. "I can see that. But what is _this_?" she asked gesturing her hand in the space between them. "You debut on the main roster in a few weeks, which I'm excited for. I'm proud of you. You deserve to be there. But whatever this is, does it end when you go?"

Paul was going to put Tyler in a program with Dolph Ziggler. Seth Rollins tour his bicep and tricep and would be out of action three to four months. So he had to relinquish the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Cesaro for it at the Extreme Rules Pay Per View. His projected return would be at Summerslam. Ziggler won the championship after beating Roman Reigns in the finals of a tournament, and turned heel immediately afterwards.

Paul knew Seth would be welcomed as a face when he returned by Summerslam, but wanted to move forward with a heel champion. So after the performance he put on against Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania, Paul decided to put the strap on Ziggler. He thought having "The Showoff" as a nickname made no sense as a face gimmick. And with there no longer being a brand split, he would give Ziggler a second chance at being "The Guy" for a while. Ziggler was a seasoned veteran with great talent and charisma. It wasn't Paul's fault Vince McMahon buried him, and made him worthless for so long. There was a time following his Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match with John Cena in 2012, and his successful Money in the Bank cash-in on the Raw after Wrestlemania 29, when he was _incredibly_ over. But the momentum was wasted.

Paul also wanted to mix things up and have a feud for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship between two heels. It would make Tyler's debut even stronger if right out of the gate he was feuding for the main title. To Paul, it was a reason why Rick "The Model" Martel, "The Narcissist" Lex Luger, and every other attempt to have another pretty boy character didn't exceed or ascend to the level of Shawn Michaels. It was his philosophy that if the talent, skill, and chemistry was there with two performers, it shouldn't matter who was or was not the villain at the time. He, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and "The Rock" all switched with one another as did Flair, Hogan, Sting, and Savage. If you booked correctly and trusted the performers instead of micro-managing them, things would work out, according to him.

Tyler sighed as he could see the direction the conversation was going. Looking down at his pants, he hoped that the conversation wouldn't be too long, because he'd need yet another shower, a cold one the second time around.

"Look at me," she continued as Tyler met her gaze. "I'm not asking to be your wife or fiancée this second, but I need some reassurance of exclusivity."

Tyler climbed off Shannon and sat up in bed. "You're right. I've never really been committed to labels before but _this_ ," said Tyler, who took a position from Shannon's book, motioned his hand between their gap. "It needs to be clarified. I can, I will, but most importantly, I _want_ to be exclusive to you. Shit, I've been in developmental so long, I'll likely buy a house here in Florida once I've reached stability with my roster spot, and let some new NXT recruit take my apartment. Everyone in the company gets the WWE Network for free. I'll always see your matches, and on days off I'll come to Winterpark to see you up close and personal. If not, hopefully, I could come to every Takeover at least."

"You're seeing me up close and personal now," said Shannon, who smiled as she removed her cap-sleeved red blouse.

Tyler climbed back on top of Shannon and began kissing her. Shannon almost lost herself in the moment as their mouths entwined before Tyler remembered something, and pulled his face away.

"Besides, we have to stay together for Skyler," Tyler remarked as he laughed.

Shannon pushed him off her once again, not having the slightest idea of what Tyler was talking about. "Skyler? Who the hell is Skyler? Are you mashing our names up like those celebrities do when they're in a relationship? Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are Bragelina. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were Bennifer," she pouted. "You know I think that's lame."

"Yes I am mashing our names up, but no, I'm not doing it to label our relationship," said Tyler, who was pleasantly surprised when the word 'relationship' rolled from his lips naturally, without protest or reevaluation from his mind. He tried to kiss her again, but she put a finger on his lips.

"Nope. You still haven't told me who Skyler is," she said.

"You're not dropping this are you?" asked Tyler while Shannon shook her head confirming that she indeed would not budge on the issue. "Skyler will be the name of our unborn child. I'll have to pray that he won't get your stubbornness."

"He?" She questioned. "We don't know what the sex will be. Aren't you being cocky?"

"Confident, not cocky, remember?" he said winking at Shannon, as he recalled their conversation from the very first time they met all those months ago.

"We're many, many, years away from kids though," she replied.

"Right. Which means we have many, many, times to _practice_ making Skyler. Now shut up, and let me show you why Canadians do it better," Tyler said climbing on Shannon yet again. This time he hoped, it would be without interruption.

* * *

 **June 2nd, 2017**

It was now Friday, June 2nd, three days before Tyler would make his Monday Night Raw debut. But this was also the very last day Shannon would have any consistent physical contact with him. Because Tyler was now a part of the main roster, he would be on the road starting tomorrow with house shows Saturday and Sunday, Raw on the Monday, and another house show Tuesday. He'd be back in town Wednesday, but would have to do media and other promotional appearances Thursday, and the routine started back again provided he didn't suffer a serious injury. This wasn't something that Shannon didn't understand: It was Paul's decision in 2014 to organize pockets of live tours for the NXT roster as a way to introduce the talent to what being on the road was like; so when they finally were brought to the main roster, they would be experienced and transition well to the hectic schedule that comes with the territory of being a full time WWE Superstar.

Tyler got to experience not only the NXT tours, but a few of the main roster tours as well, because he was called up by Paul for house shows when some superstars were out of action due to injury. Sure, showing up to those house shows was his job as there was a need to fill the card, but he enjoyed it just as much. For about a month at least, he would wrestle at both NXT live events and main roster house shows wherever the schedule allowed him to, so the times and locations didn't conflict. Despite knowing that these were only main roster live events and not actual matches televised for the weekly episodes of Raw or Smackdown he appeared in, he did not complain. This was one of the many reasons why Shannon was beginning to grow strong feelings for Tyler. His relentless commitment to be a team player as other members of the NXT roster, male and female, passed him by was something she admired. His time was finally coming, and he totally deserved it in her opinion. And even on his final day in Orlando, Tyler was selfless. He could have done anything he wanted, but decided to spend it having his first official date with Shannon.

Tyler decided that he and Shannon would have their first date at his place, where he'd cook and the environment would be casual and comfortable for the both of them. He wore slim fit light grey dress pants with a black French cuff dress shirt by Jean Paul, and a black leather belt. Tyler didn't wear a tie and left a few buttons of his shirt undone. It was June in Florida after all. When he heard a knock on his door, he walked in the kitchen towards the stove, and got one last look on how the food was. Even though Shannon listened to quite a bit of rap during workouts, in terms of her overall enjoyment of music, by this point he knew Shannon loved ballads. It didn't matter if they were country, rock, r and b, or even smooth, romantic hip hop. Generally the older the decade of music, the better for her. He made a playlist of that mixed variety on his stereo, and The BeeGees' "More Than A Woman" played softly in the background, as he answered the door.

"Hey, you made it," said Tyler, who smiled at Shannon as she walked in and he closed the door behind her. "I'm glad you were cool with doing this here. We've done everything else unconventional: We had our first kiss before our first date. We've slept together multiple times before seriously discussing the ramifications. And it's worked out for the best. Hopefully our streak of luck continues."

 _He has a point. At this rate, we'll probably get married one day and skip the whole proposal and engagement part._

Shannon giggled before speaking. "I hope so too. Is this okay, what I'm wearing?" she asked as she motioned her hands up and down to her outfit. "You said simple. I didn't want to overdo it."

She wore a royal blue solid sleeveless tank sundress, made of jersey knit material with a scoop neckline. Her shoes were black leather Gladiator sandals with silver straps. She topped the outfit off with a few pieces of jewelry: a two-piece diamond snowflake earring and necklace set, sterling silver bracelet, and princess-cut blue topaz ring. Her hair was curled in loose waves, and she wore Cranberry Cocktail lip gloss by Mabeline.

The dress stopped about two to three inches above her knee and there was enough cleavage to show Tyler that she was still interested, but not a whore.

"It's perfect. Really, if you showed up barefoot in a trash bag, I'd still let you in, I swear," Tyler said as he pulled Shannon close for a hug. He was fighting the urge to kiss her. It wasn't so much that he couldn't; but was willing to follow her lead as things happened out of order anyway in the beginning.

Tyler led her to the living room area of the apartment, and she sat on the couch. She loved that Tyler's hair was down at his shoulders. It was nice to see it down on purpose and not from an opponent messing up his bun in a match. "So what's on the menu Rockstar?" Shannon asked as she placed her purse on the end table. "Hopefully whatever you've prepared doesn't put an end to both of our careers," she joked.

"Well Mark, you said 'surprise me' which I interpreted as code for either 'I don't really care' or 'I'm curious to see if he's really a good cook,' " said Tyler, who was now sitting next to Shannon on the couch. "So I decided on Surf and Turf. Stuffed Sirloin steak with mushrooms and onions; prawns served with a steamed medley of broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, and a side salad. Oh, and I think you're going to love my spicy mayo. Before you ask, it's not _real_ mayonnaise. It's my original recipe of non-fat, plain Greek yogurt, Apple-Cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard seed."

"Wow, I'm really impressed with how serious your...culinary game is," said Shannon. "It does smell nice in here. You know I don't drink though."

"Say no more, I've got that covered too," he said quickly. "Red wine for me, and I've provided choices for the lady. I have sparkling juice from this company called 'Izze.' The flavors are cherry lime, pomegranate, and coconut. If you don't like those, I have sparkling water by this brand called 'La Croix.' The flavors are strawberry basil, cucumber limeade, and rosemary mango. Depending on which of those you prefer, I can always order more variety later. There was a plethora of choices for both brands. The quantity was so overwhelming that I ended up just picking random ones that sounded fancy. We've got about 10 minutes or so until the food's ready, so we might as well wait here."

He noticed the ring on her left hand and commented on it. "December baby? I'm January."

"Huh, what? Yeah December," Shannon said, who was distracted by how handsome Tyler looked, and the great smell of the food that they would enjoy shortly.

She knew his birthday in January. In fact, they had a tag match together on his birthday six months ago. But her nervousness was making her loopy and flustered.

"So you either follow me, or come 11 months before me depending on which way you want to look at it," She said after a pause.

Tyler wasn't bothered by her wearing jewelry, but was curious about one thing.

"Why do you wear it on your ring finger?" he questioned. "I'm pretty sure if you were married, we wouldn't be having this date right now. There's no crazy fiancée hanging around the bushes is there?"

She laughed a few seconds before responding. "Absolutely not. No fiancée or husband. I started wearing some rings on my wedding finger around high school age. It didn't happen every day. Sometimes going to and from school random guys-not always teenage boys-sometimes _men_ that looked a good seven to eight years older than me, who definitely shouldn't have been approaching me, would pester me asking for my phone number or if I had a boyfriend."

"What's that got to do with wearing the ring on the left side?" he asked.

"Well I'd give them the telephone number to the local weather station, and they started catching on to that. Then I'd lie and say I did have a boyfriend, but they got daring and continued to bother me anyway," Shannon explained. "That's when I started wearing the ring there, lying again, saying I was engaged. 'Causally dating or boyfriend' were terms they were unaffected by. But fiancee scared them off."

"I'd be lying if I said you being all blinged out over here wasn't a little intimidating," said Tyler noticing the other pieces she was wearing. "Are those diamonds?"

"Oh please. Don't be intimidated," Shannon said with an eye roll, assuring Tyler it wasn't as serious as he was making it out to be. "Yeah, these are all diamond, but on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of price. They're still quite cute despite what they cost. They're not cheap, but they're not ridiculous either. I'm not making Ronda Rousey money. You know that phrase 'diamonds are a girl's best friend' ?"

"Yeah, is it true?" Tyler wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"I won't say they're my best friend. I'm not superficial. They're not an actual living species, but I really do love jewelry," she said. "And I'm a sterling silver kind of girl too. I absolutely hate gold, unless it's a championship title. WWE's openly allowing people to customize championship plates now. I remember when Austin and Rocky customized the entire title with the Brahma Bull and Smoking Skull Championships. Maybe if I win a title, Trips could let me have a silver and not gold championship. I'd even consider white gold."

"There you go again Mark, always bringing the business back up" said Tyler. He loved that about her though because he was the same way. He wasn't saying it to annoy her, but to break through her nerves. She was so tense tonight.

"I can't help it!" Shannon exclaimed after sticking her tongue out at him. "But getting back to the jewelry thing, it's the one thing...the one thing," Shannon started to tear up as she played with her bracelet.

"What is it bab...What is it Shannon?" Tyler caught himself. Thus far, terms of affection only came out during sex. Thankfully, he made a safe recovery as he left the couch, walked to the mantel, and gestured for Shannon to grab some tissues in the dispenser. She did.

The BeeGees' "More Than A Woman" ended, and LL Cool J's "I Need Love" started to play.

"Thanks," Shannon responded as she dabbed her face with the tissue. "Jewelry's one thing my father and I bonded on. Whenever we passed jewelers in the mall, he'd always point at the engagement and wedding rings section of their shops. He'd tell me which rings showed if a guy was worth it versus ones that wouldn't last. I'm not sure if he was being serious or not, but I always thought it was fun looking at it all. Everything I'm wearing now, the earrings, the necklace, the bracelet, the ring, he all got for me. But other than that, there's not much of anything we do together. He's just, he's just..."

Shannon couldn't fight it anymore. She began to cry.

"It's okay, it's okay. Let it out," Tyler said as he returned to the couch and pulled her closer to him.

She continued. "He's just, I don't know. _Different_. Is it possible to respect and hate someone at the same time?"

"I think it is," he said simply.

"What am I doing?" Shannon asked as she leaned up from his chest. "We're supposed to be having a good time on this date, you're on the road tomorrow, and I'm babbling on about things you don't want to hear."

"I _never_ said that. Yes we are supposed to be having a good time, but you're not babbling on about something I don't want to hear. In order for us to have a good time, I need you to get whatever's upsetting you off your chest," Tyler replied as he wiped the remaining tears off Shannon's face with his thumb after noticing she placed the tissue on her lap. "I won't rush you of course. Whatever you want to say and for however long doesn't matter to me. Just don't hold it in because you think I want you to."

That was all the reassurance she needed.

"It's my parents. Well, my Dad specifically. We used to be really close when I was very young. I remember him coming to see me in school plays. I told you in February the night we played Rock Band he wanted me in Cello, but I liked the drums. He also signed me up for dance classes. He got pissed that I picked Hip Hop over Ballet, but eventually he got over it," Shannon remarked and a light chuckle soon followed. "But all of that changed when I started taking my love for wrestling seriously. I was always a fan, since I was a toddler. I'd grapple with the boys at recess in school all the time. Around middle school age I started working out at the gym together with my mom every weekend. She pushed to get me on the men's amateur team, which was a heck of an effort, and he just took a turn for the worst. At one point he more or less implied I was a lesbian because I liked contact sports. Other things happened with my parents too that I'm not ready to talk about yet. He was a closet sexist I guess. It became painfully evident the older I got."

"How so? He do or say anything that crossed the line?" he questioned. Tyler rubbed her shoulder, as a way to let her know with his body language that he was available to console her if she started crying again.

"Oh yeah! After college when I told my parents that I was going to be a professional wrestler, he told me I was wasting my life and his money. After that, I was done. I was 21, but he was treating me like I was 12. I was tired of his bullshit and him throwing money in my face. I moved out and was determined to make it on my own," Shannon's tears started to dry up as she was no longer sad, but angry. "I worked three jobs: training the high school girls' amateur wrestling team on afternoons in the fall and winter, and the collegiate amateur team in the evenings during the same season. I assistant-coached students at the pro-wrestling academy year long, alternating my availability with time during the fall and winter when amateur wrestling was still obviously active. Technically my fourth job would be the couple hundred bucks after wrestling a few gigs sponsored or affiliated with my MCW training facility, in addition to the bookings overseas."

"And look," Tyler said grabbing her chin with a single hand. "You _did_ make it. You're in the WWE. NXT has gained so much popularity that no one's in a rush truly to get on the main roster."

LL Cool J's "I Need Love" ended and Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You" started.

"I know you're right, but I just don't get," said Shannon who started crying again. Tyler just gently guided her head back to his chest.

Shannon spoke, but sounded muffled through tears. "I just don't get why he wasn't supportive. I did everything right. I was well mannered and respectful. I got good grades in school. I went to college. Yet when I fractured my wrist and sent him a picture to get advice, he blew me off because I _didn't lie,_ and told him it was from wrestling."

"Well I mean, in his defense, what advice could he offer you Shannon when you got hurt? It's not like he's a doctor or anything," Tyler said in what he thought was a supportive claim.

"Yes he is," she retorted.

"Oh," he simply said. He felt like a total idiot.

"He's not an orthopedic surgeon," She clarified. "But I was just asking for a general opinion."

"Well I guess that changes things," Tyler responded. She was still tense, so he continued to caress her shoulder. "You think you two will be close again?"

"Honestly, I don't think we ever will. He disowned me the moment I landed in Florida to come here. All I ever wanted was for him to come to one match. _One_ fucking match! Shit, I didn't even have to be booked to win it! Just come to one of my matches to see that I'm doing something I love; and that it's not the bullshit that he thinks it is," she said before suddenly noticing the dampness on Tyler's shirt. "Oh God, I've messed up my makeup, and I've ruined your shirt. I'll be back in a second. I need to freshen up."

When she returned from Tyler's bathroom, dinner was finally ready. Foreigner's "Waiting For a Girl Like You" ended, and Sam Hunt's "Take Your Time" started. She calmed down, feeling better about unleashing her feelings regarding her father to someone who she was close to. She hadn't even shared some of these things that she shared with Tyler with Bayley. She told her that her dad was completely and emphatically unsupportive of her wrestling, but never really shared any specific stories or comments he made. Shannon just told Bayley it was a very "hostile situation" regarding their relationship, and left it at that. Surely, that had to mean that she and Tyler were no longer in the friends or 'casually-dating' zone, right? As they had their meal Tyler shared some stories about his family, his start in the business, and even a few things that weren't wrestling related, like some of his favorite music and films. After they ate, they returned to the living room couch to talk some more.

"So it's been four weeks since we've been periodically sleeping together whenever I'm around," Tyler said as he wrapped his arm around Shannon's shoulder on the couch. "Any regrets?"

"No," she said confidently. "We're both adults. At the end of the day, if we were really against anything that happened, the other person would've respected their wishes right?"

Sam Hunt's "Take Your Time" ended and Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson's "Don't you wanna' Stay?" started to play.

"Right," said Tyler. "Well we…"

"Do you think I could spend the night with you? I know you're on the road tomorrow, but I can be out first thing in the morning. I have my car outside and can take myself back home." Shannon was really feeling the closeness, and wasn't quite ready for it to end. She wanted to milk as many minutes out of being with Tyler as she could.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tyler asked as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Definitely," said Shannon as she leaned forward grabbing his forearm. "I know you don't look at me like a ring rat. You courted me...sort of. I think we should test our self-control."

"How?" he questioned curiously.

"I want to sleep with you, but _not_ have sex," Shannon explained. "To make it a challenge, let's do it topless."

Tyler raised his eyebrow with a puzzled look before agreeing. "That's definitely a new one, but I'm game."

* * *

They headed to Tyler's bedroom. Shannon remembered where Tyler kept his athletic apparel, but noticed he seemed to have dedicated a section of drawers to her. She looked inside, and didn't recognize purchasing the items, but they were her size. Even though Tyler wasn't expecting her to spend the night today, perhaps he anticipated she'd want to at some point. She put on a pair of silk, black, short-shorts after slipping off her dress. Tyler removed his clothes got in bed with just his black boxer briefs. Shannon walked to the bed before removing her bra. Tyler rotated his hand in a circular motion gesturing for Shannon to join him in bed, which she obliged. She cuddled against Tyler's chest as they adjusted the covers, before turning out the lights.

A few moments of silence went by as they both recollected not just what they discussed recently, but what they were currently doing. Tyler broke the silence.

"Shannon, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked as he kissed the top of her head. The lights were out so she couldn't see him kiss her, but sensed it with his slight movement near her head.

"Honestly," She replied following another pause. "I kinda felt like I already was. But if you want a formal answer, yes Tyler."

Tyler smiled at her response as he kissed her shoulder. "Good. Because I was hoping this torture you're putting me through right now was worth it."

She reached across him, rubbing her leg against his crotch. "Hey buddy, you're not the only one being tortured. This is a growing experience for the _both_ of us. We can tough it out."

Tyler griped Shannon tighter. "I love you Mark."

Shannon just mumbled, "Mmhmm" before falling asleep.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three: Molding A Star

**Monday Night Raw**

 **Bankers Life Fieldhouse Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana**

 **June 5th, 2017**

"Cena's in his zone, he's in his element, and is about to reach second gear!" Shouted WWE Monday Night Raw Commentator Byron Saxton after witnessing John Cena release a primal scream, and pound the mat as if he were trying to psych himself back into the match. He was competing against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, and the title was on the line. Cena started off strong, but Ziggler had been dominating most of the match. He could not put Cena down for the three count however. After twenty five minutes, he simply gave up.

"I know what you mean Byron," said fellow Commentator for Raw, John Bradshaw Layfield, with a nod. "Say what you will about John Cena. He can't do this. He can't do that. What he doesn't do, is _give_ _up_. I know that for a fact because he beat me over a decade ago in an 'I Quit match.' He knows how to dig deep, trust me."

"Where's the champ going?" asked Saxton as he saw Ziggler climb through the ropes and leave the ring. "He's grabbing the title...what are you doing Dolph...are you out of your mind? He just nailed John Cena blatantly in front of senior official Mike Chioda! And the referee has no choice but to call for the bell!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures son," JBL replied with a grin. "Sometimes, it's just not your night. Dolph Ziggler realized that and rather than do something foolish to lose, he did what was _necessary_ _to_ _win_."

"Are we watching the same match?" Saxton asked melodramatically. "Ziggler _did_ lose. He just lost by disqualification. He didn't win _anything_."

"You idiot!" JBL screamed. "I mean he won where it matters the most! He lost the match, but _did_ _not_ lose his title. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship is the name of the game in this business."

 **"Hear what I say, better watch what I do!**

 **Better heed the warning I'm gonna' give you.**

 **If you ever doubted me, you don't have a clue!**

 **I'm here to show the world!**

 **I'm here to show the world!"**

As Ziggler's "Here to show the World" hit, he stood over Cena, who remained still on the ring canvas, and taunted him, flicking the oil from his blonde spaghetti strands of hair on Cena's body. Ziggler then mumbled something to his unconscious face. As he did so, the crowd roared as Tyler in his full ring gear, climbed over the barricade holding a mirror. He slid in the ring while Ziggler's back was still turned.

Like RVD with a chair, or sometimes with the Money In The Bank briefcase before nailing a Van Daminator, Tyler tossed the mirror at Ziggler when he turned around. As Ziggler caught the mirror, Tyler immediately nailed him with The Beauty Shot kick, smashing the mirror in pieces. Tyler then grabbed the WWE World Heavyweight Championship which was on the canvas after Chioda called for the disqualification, and feigned checking himself out in it, as though the title were a mirror itself. Then he stepped over both unconscious men and held the championship high as the commentators sold the aftermath while his entrance music, "MmmGorgeous" played.

 **"Super good looking, every hair in place.**

 **Everyone loves, this gorgeous face!**

 **You can't deny, my beauty shots.**

 **I'm everything, that you are not!"**

"I guess 'The Showoff' isn't the only one willing to steal a show!" said JBL in excitement. "There's nothing like a locker room full of egos! It brings out the best in people. Competition's a hell of a motivator! Welcome to the big time Tyler Breeze."

"Maybe we can't see Cena, but 'the gorgeous one' has made his presence known on the main roster," said Saxton. "His intentions-just like his skin-seem to be pretty clear. Good night everyone. We hope to see you next week on Monday Night Raw!"

 _Great finish to the main event. Nick had a nice match with John, and Hunter even let my man debut at the very end of the main event, making a hell of impact in the process. I'm sure Ty_ _and Nick are going to tear it up in that feud. Trips, you wrote a damn good show. I'll probably call Ty tomorrow and congratulate him after he settles in the town of the next live event. He's probably going to celebrate with the boys tonight, and let the moment of finally being there soak in. I'm proud of you, baby._

* * *

 **June 7th, 2017**

Shannon was in one of the weight rooms on the bench doing chest presses. She just finished a fourth set of thirty reps at 225 pounds. After a minute of rest, she got up, removed her earbuds from her ears and let them hang loose from her neck to her chest. It wasn't that she was bored from her playlist. She didn't want to risk the chance of them sliding down to smack her in the face as she got up to add more weight. Someone was looking at her from afar. When they saw her rise to add more weight, they walked over to her.

"Could you use a spotter?" asked Paul. He wasn't working on anything particularly important in either office today, but the gym itself was his first love before wrestling in the ring. And the fact that he designed the Performance Center himself pretty much granted him access to workout there wherever and whenever the hell he wanted _._

 _Whether you know it or not Trips, you totally redefine the term of "making yourself available."_

"Of course," Shannon replied as Paul grabbed hold of the barbell after Shannon added another forty five pounds to it, putting the weight at 270, matching Paul's size. He wore dark grey toe shoes, jet black shorts and a grey muscle shirt that read, "Meet me at The Bar," in white text. But instead of a shot of whiskey, cleverly displayed underneath the text was a graphic of an actual black barbell rack and a bench underneath. The shirt wasn't just cute, but completely soaked. He wrapped up an extensive workout with 120 pound dumbbells on each arm. He did several sets of chest flies, chest press, shoulder press, overhead press, tricep, and bicep curls. Before that he was boxing on the speed bag and eventually moved on to the heavy bag. After the dumbbell and bag workouts, he did several sets of squats and lunges with 200 pound kettle bells in each hand.

He didn't want to interrupt Shannon when she was pressing the 225 on the bar. He knew how great it felt being in the zone when you were slaying in the gym, only to be interrupted by someone or something, especially if it wasn't all that important. So he waited until he saw her get up to chalk her hands again, and completely secure the added weight before he headed over.

He eased the barbell away from himself and slowly lifted it towards Shannon. "Easy does it. You've got it? Now on my count...3...2...1...press."

Shannon started lifting the weight, and Paul watched on, casually glancing over her to make sure Shannon maintained good form. When he stared at her chest and noticed she was wearing his "That Damn Good" gold and white tank top, he grinned.

"Hang on, not so fast," he said after noticing the speed that Shannon was going lifting the weight. "Static Hold. Hold for three or four seconds after every rep to let those muscles contract and build on their already existing strength." She wasn't lifting terribly. But there wasn't any harm on perfecting her technique. Once she complied, and he saw she was breathing fine, he remembered something he wanted to talk to her about.

"I want you to do Tough Enough this year," Paul said seriously, without a smirk.

"Okay. Am I helping Del Ray train the ladies?" She asked breathing through the lifts, listening on intently at him. She remained focused on her reps as her head looked upward at the large, red TapOut sign hanging on one of the walls. The WWE bought stock in the athletic apparel company in 2015, and featured some of their talent in commercials sporting its gear. She was on rep eight. "Or am I going to be a guest on an episode doing a skills test or special challenge with the group?"

"Neither," Paul responded quickly as Shannon was lifting the weight backward, and he guided it back to the rack for her to rest a few seconds. "I want you to be a judge. Paige judged a couple of times in 2015 when we had to rotate the panel after the Hulk Hogan fiasco; but she was on the main roster by that point. You'd be the first _active_ NXT Superstar to judge."

Shannon reached her arms backward indicating to Paul that she was ready to be spotted again for her next set. He again guided the weight back to her. She waited for his signal and started pressing again. She didn't speak.

"But no pressure right?" he asked with a smirk finally emerging from his face.

"None at all," she finally replied. Her wrists started shaking by rep fifteen of the second set, but he encouraged her to fight through it.

"Come on, Shannon!" He yelled. "Push! You can give me 5 more. Finish strong. Ignore the body. Trust the mind."

She gave him ten more.

He guided the weight back to the barbell rack, and she lazily flopped backward on the bench with her legs spread apart. He laughed at how she was beat, but was happy that she pushed herself. Paul was one of those gym rats that looked at exhaustion or a race to the waste basket to vomit as a hard earned badge of honor.

"Nicely done," Paul remarked after his smirk disappeared. "We'll talk about this further later."

* * *

 **June 10th, 2017**

" **Tonight** , **on** **the** **season** **finale** **of** **Breaking** **Ground**!" yelled the person responsible for voiceovers promoting many WWE programs, including Pay Per Views as well as original programming on the WWE Network.

"It's time for evaluations," said A-Train as he entered the area of the Performance Center where all the rings were. Several members of the recently signed talent group from the spring were going over some of the things taught by trainers Billy Gunn, Sara Del Ray, and A-Train himself. A few were taking initiative and began sparring with one another separately in their own ring, as there were seven total in the building.

"Alright, listen up! Some of you will stay, some of you will go," A-Train continued. "But I won't be doing the honors..."

The talent suspended their activity and gasped as Paul entered the room. They immediately swallowed the lump in their throats, not knowing what to expect. They all knew he was the ultimate man in charge. They also knew he had servers and cameras installed in his office at WWE Headquarters in Stamford that transmitted a live stream of all the happenings of NXT when he was not present in Florida. So they were shocked to see him today in the flesh.

"I've read all the reports, seen footage, and have thoughts of my own as well," said Paul as he clutched some files under his suit jacket. "Today, I will _personally_ be announcing the cuts."

 **"Who will lose out on the opportunity of a lifetime to become a future WWE Superstar? Will it be a permanent departure, or just 'goodbye for now?' Tune in to find out on WWE's Breaking Ground!"**

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 14th, 2017**

When you were a WWE Superstar, just because you appeared on televised shows such as Raw, Smackdown, and Pay Per Views, you didn't always appear on the same house show circuit with one another. Live events were divided among the roster, and the WWE listed areas they traveled as either "A towns," or "B towns." Some examples of "A towns" were Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Richmond, Virginia, Atlanta, Georgia, Memphis, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, New Orleans, Louisiana, Chicago, Illinois, Detroit, Michigan, Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New York City, New York, Los Angeles, California, San Diego, California, Toronto, Canada, Houston, Texas, Dallas, Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, Charlotte, North Carolina, Miami Beach, Florida, and London, England. "A towns" were usually classified as such for either being a historic wrestling town, highly populated area with consistent ticket sales, or perhaps they were in close geographic proximity with other "hot" wrestling areas. "B towns" had smaller venues that were still in many of the states of "A towns," but smaller cities. They also could have been cities where wrestling was popular, but maybe not as as strongly as some of the other "A towns." Examples of those could include Salisbury, Maryland, Elizabeth, New Jersey, Akron, Ohio, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Newcastle, England, Santa Monica, California, Shreveport, Louisiana, Amherst, Massachusetts, and Perry, Oklahoma.

Usually superstars higher on the card appeared at the "A town" shows, unless quite a bit of talent were out of action due to injury, or suspension. Another reason for absence would be if talent requested special permission previously scheduled ahead of time to be out of action for an outside engagement, such as John Cena taking six weeks off in 2015 to film his "American Grit" reality show for the Fox Network. In those cases, some of the upper card talent were flopped around to help contribute to the ticket sales of the "B towns" that were already expected not to be as high as the "A towns." For example, in 1995, you were likely to see Bret "The Hitman" Hart, "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel, and "The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon headlining live events in a place like Madison Square Garden in New York. Meanwhile you were likely to see The 123 Kid, Crush, The Repo Man, Typhoon, The Godwins, Doink The Clown, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley in places like Dover, Delaware, or Providence, Rhode Island. This is not to say you would _never_ see this talent in an "A town." It just may be that at a particular time period, they frequented more "B" than "A towns."

Tyler found out at the last minute he was being pulled from a "B town" tonight and being placed on an "A town" show tomorrow; so he had the evening off to head over to the "A town" the next day. He was currently in El Paso, Texas and had a flight from Texas to Georgia. With being canceled from the house show today, he was trying to get to Full Sail to see Shannon at NXT Takeover: Passion this evening. When he drove his rental car from El Paso to San Antonio, he caught up with Sami Zayn who had some time to spare with how advanced he booked his ticket. Sami gave Tyler his ticket from San Antonio to Miami, and reassured him he would just book another. This way Tyler could just drive the rest of the way to Winterpark as opposed to landing in Atlanta and not knowing how long the layover in Georgia would be until he arrived in Florida. He accepted the offer from Sami, thanked him, and was on his way.

* * *

Since Tyler would be heading East, he'd be in an advanced time zone. When he did arrive and completed the drive, he made it to Winterpark a mere two hours before the show started. The point though was that he made it, period. Shannon already had a pre-production meeting so was just hanging out in her dressing room, sitting on Tyler's lap, who was sitting on a large, black Barcelona Lounge Chair and Ottoman. The chair was an astounding piece of art constructed with a stainless steel frame.

For singles star, most locker rooms only contained a few basic metal folding chairs, in addition to some space to store your actual clothes and ring attire. You were likely to see more specific items of furniture such as love seats, couches, or ostentatious lamps for talent that were sharing space as part of a stable such as Evolution, or The McMahon-Helmsley Faction. But Paul didn't care if Shannon wanted a special kind of chair in her dressing room if she paid for it herself. In addition to the $780 chair coming with feet covers to protect the floor that matched the finish of the frame, Shannon also loved the fact that the chair was made of Aniline leather. To Shannon, this made the piece of furniture not just a fine piece of modern art, but established a harmonious marriage of tradition with contemporary with its look. Hey, she was frugal about most things. This was a rare splurge.

NXT episodes and Takeovers were all held in Florida with the exception of three that were on the road. The Takeover in March was done in the town of Wrestlemania, the one in August had been in Brooklyn in conjunction with Summerslam for the past two years, and the one in December was in England. So the way Shannon saw it, this chair was an investment piece to her dressing room. She wasn't leaving Orlando or its surrounding area anytime soon. Whenever she did get the call to the main roster, she'd just find room in her apartment to put it somewhere.

Shannon's vest, custom tank, pads, and boots, were in a cubbie across from where they were sitting. At the moment, she was only wearing her leggings, a throwback "Down Where? Down There!" DX shirt, and some flip flops. There was a nineteen inch television monitor in the room with the WWE Network on. An hour earlier, an episode of the "Stone Cold Podcast" aired. Now playing was an NXT Takeover two hour pre-show. This particular hour wasn't a pre-show that interviewed talent on the card. It was more so a highlight reel recapping feuds and matches on tonight's card. They weren't really paying attention to it though.

"Are you going to grow your beard out?" Shannon asked Tyler with a sincere look as she traced her left index finger against his jawline.

"Do you _want_ me to grow a beard?" He asked her back, not out of sarcasm, but genuine curiosity.

"It's _your_ face Tyler," she remarked with a smile. "Well managed facial hair can look hot on a guy. But I was mainly asking because I find the irony cute in that you're a heel with a baby face," Shannon clarified after tracing his jawline and now proceeded to cross his lips.

"Not sure yet," he said as he kissed Shannon's fingers as they traced his mouth. She giggled at his touch. "But I'll think about it."

A few minutes went by with them thinking in silence among themselves.

"Babe?" Tyler asked as Shannon leaned further into Tyler's chest, and he began combing his fingers through her wavy hair, happily intoxicated by the Grapefruit and Mint conditioner by Herbal Essence she used.

"Yes?" she responded.

"Can we get a cat?" he questioned. That was kind of random. He shouldn't have been that dazed from being jet lagged. It wasn't like he took a Red Eye from the U.S. to France and back.

"You're on the road, and I'm here in NXT," Shannon replied as she looked at him. "Who's going to babysit and walk it?"

"Sweetie, it's a _cat_ ," Tyler said with a chuckle. "They're independent. No one needs to babysit. Wait a minute, did you just say _walk_ it? It's not a dog."

"But a cat, like any other animal, is like having a kid," she reminded him with a grin. "They require unconditional love _and_ attention. Otherwise, what's the point in having them? And is there a law against walking cats? I had friends who did."

"Were these friends who walked cats _women_?" Tyler asked as he gripped his right hand tight on her ass to secure her on his lap. Then he reached across them, grabbing the roll of tape from the seat of the sole folding chair in the room with his left.

"Yes," she replied with a smirk.

"Then _that's_ why," he said while grabbing Shannon's wrists, and started taping her hands for her. "Speaking of kids, when we have ours, they'll only see my side of grandparents."

"Why?" She asked as she looked up at him with a concerned look in her eyes. "You don't think mine will turn around?" He was likely right, but it didn't hurt hearing a second opinion.

"Shannon, though I haven't met her, from what you tell me, your mom's a sweetheart and she'd love them. Your dad though," he said before sighing heavily. "He'll probably go into cardiac arrest as you know our kid will come out of the wound dropkicking its doctor in the face."

"Well that's impossible considering he or she would be still attached to my umbilical cord and arrive head, not feet first," Shannon replied seriously as she looked down at the floor. He finished her hands and wrist, then started taping the knuckles of her individual fingers.

Tyler kissed her left cheek.

"Clearly, I was joking," he responded. "But you didn't see my sarcasm, which tells me this is really bothering you. Look at me."

Shannon re-positioned herself so her legs were at his sides, straddling him. Finishing with the tape, he tossed it back on the folding chair, and held her waist. They were now face to face and chest to chest. He continued.

"I'm not a soldier. I'm not a superhero. I'm just your boyfriend. Maybe I can't erase all your pain, but I at least want to prevent any more from entering your heart. This animosity you and your father share for one another is unfortunate. It's _fucked_ _up_ really, if you want me to give it to you straight with no bullshit. But I think the only way you can truly move beyond it is if you make a commitment to a position. If you want your father back in your life, then fine. Try one last time and reach out to him. But if you believe the two of you are beyond resolution, then just let him go."

She didn't respond, but gazed on intently, reassuring him he had her undivided attention. He grabbed her face, and held it in his hands. He was not done speaking. "I will _never_ replace the love a father should have for his daughter. But baby, I refuse to let you torture yourself whenever the subject of family comes up, treating it so fragile like we have to walk on eggshells, when it should be something's that sentimental and precious."

"I...I...I lo...I…, " Shannon muttered but couldn't finish.

"I know," Tyler said letting go of her face, transferring his hands to her lower back. He rubbed it before leaning in and gently pecked her lips.

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

 **NXT** **Takeover** : **Passion**

" **Warning** : **An open** **microphone** **can** **be** **dangerous.**

 **Let's tune in to two of the greatest MC's out there.**

 **Passion! The will to win, the spark within.**

 **Passion!** **The** **strength** **within** **the** **hearts** **of** **men!**

 **Passion!** **The drive to press. To strive for best.**

 **Arise!** **You've** **just** **arrived**. **The** **quest** **is** **driven** **through**

 **Passion!** **To** **play** **through** **pain** **and** **love** **the** **game**.

 **Passion!** **To** **break** **the** **chain** , **and** **blaze** **the** **flame!**

 **Passion!** **To** **fight** **for** **rights**. **To** **love** **your** **life.**

 **Arise!** **You've** **just** **arrived! The** **quest** **is** **driven** **through**

 **Passion!** "

Cleverly chosen, Hip Hop duo Blackalicious' song, "Passion" was selected as the theme song for the NXT Takeover: Passion Pay Per View. It played during the opening credits and video montage of the broadcast. Just like the one in March, this Takeover was not a traditional Pay Per View broadcast ordered through a cable network. But these two, sometimes two-and-a half hour shows, which NXT did roughly four to five times a year, were indeed culminating events like a typical Pay Per View. They were simply streamed just like the regular NXT show on the WWE Network.

"Welcome everyone to NXT Takeover at Full Sail University. If you couldn't already tell, our theme for this event is passion-brilliantly reflected in the music introducing the event-our many thanks to Blackalicious for that," said NXT Commentator Corey Graves excitedly, following the introductory package, song, and opening pyro. "I'm Corey Graves."

"And I'm his broadcast partner Tom Phillips," said fellow NXT Commentator Tom Phillips, who had to project his voice a little in an effort to speak over the crowd. NXT usually always had an emotional audience for every episodic taping. This however, was a Takeover special: the equivalent of a WWE Pay Per View for the brand. So fans were typically louder and more raucous than usual here. "Corey, in my humble opinion, we've got an excellent show. And I'm not just saying that because we work here."

"I cannot argue with that Tom," Graves agreed passionately. "Every time you think this brand reaches its limit, reaches the maximum of its potential, it finds a way to pull you back in. I love it. A lot of questions will be answered this evening, that's for sure. We'll see who has 'passion' tonight! The floor is yours, Eden!"

"This opening contest is semi finals match number 1 of the Attitude Era Invitational! And it is scheduled for one fall with a 15 minute time limit," ring announcer Eden Stiles began. Shortly after, the team of Nia Jax and Blue Pants made their way to the ring. A few moments went by before Eden attempted to announce the next team. Seconds before her lips made it to the microphone as Nia and Blue Pants looked on awaiting their opponents, Nia snatched the right arm of Blue Pants, and delivered a pull back clothesline.

"What the hell is she doing?" Phillips yelled and the crowd booed at Nia's actions. They knew she was a heel, but weren't expecting her to turn on her own partner, especially when she did nothing wrong. Nia crouched to her knees and pushed Blue Pants out of the ring. When she fell to the floor, Nia slid out, guided her over to the commentary table, and powerbombed her threw it.

"Looks like she's taking out the garbage," Graves finally spoke, intelligently taking his time to answer Phillips' question of "What the hell is she doing?"

Nia left Blue Pants on the arena floor, grabbed one of the extra microphones near Eden, and tapped it to make sure it worked. After receiving confirmation that it did, she spoke into it, and walked around a few areas of the front row.

"Blue Pants is a joke," said Nia. "I need to team with a badass broad to win this whole thing!" She continued searching among the crowd until she stopped in front of a very busty Caucasian woman, who appeared to be a size thirty six, triple D in bra size. She was also wearing a camouflage bandana, and sleeveless top exposing some tattoos.

"You seem like a rough and tough bad bitch," Nia replied as she visually sized the woman up. "You want in?" She asked the woman who raised her flask to the crowd's approval, and hopped the barricade.

"ODB! That's ODB! Where did she come from?" Asked Phillips wildly.

"The same way every other person in the audience did, with a ticket," said Graves sarcastically. "God, sometimes, I don't know who's worse between you and Michael Cole."

Nia and ODB entered the ring, and the crowd cheered. Again, they were aware Nia was the heel, but ODB was a pleasant surprise as Nia's replacement.

Jessica Kresa, who competed as "ODB" had a little history with the company. She competed in the inaugural season of Tough Enough in 2001 where notable names such as Josh Matthews, Christopher Norwitski, Nidia, and Maven appeared. Out of the 4,000 audition tapes submitted, ODB was one of the 400 selected by producers to come to WWF New York for a set of auditions in front of a panel of WWF producers, MTV producers, WWF talent agents, and WWF Superstars Taz, Jacqueline, Al Snow, Mick Foley, and Jonathan Coachman. Unfortunately, she didn't make the cut of twenty five semi finalists, or the final thirteen to actually live in the Connecticut house throughout the competition. But it was there at the WWF New York preliminary auditions during a thirty second promo test, where she debuted her ODB character for the very first time. Fifteen years later, she was back in one of their facilities. Sometimes, your life does come full circle.

ODB hadn't officially signed with the WWE yet under the NXT brand. She and Paul were in the middle of loose talks. This wasn't unusual. Maybe twenty years ago it would be, but for the past two it wasn't at all. Prior to Tomasso Ciampa signing, he too had a few matches taped for NXT. Paul wanted to beef up the quality of matches and get some experience under the younger talents' belts with seasoned indie veterans. Tomasso was one of them in 2014. He was in the WWE's developmental system in OVW for a brief time in 2005, but was cut. He went back to the independents for a bit, made it to ROH, returned again to the independents, and signed with the WWE earlier this year. James Storm of TNA, also did a few matches for NXT on a freelance basis in 2015 for the same purpose. But contract terms weren't agreed upon, and he ended up going back to Total Nonstop Action.

The relationship Paul made with talents, their appearances on his show, and referencing other places they worked for on the WWE Network would be unheard of from Vince McMahon. In McMahon's world, when it came to professional wrestling, the WWE bubble was the only one that existed. That wasn't Paul's style. He didn't care that Vince was his father in law. He found that thinking absolutely stupid. Paul knew other promotions existed. So did the fans. He was an independent wrestler at one point as well. He also knew pretending you were the only company around was unrealistic. One, because you just weren't, regardless of how hard you tried convincing your fan base that you were. Two and perhaps more important: just because you were the biggest and richest, it didn't mean necessarily you were the _best_. The WWE became the biggest and richest professional wrestling company because of things they did in the past, which was out-promoting and buying out wrestling territories all across the United States, even making efforts to finance the shutting down of some in Canada. Because they had the longevity and marketing advantage, that's how they continued to grow. Ignoring other existing smaller promotions was like ignoring opportunities to sign great talent. Paul wanted to _attract_ them, not push them away.

ODB and Nia looked on at the entrance ramp as Eden brought her microphone back to her lips and introduced the team of Asuka and Bayley. Referee Drake Wuertz gestured for the bell to be sounded.

"So is this legitimate?" Phillips asked as other referees and trainers escorted Blue Pants out of the arena, stepping over pieces of the commentary table. "Are we expected to deliver commentary without an announce desk? Are we just going to accept Nia's change of plans spot on?"

"Are you going to stop her?" Graves questioned back quickly.

"No," Phillips replied.

"Well then, I'd say the match is a go," Graves responded with a smirk. "And I have no problem calling the action in this chair without a desk. In fact, I don't need these measly notes. I know what the hell I'm doing. You may need a cheat sheet, but I don't!"

* * *

"Nice plan Nia. I like your style, but it didn't work," said Corey Graves following the match.

"That's right Corey," Phillips said with a nod. "Nia couldn't make the save as Asuka had her trapped in the 'Asuka Lock' on the outside, while Bayley got the pin on ODB with the 'Belly to Bayley.' We'll see them later tonight as they advance to the finals of the Attitude Era Invitational. Congratulations to those women."

"I won't lie," remarked Graves who was disappointed in the heel team's failure. "That was a great opening contest. Coming up the NXT Tag Team Champions, Ciampa and Gargano will be defending against former champions, American Alpha: Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. Let's take a look at their journey…"

A video clip showed older matches Gargano and Ciampa had during NXT before being signed, some photos on social media with Paul confirming their signings, then capturing the titles. The second half of the clip showed highlights of Jordan and Gable's rise in popularity, before the music took a dramatic turn showing them be defeated for the championships at the previous Takeover. It concluded with their road to win the number one contendership for the opportunity to be at tonight's Takeover.

Following this match, which saw the champions retain their titles, a video clip aired with Bobby Roode attacking NXT Champion Finn Bálor following the conclusion of the NXT Takeover: Power in March. Then his subsequent attacks on other members of the roster since. When the clip ended, Jojo, NXT's backstage interviewer, was standing by with Finn, asking him for his thoughts and what his status was up to this point following the attack. He told her that he was fine and regardless of GM William Regal's decision to book Roode versus Nakamura, whomever won the match to become the undisputed number one contender worked for him. He said if it came down to it, he was even "willing to take them both on." The only thing that mattered to him was "defending his championship tonight at any cost." Because soon enough "someone was going to feel the wrath of 'The Demon.' "

A few commercials aired on the WWE Network advertising the deluxe edition of this year's Wrestlemania being available on Blu-Ray and DVD, followed by a commercial advertising the main roster's "Money In The Bank" Pay Per View airing this Sunday.

"The next contest is the semi finals match number 2 for the Attitude Era Invitational tournament," said Eden Stiles. "And it is set for one fall with a 15 minute time limit."

Shannon and Becky defeated the team of Alicia Fox and Carmella.

"Storm and Lynch are jelling Tom as they advance to the finals," said Corey Graves as he looked on at the titan tron screen, which displayed the remaining brackets. The brackets zoomed in on the final competitors in the pairings.

"They indeed seem to be Corey," Phillips agreed as he too, turned his head at the titan tron. The brackets disappeared and instead of the names of the competitors on the screen, the tron now displayed enlarged photos of Becky and Shannon on the left; and photos of Asuka and Bayley on the right. The crowd cheered wildly as seeing still photos of the remaining women in the finals, rather than just their names really hyped up the anticipation of the forthcoming match.

"Shannon Storm and Becky Lynch will face Asuka and Bayley later tonight, with the Attitude Era Invitational trophy on the line!" He continued with excitement. "It should be a heck of a contest! It seems like they've patched things up from that little scuffle we saw weeks ago when they were arguing at the conclusion of their quarterfinals match up. _Surprisingly_ , all seems to be going well."

After being impressed with Tyler, Samoa Joe, and Apollo Crew's triple threat at the Takeover in March, Paul decided to book Joe versus Baron Corbin singles action, since Tyler was promoted to the main roster. The match went on for about eighteen minutes and Samoa Joe was victorious, defeating Corbin, not with the Muscle Buster, but the Koji Clutch submission.

Another clip aired promoting tonight's premiere match up with Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura. This was another hype video showing Roode's dominance as he attacked Rich Swan, the NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The men on commentary sold the impact of Roode's wrath to explain Swann's absence from the card. In actuality, Richard was chilling in the back.

* * *

 **"Whoah**! **It's** **time** **to** **rock** **and** **roll!**

 **But** **this** **time** **I'm** **in** **control!**

 **Right** **now** , **I** **own** **the** **streets.**

 **I've** **got** **the** **keys** **to** **the** **city.**

 **And** **that's** **how** **I get** **down!"**

"Please welcome to the ring former Women's Champions and WWE Hall of Famers, Lita and Trish Stratus!" screamed Eden Stiles and the two ladies came out to Patricia's entrance theme by Lil' Kim. Amy didn't care, because she still worked with the company either way. Patricia was her best friend. Coming out to her music was fine. As the two ladies entered the arena with a nice pop, they each had a handle on the left and right side of the bronze trophy as they carried it down. The trophy stood two and a half feet tall with four columns. There was an inscription at the bottom of the trophy in white gold that read "Attitude Era Invitational." Directly underneath the title of the tournament was the line Patricia and Amy gave months earlier when they introduced the concept: "Bring some sass, and kick some ass!" On the side panels, each woman who competed from the fall of 1997 to the spring of 2002 had their names hand carved in cursive by the craftsman who designed the trophy. This even included the late Mae Young, who was powerbombed by the Dudley Boyz on more than one occasion-at _her_ request-through tables, even off the stage, during the Attitude Era. At the front center of the trophy were matching white gold name plates with several empty rows, leading one to believe that Paul wanted this tournament to become an annual thing.

The women made their way down the ramp and two chairs were set up adjacent to Graves and Phillips. They set the trophy on the floor at their feet. "Looks like they want to get an eye witness look at the action," said Corey Graves. "And I have _no_ problem with that. Welcome ladies."

"This next contest is the _final_ match to determine the winners of the Attitude Era Invitational!" Eden screamed to the crowd's delight. "And it has a 30 minute time limit!"

The team of Shannon Storm and Becky Lynch were introduced first, then Asuka and Bayley.

 _Wow. I know it may be too early to compare us, and it wouldn't be fair, but man! This crowd, this atmosphere, these pops, everyone in the match being over, it's truly giving me chills. It takes me back to reminiscing about the amazing tag match between HBK and Naitch vs. Macho Man and The Hitman in 1992. Hell of time to be a wrestling fan then. And a decade later, that 2002 Royal Rumble was just as star studded as the one in 1992 that Flair won. Such a good fucking time. God, I love this so much._

* * *

"Considering what Shannon did to get her debut victory months ago, I have no problems with referee Eddie Orengo checking her for weapons," said Tom Phillips.

"Dude, he has to check _all_ _four_ of them," Corey Graves remarked in annoyance.

"Yeah, but he should check her _twice_!" Phillips stressed, and Graves ignored him.

"Shannon and Asuka starting this one out as the bell sounds, and we are underway!" yelled Graves excitedly. "Shannon with her hands up high, suggesting a test of strength from Asuka...let's she if she's on board...she complies and their hands lock."

"There they are, shoulder to shoulder with no one yet budging for the advantage," said Phillips. "Oh but wait, watch how Shannon curls her right leg behind Asuka's calf for leverage...she's taking her down...Asuka's on her back...shoulders are down! The referee makes the cover...1, 2, and Asuka quickly bridges out from her neck to avoid the pin."

"Asuka's making a push back up and Shannon's losing her advantage," said Graves in concern. "Oh wait, but Shannon quickly hops on Asuka's quads taking her back down...but Asuka monkey flips Shannon over..."

"Both of their shoulders are now down as they lie on the canvas with their hands still locked," Phillips reminded his colleague. "Double cover 1,2...they both bridge up together...and roll to their stomachs _still_ in the hold!"

"Yeah man, you can see it in their eyes as they stare at each other on the canvas," Graves spoke warmly feeding off of Phillips' enthusiasm. "Neither of them want to give up ground. It's not just about pride. These are the finals. Uh-oh, they're on their knees now, using each other's weight to press up...Asuka is the first to unclench quickly grabbing Shannon's left hand and applying a wristlock...but Shannon pivots out, and just as quickly goes for a hammerlock on Asuka…"

"Women's Wrestling! Women's Wrestling! Women's Wrestling!" chants could be heard from the crowd as they applauded, encouraging the ladies' efforts.

"And now Asuka, grimacing a little as Shannon firmly plants her foot down on the canvas trying to wrench as much power as she can in that hammer lock," said Phillips. "But Asuka reaching up towards Shannon's head with her left arm...the ref needs to make sure she's not pulling hair."

"Asuka grabs the back of Shannon's neck and powers out of the hammerlock with a snapmare takedown," said Graves. "And look at the prowess of Asuka, not skipping a beat, following up with a seated dropkick to the back of Shannon's neck who goes down...lateral press...1...no Shannon saw it coming as she arm drags Asuka out of the ring!"

The audience once again clapped, and Shannon wiped a bit of perspiration from her hands against her hips as Asuka circled the outside of the ring, trying to regroup. Bayley mouthed a few words of encouragement to her partner, before tapping the top turnbuckle pad in her corner, working the crowd.

With Asuka out the ring, referee Eddie Orengo obviously started counting. By four, Asuka grabbed the middle ropes, pulling herself on the apron and reentered.

"Hey Asuka! I'm not just built for show. I'm built _to_ _go_ ," Shannon cleverly spoke through her mouth guard to Asuka as she reentered the ring.

"I love how Shannon doesn't hesitate to put Asuka on the spot like that, letting her know that she isn't the _only_ one that can engage in technical wrestling," Graves remarked with a smile.

"While I admit that was a beautiful exchange," Phillips started with a sigh. "I don't believe it was _necessary_ that Shannon had to make her opinions vocal."

When Asuka appeared settled and ready to continue, Shannon ran the ropes.

"Can't wait to see what these two continue to do," Graves began. "Shannon takes off on the ropes...she returns...Asuka swings, anticipating a lunging striking attack of some kind by Shannon...oh my God, how fun is Shannon Storm? Shannon just baseball slid between Asuka's legs and cartwheeled to her own corner to tag in Becky Lynch!"

Many of the Full Sail faithful began to laugh. They were expecting Asuka and Shannon to continue as they were before, going at it as hard as they possibly could. But Shannon changed the tempo of the match, evading Asuka by comically making an effort towards tagging her partner. It showed depth in Shannon's portrayal as a character. Just because you were a serious heel and not a comedic one, it didn't mean you had to be icy 100 percent of the time. Sometimes it made the dynamic of a match more entertaining if there was a bit of humor involved. Shannon was thinking about her friends the Young Bucks during that spot. Matt and Nick Jackson would be wrestling five or ten minutes in their normal style, and just when they had fans wrapped under their finger anticipating a high spot, they'd do something silly. Usually Nick would do multiple cartwheels into back flips, which resulted not in one of the team's innovative, dual, aerial moves, but a mere back rake to his opponent in the corner of the ring. But that was a part of the art of wrestling, and more specifically, the art of heel wrestlers: how do you get heat when you're well-liked, even from smarks? Simple. Deny them from what they usually cheered you for.

* * *

"Alrighty then, let's see what 'The 'Lasskicker' has in store for Asuka," Phillips said as the women locked up.

"Collar and elbow tie up...Asuka with the advantage now as she applies a headlock on Becky…" Graves remarked with passion. "Becky hammering at Asuka's arms, but Asuka won't budge for a release...still in Asuka's grip, Becky pushes Asuka towards the ropes and she now releases...Asuka on the return...shoulder tackle on Lynch, but Becky gets back up...Asuka goes for a hip toss, but Becky catches her, planting the ball of her foot and reverses the would be hip toss, into an abdominal stretch on Asuka!"

"I am utterly surprised that Shannon Storm has not reached over her corner of the ropes to grab Becky Lynch's hand to illegally increase the amount of leverage in this submission," said Phillips with a bit of confusion in his tone. "As I've alluded to earlier, other than the little verbiage with Asuka moments before, since she and Becky nearly went to war with each other in the quarter finals, she's kept her cool."

"Gaahh!" Asuka yelled out as Becky kept the hold in place.

"I haven't seen anyone ever tap out to the abdominal stretch hold Tom, but I want to take a minute to talk about its effectiveness," said Graves. "The abdominal stretch was such a smart and beautiful counter by Becky from Asuka's hip toss. Keep in mind, this is an elimination style tournament. There's no playoff system where there's a best of 7 series. You lose, you go home. This is the second match tonight for these ladies as they've already won their quarter and semifinals matches respectfully. What Becky is doing is thinking about those 'King of the Ring' tournaments, and 'Ironman' matches of the past. They're about survival and endurance. This hold is working to test Asuka's resilience and break her down. Oh man, look at this angle as Lynch puts Asuka on her hip, giving herself free range to just pound the obliques and parts of Asuka's rib cage with her elbows! That'll make it harder for Asuka to breathe, and that's what she and Shannon want. The harder it is to _breathe_ , the harder it is to _compete_ , because every so often you're focused on your pain. You want to block it out; but you can't stop feeling it when you're sore."

Another eight minutes of action between Becky and Asuka ensued before Asuka tagged out, and Bayley and Becky went to work. Eventually Becky made a tag to Shannon, and she got back in to have some minutes with Bayley.

"Bayley on the top turnbuckle...Shannon approaches her, but she kicks her away. Shannon returns with a strong forearm to Bayley's jaw, putting an end to Bayley's defense protecting herself from Shannon joining her on the ropes," Phillips said, compelled to physically rise in elation as there still was no commentary table preventing him from doing so. "Front facelock on Bayley...wait a minute...Becky jogs over to the other end of their corner, quickly tapping Shannon's back for a blind tag and the referee acknowledges it...She's joining Shannon on the second rope, and now to the third...double superplex from Storm and Lynch to Bayley! But Shannon could've nailed the move on her own!"

"You fool!" Graves yelled. "It's not about _if_ she could've nailed it own her own. It's about _not_ _wanting_ to. These women are close to running on empty. They're giving us all they have. So rather than wasting energy struggling to get Bayley herself, Lynch helped and carried her fair share of weight; and they both got her down."

"But look! Shannon can't capitalize as Becky taps her again tagging back out. She and Bayley are just lying on the mat in exhaustion. No one's in a hurry to make a cover," Phillips explained as the women sold the impact of both giving and receiving the move. To give the women credit, it wasn't a ton of selling on their part. Taking a superplex bump hurt the giver just as easily as the receiver.

Eventually Bayley crawled just enough to make contact with Asuka, but Asuka "tripped" over Bayley's legs as she entered. And Asuka sold hitting her face on the canvas as Bayley rolled out.

"Shannon's the first to stir...she's not doing much, but rolls from her back to her torso at least," Graves explicated as he turned to Patricia and Amy who were equally as focused. "It's a shame I couldn't call the match with Trish and Lita. I have to do it with you instead. Shannon trying to make an effort to crawl, but no! Asuka leaps across Shannon's back and with a body scissors...Shannon's wiggling, trying to get away...but Asuka pins her right arm behind her, officially stitching the 'Asuka Lock' in!"

The audience erupted in cheers.

"There it is, the crossface chicken wing with a body scissors," Phillips expounded describing Asuka's submission finish. "She's got her left arm pinned under Shannon's chin, her legs are around Shannon's waist and she's tilting her to the side!"

Referee Eddie Orengo crouched in front of Shannon, asking her if she wanted to verbally submit. Shannon did not utter any words as she gritted her teeth tightly against her mouth guard, and shook her head defiantly. Asuka then, still with the Asuka Lock firmly on Shannon, rotated on her own back, so Shannon's body was now against her torso.

"Center of the ring! This is it Shannon! If you want it, you've gotta _dig_ _deep_!" Shouted Corey Graves as if he were trying to be Shannon's personal trainer or coach despite knowing full well she couldn't hear a freaking word he said. "If you don't quit, you'll have to counter! If you can't counter, you need to get to the ropes for a break!"

The crowd started stomping their feet to the floor of the Full Sail Arena as Shannon's mumbles and screams grew louder. The referee approached her again, asking if she wanted to throw in the towel. As he returned to Shannon's face, the taller partner, Becky Lynch, reached her body through the middle ropes and pulled Shannon's left leg, dragging it enough until her boot hit the ropes.

"Hey, what is Becky Lynch doing?" Phillips questioned with a whine. "Shannon didn't tap, but she didn't counter or get to the ropes by _herself_ either!"

Becky shouted to the referee and pointed at the ropes, alerting him that he must suspend Asuka's use of the hold, since her partner made it there. He approached Becky, and they argued a few moments. He noticed the bottom rope was a bit shaky, realizing it was more than likely that Shannon was assisted somehow because he was looking into her eyes the entire time the hold was in place. During the time the referee and Becky argued, Asuka released the hold. She and Shannon slowly and wobbly, but inevitably, made it to their feet. They started slugging it out, exchanging forearms, slaps, and kicks. Shannon ducked a bicycle kick from Asuka, and used the momentum to push Asuka backward. Asuka ended up elbowing Bayley in the jaw, causing her to fall from the ring apron to the floor outside. Shannon rolled over to her side, and legally tagged Becky.

The crowd booed both Becky Lynch's illegal help and Shannon use of the distraction to make Asuka eliminate Bayley. They weren't sure if Becky helping Shannon reach the ropes was a heel turn. They weren't sure if Shannon not helping Becky get leverage on an earlier submission was a face turn. They were enjoying this match which was now reaching it's twenty second minute; but had no idea what was happening with one of the two teams. Confusion would be an understatement.

"Shut up Tom! Screw the rules, and play the game!" Shouted Graves. "Isn't that what our Chairman Triple H used to say? You don't come this far-all the way to the tournament finals-to lose it all just because you want to be a _good_ _sport_! You utilize opportunities when they present themselves."

"Becky back in...runs to Asuka...Asuka leap frogs and Becky runs under...Becky on the return...wham! Goes right into a spinning backfist from Asuka...Asuka charges into the ropes with Becky reeling from that backfist...'Hip Attack'...no!" Phillips stood up again, raising his hands to his head as his fingers gripped his headset. You could feel the dramatics and awe in his voice as the action ensued.

"NXT! NXT NXT!" chants filled the arena.

"Becky catches her in a waist lock and turns her around," Graves started. "Whoah, exploder suplex on Asuka! Becky hooks the leg, and the referee slides down for the count. 1..2..no! Asuka doesn't stay down...and neither does Becky Lynch! She mounds Asuka and immediately puts her right into the 'Dis-Arm-her,' her seated fujiwara armbar!"

Seeing Asuka in trouble, Bayley rushed in the ring to break the hold, given that Becky aided Shannon to reach the ropes. But before she could even touch Bayley, Shannon intercepted her. Now all four women were in the ring.

"Bayley and Shannon in the ring, and Becky has _not_ relinquished the 'Dis-Arm-Her!' " said Phillips excitedly. "These ladies have less than 10 seconds to get out of the ring or Orengo will have no choice but to call for a double disqualification. And I don't know who would be declared the winners then. But he can't take his eyes off the hold...Jesus Christ! A release 'Belly to Bayley' suplex to the outside! Bayley just threw Shannon out the ring, and she landed right on the steel steps."

"Holy shit, NXT! Holy shit, NXT! Holy shit, NXT!" Was the next chant the audience shouted.

 _First the London Bridge double stacked ladders from Candace, and now the steps from Pam. I'm not even sure what hurts more. I'm too in the moment right now. So much adrenaline running through my veins._

Bayley and Shannon continued to brawl on the outside while the attention was refocused on Becky and Asuka. The match was approaching the thirty minute mark.

"She's tapping! I don't believe it. Asuka's freaking tapping! Becky may have been the first to tap Asuka out on NXT!" yelled Graves.

"Hell of a job girlie," Becky mumbled to Asuka. "You worked ya' arse off."

"You too," Asuka replied.

Becky Lynch's music started as soon as the bell rung, and she released Asuka.

"Here are your winners of the first ever Attitude Era Invitational, 'The Lasskicker' Becky Lynch and Shannon Storm!" Eden announced and the crowd applauded. Regardless of who their favorites were, they couldn't deny that each woman involved put on a show.

Shannon gave Becky a thumbs up from the outside before delivering a stiff kick to Bayley's abdomen for suplexing her on the steps. Seconds later, she slid back in the ring.

* * *

 **Moments** **Later**

Eden Stiles once again introduced Patricia and Amy, to formally present the Attitude Era Invitational trophy to Becky and Shannon.

"This tournament represents the evolution of women's wrestling," said Patricia who pointed to the trophy that Amy was holding as she held a microphone.

A chant of "Women's Wrestling, Women's Wrestling, Women's Wrestling," started among the Full Sail faithful.

"Damn straight," said Amy with a nod, appreciating the love from the crowd. She adjusted the trophy in her chest as she spoke into her microphone. Sure, Patricia could've held her own microphone for Amy in the ring. But it was the WWE. They had room in their budget for more than one mic. If Amy wanted to speak in her own, then so be it. "It was our rich rivalry that ended up making us become the best of friends in and out the squared circle."

"That's right Lita," Patricia remarked referring to her best friend on television by her gimmick name. "The winners of this tournament have exuded skill, determination, and most importantly the 'attitude' that we did while we were laying the foundation of what was to come for women of the WWE in the future."

"We were impressed by the effort all women gave in this first ever tournament, most notably the victors. So it's our honor to officially present to Attitude Era Invitational trophy to Becky Lynch and Shannon Storm!" yelled Amy.

Amy and Patricia gave the trophy to Becky first. Becky went to each corner of the ring, raising it, while Shannon removed her mouth guard, clipping it behind her ear as she stared at Bayley with her hands on her hips. Becky then returned to the center of the ring and leaned the trophy forward towards Shannon, encouraging her to accept it and celebrate.

Shannon looked at Becky, looked at the trophy, then at the Full Sail crowd, before finally accepting it. Becky applauded Shannon, praising her efforts in the tag match and continued to encourage her to celebrate the victory as she just did. But Shannon had other ideas. She shoved the trophy in Becky's abdomen. As Becky bellied over, Shannon dropped the trophy, and DDT'd Becky on it. Patricia then ran over to Shannon to confront her about ruining the moment. But Shannon used her momentum against her, applying a Drop Toe Hold, bouncing Patricia's face off the trophy, which was now crushed as both Patricia and Becky's skulls were dropped on it.

Amy then approached Shannon. Being that Amy was the taller woman, she lowered her neck, and they glared at each other face to face and nose to nose. Amy yelled all sorts of obscenities at Shannon. They all stressed the point about how disrespectful Shannon was being to herself, Patricia, and all the other divas of the Attitude Era. Lita slapped Shannon and grabbed her in a front facelock teasing a Twist Of Fate, to the audience's pleasure. However, Shannon grabbed Amy's free arm, using it to hoist Amy up on her shoulders and delivered a WTS. Following this, Shannon dragged Amy and Patricia's bodies across the ring, placing them over Becky Lynch. She then firmly placed one of her boots on the pile of three women as though they were a human pedestal to step on. As soon as she did so and the crowd's boos grew even louder, Shannon shaped her hands in the form of a diamond symbol, and smiled.

"What the hell did we just witness?" asked Tom Phillips. "What is wrong with this woman? Moments ago we were commending she and Becky Lynch's hard fought victory for this first ever tournament. And now this? She takes her out?"

"Not _just_ Becky, Tom," Graves began after a light chuckle. "She took _everyone_ out. That's my girl! Taking out the trash. She didn't need Becky in the first place. And Trish and Lita were just here trying to live on past glory."

The audience who was still booing, stopped for a moment to chant, "That hoe ain't loyal," parodying Shannon's betrayal to Becky to singer Chris Brown's 2014 hit, "Loyal," which talked about women being disloyal and deceiving in their relationships with men, particularly if a new man with a thicker wallet approached them.

 _Haha. You guys are unbelievable! Incredibly relevant, but unbelievable. I love you NXT Universe!_

She continued to smirk in character, as the broadcast aired another commercial before the number one contendership for the NXT Heavyweight Title took place. If there was any speculation about Shannon's face turn teases-which were intentional by Paul-those rumors were put to rest with this moment. She absolutely was a heel. And very happily so.

* * *

 **Ten** **Minutes** **Later**

Shannon made it backstage after taunting some fans on the way up the ramp. She congratulated the other two women in her match personally, before passing the duplicate trophy, which already had their names engraved in it. Paul caught up with her in the hall. He pulled her aside several feet away from Gorilla, so he could question her about something. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode was underway; and he didn't want the ovation from that interrupt the conversation.

"What was that thing you did with your hands?" he asked as they continued to walk down one of the halls, stopping in front of his office door at Full Sail. He opened it, and they entered. "Where'd that come from?"

"Oh, the diamond symbol?" Shannon asked back as she grabbed the hand towel from her shoulder an agent tossed her after the match, to wipe her face and chest. "Immediately after I hit the spots and laid everyone out, I thought about a promo you did from '03 when you said, 'there is only one diamond in this business. And baby, you're looking at him.' DDP was one of my WCW favorites, and I know you two are friends. So I just did his pose, but with your promo in mind. Imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery. Hopefully he won't kill me if he watches the show."

Diamond Dallas Page was another one of the many wrestlers Shannon respected. Quite a bit of people in the business didn't think he was going to succeed because of his late start into becoming a professional wrestler. Prior to wrestling, DDP used to drive the pink Cadillac that the "Honky Tonk Man" and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine used to ride in to the ring in the WWF. It wasn't until age thirty five that he really wanted to become a worker. He ended up becoming _very_ over and one of the most popular stars in WCW history. He wasn't just limited in singles competition either. Towards WCW's final years in existence, he even formed a tag team with one of Paul's best friends, Kevin Nash. They called themselves, "The Insiders."

Since retiring over a decade ago, he dedicated his life to save many of his fellow wrestlers who struggled in and out of rehab battling their demons. His yoga program "DDP Yoga" was designed not just for athletes, but anyone willing to give it a try-whether it be to lose weight, avoid surgery for limbs bothering them, or just to test out a new workout. After hosting seminar sessions across the country, he tried getting a business deal done with his program on ABC's "Sharktank" to expand the product. Unfortunately, none of the sharks wanted to be a partner, so he was turned down. But after losing so many brothers and sisters from the squared circle, that didn't stop DDP from reaching out to quite a bit of them. DDP even moved them in his home for personal, face to face contact as extra motivation. One of the most notable people DDP helped was Scott Hall after Paul financed his rehab and heart surgery operations. To this day, Hall still lives in Atlanta after relocating near DDP, and always speaks highly of him for what he did. Another legend who is still breathing due to DDP's help is Jake "The Snake" Roberts. There was even a touching documentary released in 2015 recounting the entire journey.

Paul even had DDP visit the Performance Center a couple of times in 2014 to share stories with the developmental talent, and do a few of the yoga workouts with them from his program.

"Oh, don't worry about Dallas," Paul replied shaking his head. "I'm sure he'll be cool. He has a lot of respect for me. When I came to the WWF from WCW, my first few months in the company, I used a cutter for my finish. One day he was watching Raw. He called me saying, 'Hey kid, I'm moving up on the card now, and my finish is finally getting over with the crowd. I'd appreciate it if you'd stop using the neckbreaker as a finish.' So I stopped. It wasn't something I _had_ to do, but _chose_ to do. The next week on Raw I did the pedigree."

"But it wasn't the first time," Shannon said.

"Right, it _wasn't_ the first," he said with a nod. "I created the pedigree back when I was in WCW. I didn't actually use it as a finish there, but as a signature. A lot of people think Wrestlemania 19 against Booker T was the _only_ time I did the Indian Deathlock, but you of course know, it was my finish from WCW," Paul said with a wink. "It's your Storm Shield now. Ironically enough, it was at Wrestlemania 19 weekend on that 3rd Degree show that Cole and Taz hosted, where you remember me cutting that diamond promo."

"Yeah..." Shannon paused trying to be truthful, but not come across as corny. "Greatness admires greatness."

"I hear the hesitation in your voice. And I see the reservation in your eyes, but it's fine," Paul reassured her, placing his right hand on her left shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze. "It's a _compliment_. I'm no longer active. I don't like using the word 'retired' just yet as you know things will pop up that may require me to get a little physical here and there. You 100 percent have my blessing to use it. It's totally different from when Punk _stole_ my pedigree when he was coming up in the indies, calling it 'The Pepsi Plunge.' I _was_ active then, and that was just thievery. I guess he thought it was different because he did it from the ropes. But the asshole wasn't original. _I_ pitched Chyna to do that in '99 in her I.C. title defense against Jericho."

Shannon chuckled at his last comment. "I remember. I still have that Pay Per View on VHS. He stole Hideo's GTS too, when he was known as 'Kenta' in Japan."

"Enough about Phil. He walked out on us, and that's that," Paul said with a grimace before folding his arms up and leaning against his desk. "Anyway, I like the diamond pose. Keep it. That's who you are. That's what you're about. Shannon Storm's our 'Diamond Diva.' "

" 'The Diamond Diva.' I like it," Shannon said with a smile. "Thanks Trips."

"You did all the hard work," Paul said with a smirk. "I just facilitated. But still, you're welcome."

* * *

Shannon left Paul's office and nodded at some of the other talent in the back who didn't get a chance to compliment her performance following the tournament when Paul grabbed her. The Roode-Nakamura match would go on for another twelve minutes or so before Finn would come down and put his title up for grabs against the winner, in an "impromptu" main event. When she made it to her dressing room, her smartphone vibrated in her gym bag. When she checked it, it was a Twitter notification. She read it.

 **New Tweet** from user **: AtRealDDP:**

"I'm the master of the Diamond Cutter and my girl, **AtSStormWWE** is the princess of it. #ElevatingTheCutter #WeatherTheStorm #NXTTakeoverPassion #Bang!"

When Shannon read the tweet she smiled. Paul was right. She didn't use Twitter daily, but was definitely going to respond to this one.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Love you **AtRealDDP!** Thank you! #SelfHighFive #Bang! #Nirvana #MarkingOut #IStillHaveYourActionFigure"

And it appeared the mission was accomplished:

 **New** **Tweet** from user: **AtWWEMommyFan** :

"OMG. I cannot believe it. As hard as the **AtWWE** worked to bring the women's division back to relevance, **AtSStormWWE** just set them back 100 years after that nonsense. #BeGraciousInYourVictory #NoOneLikesASoreWinner"

 _Hahaha_ , _I've_ _got_ _heat_ _from_ _a_ parent? _YES_!

She tweeted back.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Hey, **AtWWEMommyFan** , just be glad I'm not your kid!"

* * *

 _ **Author's** **Notes** : I hope you folks enjoyed this one. I know it was long, which tends to be a pattern when I provide in-ring action. But I wanted to give you a strong card and a hell of a tournament. I hope your reception reflects the effort I put in it to create that._

 _Shout out to Michael Phelps for doing what he does best: adding more medals around his neck, especially the Gold ones. The 410's smiling back at you at little Boomer man. I wish continued success to all the athletes competing in Olympic Games this year from all across the globe. Even if you don't return to your home country with a medal, you at least made it to the Olympic Games. The competing spirit in you may be disappointed at first, but at least take solace in the fact that not everyone can say that they've even qualified for the Olympic Games, let alone actually compete in them._


	24. Chapter Twenty Four: The Ball's Rolling

**June** **16th** , **2017**

Shannon sent a tweet to the NXT Universe on Friday morning following the aftermath of NXT Takeover: Passion. Per usual, whenever she did tweet, she did so in her own special way.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Have you had a chance to see **AtWWENXT** #Takeover: Passion? The replay is available on demand on the **AtWWENetwork** right now. It's all about the game. **AtBeckyLynchWWE** went down like the rest. Her failure is my success. It's all about control. Will you make it? I will deliver the pain! You can't take it!"

Not even a full minute went by before she received a remark from a fan that made her laugh.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtLassKickingGirl2003:**

"How can you even call yourself a **AtTripleH** fan when you get the lyrics wrong? Everyone knows Mötörhead did his songs **AtSStormWWE**! #FakeFan"

It was cute how people thought they knew so much.

 **AtSStormWWE:** "Hey **LassKickingGirl2003** , I'm the LAST person you want to call out on their fandom for The KOK. But given that you were born a year after WM X8 so couldn't see it in the flesh, here's a clip of DROWNING POOL's alternate theme for him. ;) "

Inserted in Shannon's reply was a YouTube link to Paul's entrance in the Toronto SkyDome for Wrestlemania 18.

* * *

Shannon received a text Friday evening. Tyler had a long West coast trip on the road with several events booked in California. Then there was a mini tour in Hawaii. So she was fairly sure it wouldn't be him texting her.

 **Pam** : I am on cloud nine right now!

 **Me** : What can be more epic than my birthday present to you yesterday? Dude, I got you 3 Randy Savage Fat Heads! So if I don't explain the elation, did Hunter sign Aaron?

Bayley's birthday was yesterday, June 15th. Shannon bought her three "Macho Man" Randy Savage life size Fat Heads. The first was "The Madness," with Savage in his purple and lime green gear, wearing his cowboy hat. The second was the "Macho King." This one had Savage wearing his peach and gold gear, with his crown and scepter in hand. The final Fat Head had Savage in his black and white nWo gear when he joined the stable in WCW. Bayley was influenced by The Rock, Bret Hart, Team Extreme (The Hardy Boys and Lita), Ivory, Victoria, Eddie Guerrero, and Triple H. But Shannon knew Savage was her _undisputed_ number one influence in wrestling.

 **Pam** : Not that I know of.

 **Me** : Then what's got you so pumped?

 **Pam** : Hunter says I'm getting promoted to the main roster and dropping the title at the next Takeover, where there'll be a bigger crowd.

 **Me** : WHAT? AAH! THAT'S AWESOME! I'm happy for you. :D

 **Pam** : Thanks girl! I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn't know what time you'd be back from your flight. The staff said you were out of town over at WWE Games to finalize your image scans for your character in 2K18. They also said something about you and Finn doing a commercial promoting it, but they were murky on details.

Shannon, Finn Bálor, and a few other NXT superstars were asked to go to Los Angeles to meet Dave Ismailer, the Chief Operating Officer of 2K Sports as well as Casey Collins, the WWE Executive Vice President of Consumer Products. They were there to film one of two commercials for the upcoming WWE 2K18 videogame by WWE Games and 2K Sports. One commercial was a standard one promoting the annual franchise, and its typical announcement of an expanded roster with improved downloadable content features. The second commercial, which was more entertaining, introduced a new "NXT versus the WWE: Head to Head" mode.

In this new mode, for the first time ever, the game offered singles competition of its _entire_ NXT brand against the WWE main roster. Typically, only a select few of superstars from NXT were chosen to be featured in the game. Additionally, there was a brand new story mode called "War Games," which had a long, two year invasion angle of NXT members infiltrating the main roster. The storyline mode culminated in an actual "War Games" match historically used in WCW. Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People" was the song that introduced the mode. Being pumped for playing that game, let alone being advertised in it, was an understatement for Shannon.

 **Me** : Yeah, something like that. You know how things are getting with tech and animation. You don't need the whole crew to show up all at once for things. Some people had stuff already done.

 **Pam** : We should go out and celebrate tonight. That is if you're not tired from the West to East Coast trip. Drinks on me. :)

 **Me** : Nah, I'm not jet lagged from LAX. I've been back for a few hours now, so I'm down. Tell me where and how long I have to get ready, so I'll know what to wear. ;) And being that you're the drinker out of the two of us, of course drinks are on you. :P

 **Pam** : You know I was just being a smartass. LOL

 **Me** : Yeah, I know. So who are you dropping the title to? Leva?

 **Pam** : No.

 **Me** : Lina?

 **Pam** : No.

 **Me** : Tenille?

 **Pam** : Nope.

 **Me** : Adrienne?

 **Pam** : Negative.

 **Me** : Kana?

 **Pam** : No.

 **Me** : Becky?

 **Pam** : No.

Shannon was confused. Many of these ladies had title match opportunities before, but never won the championship itself. For those who may have won it, perhaps they were injured, or working on rehabbing their characters if they lost steam with the audience. Surely, Paul had to think they were worthy of winning it at some point.

 **Me** : Who then?

 **Pam** : You.

 **Me** : You're pulling my leg.

 **Pam** : I'm not. You heard him at our Creative meeting from April. Remember he said, "It was time to make you relevant." And the finish to the tournament at this month's Takeover did that. He didn't tell you? I guess he's ready to pull the trigger.

 **Me** : No, he didn't tell me. Probably because like you, he knew I wasn't around earlier today.

 **Pam** : Yeah, looking back on it, that does makes sense. He'll probably tell you within the next few days or so.

 **Me** : Okay. Well, I'll play it off surprised, and I promise not to leak it to any of Meltzer's writers.

 **Pam** : Hahahaha, alright Shanny. Be ready in an hour. You know our favorite place.

* * *

 **June 19th, 2017**

Following the broadcast of Monday Night Raw, Shannon received a tweet from someone that made her smile.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtFightOwensFight** :

"Hey **AtSStormWWE** , guess I'm not the only one who's a #PrizeFighter. I know I'm late to the party, but congrats on the tournament **AtWWENXT** #Takeover:Passion."

Of course she'd respond after appreciating the rub.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Right back at ya' **AtFightOwensFight!** Kudos on snagging the briefcase last night man! #MITB"

* * *

 **June** **21st** , **2017**

 **NXT** **TV**

"Welcome to NXT everyone, I'm JoJo," said NXT's backstage correspondent. "We begin tonight's episode with a WWE Network Exclusive interview. I'm here with Shannon Storm, and we're here to address the aftermath following the finals of the Attitude Era Invitational at NXT Takeover: Passion."

A clip aired playing the final minutes of the match between Becky Lynch and Shannon Storm versus Bayley and Asuka. Then it showed Becky and Shannon's supposed celebration turning into an annihilation in the ring. When the clip ended, JoJo returned to the screen and Shannon was sitting across from her. Embracing both safari-chic with business, Shannon wore a khaki sleeveless, vest dress by Lord Taylor. It had shoulder epaulets, a deep V-neckline, and cargo side pockets for some utilitarian flair. On her feet were a pair of black, tassel, suede sandals by Louise ET CTE. The sandals were suede with a leather lining and a stiletto heel. Her hair was down and straightened, with some bangs in the front. Jojo wore a red jumpsuit with some white pumps.

The interview was setup in an off location, outside the ring. They were still in Full Sail University of course, but the background was set up like the WWE Network Exclusive interviews conducted by Michael Cole. There weren't several camera angles, just a main camera on the guest and host, shoot style. There were large black banners of the WWE logo written in white surrounding them as they sat in their leather chairs.

"Shannon Storm, thank you for taking some time out to join me for this interview," said JoJo.

"The pleasure's all yours, believe me," Shannon said with a snort.

"First of all, congratulations on winning the Attitude Era Invitational," JoJo said with a smile. "Fans are still talking about how much fun the tournament was and what a great job everyone did."

"Thank you," Shannon started as she scratched her nose. "But really, would the NXT Universe expect anything less?"

"Probably not," JoJo agreed without seeming totally inferior like Michael Cole would be when intimidated by other talent. "All the talent steps up, especially during our Takeover specials. I'll start with the question that's on everyone's mind: Why did you turn on your partner Becky Lynch?"

"I'll tell you what I told Becky before this tournament even started, when she was looking for a partner," Shannon began, pointing a single finger at JoJo. "Becky came to _me_. That means she doesn't tell me what to do. _She_ was the one in need of a partner. I was there to play doctor. I showed up to save her ass, not to kiss it."

"But you guys were jelling so well!" JoJo exclaimed. "Fans all across social media platforms were commenting on how great you two were getting along and working together since your argument after the earlier rounds. Why was there a need to betray her?"

"Betrayal?" Shannon asked as though hearing the word was more of an insult rather than a question. "Look, I didn't get in this business for allies or friends. They're one in the same to me. And there's only a matter of time before they turn on you. So the way I see it, you _turn_ _on_ _them_ _first_! Savage turned on Hogan, but Hulk shouldn't have been eyeing Ms. Elisabeth! Shawn turned on Marty. Owen turned on Bret. Triple H turned on Shawn and so many others that I could go on for days. What I did to Becky, I did so acting as a _lone_ _wolf_. You can call it betrayal. You can call it being a 'Benedict Arnold.' But you know what I call it?"

JoJo didn't respond, figuring the question was rhetorical. It was.

"I call it being the Alpha Female of professional wrestling," Shannon said leaning from her chair and glaring at JoJo. "The 'Diamond Diva' is the _new_ _standard_ around here. I'm the best because I'm simply better than all the rest!"

"What's next for you?" JoJo asked.

"I'm focused on the gold," She said simply.

"You already have gold," JoJo quickly remarked. "Your trophy from the tournament..."

"First off, that trophy was bronze Josephine! The name plates were white gold, but the trophy itself was bronze," Shannon responded very irritated. "Jesus Christ, not only do I have to wrestle, I have to give you a chemistry lesson on metals too?"

"It's actually Joseann, not Josephine," said JoJo, correcting Shannon.

"Same difference!" Shannon barked, not appreciating JoJo's distraction from her point. Her name was minor and insignificant to Shannon. While in character at least.

"Um, it really isn't," JoJo defended.

JoJo had to bite the corner of her bottom lip, fighting off a smirk, because she thought what Shannon said was funny. She fought of the smirk effortlessly because it wasn't very noticeable. She continued to listen on to Shannon, who pressed on with her point, ignoring JoJo's specific and proper name.

"I did what I did to Becky, Trish, and Lita because they had it coming!" Shannon yelled as she crossed her smooth, caramel, glistening legs. The heterosexual men or lesbian women were welcome in advanced if they were watching. "This is NXT, not a political convention. I'm not interested in kissing babies, shaking hands, being nostalgic, or feeding any of you assholes false promises. I'm about results! I'm about victories! Winning isn't everything. It's the _only_ thing! Bayley is next on my radar because she has what I want. That's the NXT Women's Championship. Make no mistake about it, I have _earned_ her respect. Hell, it was a given _the_ _day_ _I_ _walked_ _in_ _the_ _freaking_ _building_ with a signed NXT contract that I had her respect! Respect I already have, but I will demand her fear! As good as Bayley is, she will realize that Shannon Storm is simply _too_...damn...good!"

"You can't just declare yourself a contender like that," JoJo defended. "What about...?"

"We're done here," Shannon said. She snatched the microphone clipped to her dress, tossing it at JoJo, before leaving her seat, passing the cameramen and lighting crew on the way out of the shot.

Following Shannon's departure, the week's full episode of NXT played.

* * *

 **June** **23rd** , **2017, Morning**

Sometimes networking was a gift that kept on giving. Shannon was talking to an Under Armour sales representative a few months back, giving her thoughts on the gear she purchased from them, the running shoes they sent, and about ideas for future gear. At some point in the conversation, Shannon mentioned her homemade resistance backpack with sealed gallons of water inside that she wore when she ran. The representative told her about a new line of backpacks that Under Armour were releasing called "UA Storm Hustle II." These backpacks were upgrades to their most popular ones in the franchise. The UA Storm Hustle II backpacks had plenty of space, comfortable straps, and water-repellent front pockets to keep whatever you stashed in them covered, no matter the circumstances. In addition to the laptop sleeve, the added space in the bag would provide even more room to throw in another sealed gallon of water inside if she wanted to up the ante in her resistance. To no surprise, Shannon was very interested, paid for two, and got them a month before being released to the public.

Shannon was having another outdoor jog with her white UA Storm Hustle II backpack with now four, instead of two sealed gallons of water inside. Suddenly her wireless headphones made a unique beeping sound in the middle of her music playlist, alerting her that she had a text message. Just as she told Tyler during one of their first exchanges, running wasn't her favorite cardio activity, so to be disturbed from it when she was finally in the zone doing it, was disappointing. Additionally, she was listening to Salt N Peppa's "Push It." The beep occurred just as the ladies got to the "Oooh, baby baby" part. She stopped running when she made it to a sidewalk, pulled her phone from her wrist sleeve, and read it.

 **917.789.0123:** Hi. Is this the hot mama Shannon from NXT?

 **Me:** Maybe, maybe not. Who wants to know?

 **917.789.0123:** Don't worry. I work in the WWE too. I promise I'm not a stalker. I'm Sarita López. HHH gave me your #. This is a 917 # bc I'm from Brooklyn & kept my area code. R U busy atm?

 **Me:** I was in the middle of a jog. Um, okay. I think I passed you once or twice talking to a few ladies in the PC a couple of months ago. You seemed pretty into your conversation; and I was on my way in between meetings, so I couldn't say hello.

 **917.789.0123:** Yeah, it must have been on a day we had Raw N Orlando, or some other city in FL, & I swung by 2 catch up with some chicas.

 **Me:** Why did Hunter give you my number?

 **917.789.0123:** Sí, Sí, Sí. That's what I was texting U about! I'm planning this event for Summerslam weekend & I want U on board. I don't want 2 discuss the whole thing over text. So call me back when U finish the run. Or call me right now, & finish your run later after we talk on the phone. :D

* * *

 **Still June 23rd, 2017**

 **Mid-Afternoon**

As Paul mentioned to Shannon several weeks ago, Shannon would be a member of the judging panel for the WWE's "Tough Enough," a twelve week reality competition show, which twelve individuals sought to become WWE Superstars. Their backgrounds varied: not all of them were independent wrestlers, and not all of them had traditional athletic backgrounds. Shit, quite a bit of them weren't even professional wrestling fans; nor did they even take the opportunity seriously. Some of them merely wanted to use their appearance on the show to springboard into other avenues of fame. Not every winner was successful, and not every participant who stayed in the wrestling business, went on to become a great wrestler. Josh Matthews for example, was on the inaugural season of Tough Enough, where Maven was the winner. He didn't become a wrestling star, but had enough passion for the business to become an interviewer and eventual commentator. He was now in TNA.

Paul didn't really like this show, and you could tell if you watched him talk to the recruits in the third episode of the inaugural season. His remarks though, were a hell of a motivator for wrestlers who _were_ indeed _lifelong_ _fans_ , and needed to be reminded of hard work and dedication paying off.

Tough Enough was his father in law's brain child. As a worker, Paul thought it was a bad idea to expose the business to people who in many regards, had no true interest, passion, or respect for it to be compassionate about the true sacrifices and grit wrestlers had to make not only to continue to do what they did on a daily basis, but to go on and succeed at the most highest of levels. It was about the ratings for Vince McMahon. But now that Paul was Chairman of the WWE, he couldn't always look at things from the perspective of a worker, or booker, but like a businessman. From that vantage point, with the WWE being a publicly traded company for eighteen years now, and with it constantly innovating with investments and side projects to become the _true_ global leader in sports entertainment, putting together this show became a necessary evil.

With that being said, just because the show _had_ to happen, it didn't mean he couldn't be just as influential on this one as he would for the actual wrestling programs. Paul brought "Stone Cold" Steve Austin back as a host this season. Rather than co-hosting, Chris Jericho would be a judge. The Big Show and Shannon would be joining him on the panel. One of the reasons Big Show and Chris were chosen was because they both lived in Florida, where most of the competition would take place for the show. But there was also a more important reason. Big Show and Chris weren't just friends of his. They were there in the trenches with Paul when the WWE reached record shattering numbers in Creative, merchandise sales, rivalries, and relevance in pop culture. They weren't Hollywood writers. They were his locker room brothers who knew talent when they saw it, and knew his what his expectations were.

Sure, Shannon wasn't in the locker room with any of the men due to the discrepancy in their age; but it didn't mean she was any less qualified in the passion department. Paul wasn't picking favorites by making the decision to have a full time NXT talent as a judge. Considering that the winners would be classified as "developmental talent," and training in the Performance Center anyway, it made complete sense to him to have a face on the panel who the winner would actually _see_ on a regular basis, upon the conclusion of the show.

* * *

The recruits arrived in Orlando roughly ten days ago and underwent various conditioning tests by WWE medical staff before any training drills from any of the cardio, striking, and wrestling coaches. They hadn't had any contact with any of the judges or the host yet, until this point. The contestants all stood in one of the rings while being addressed.

"Ladies and gentleman, my name is 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. I consider myself to be a global icon and national treasure. Most importantly, I am a six time world champion , record-holding three time Royal Rumble winner, and the _undisputed_ greatest draw in professional wrestling of _all_ _time_. That may be a goal that some of you aspire to have, but you will _never_ surpass! Why? Well because 'Stone Cold's' a cocky sumbitch, and doubts you will ever come close! You want to know who the judges are?"

The contestants mumbled "Yes."

"What?" Austin asked.

They replied with a "What?" of their own.

"I said, do you want to know your judges?" Austin repeated his question.

They shouted another, "What?"

"I swear that shit never gets old for me," Austin responded with a laugh. "But let me stop fucking around." Austin walked over to one side of the ring, and leaned over the ropes in the direction of the panel.

"Judge number one is the largest athlete in the world, standing at 7 feet tall, 500 pounds. He is the only man to have held the World Heavyweight Championships for the WCW, ECW, and WWE promotions. Round of applause for The Big Show," Austin said raising his hand up to Big Show.

They applauded, and Big Show nodded his head acknowledging the reception.

"Judge number two is a six time world title holder, and holds the record for the most WWE Intercontinental Championships at nine. He is a New York Times best selling author, bona fide rock star, and the first ever Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the WWE. Put your hands together for 'the Ayatollah of Rock N Rollah, 'Y2J,' Chris Jericho!"

They applauded again. Chris shouted, "C'mon ba-bay!"

 _I know Adam Cole stole the "Ba-bay" from you Y2J, but I smile when you both do it. Every time. I can't help it._

Your final judge is a rising star and bad mama in her own right. Welcome NXT Women's Wrestler, Shannon Storm!" The applause was present, but not surprisingly, much lower than the other two judges.

As Austin introduced her, a tall, broad shouldered, male snickered, and mumbled, "Bullshit."

Everyone heard it, including Austin. Shannon stood up from her chair in between her fellow judges, turned towards Austin, who was in one corner of the ring, and said, "Steve?"

Austin had a huge grin on his face as he said, "Hey girl, I'm just the damn host! They don't pay me to kiss anyone's rear! I was told we are allowed to do and say as we please to the contestants before, during, and after challenges and evaluations in this facility. Which means I will continue to lean my 252 pound ass on these damn here ropes, shooting the shit! And the great production staff of the WWE will edit whatever in the blue hell they reckon needs to be edited. Now, that's 'Stone Cold's' long-winded ass way of saying, 'handle your business,' sweetheart!"

Big Show and Chris Jericho couldn't hold their laughter at Austin's tirade. They were well respected veterans, and felt the contestants knew better than to talk smack about them, even if they weren't their fans. With Shannon not yet on the main roster, but also far from green, Chris and Big Show were intrigued on how she'd handle herself. She left the judges table and immediately got in the ring.

"You in the green shirt," Shannon said as she snapped her finger and then pointed. "Come face me."

The contestants all turned their heads, looking at Shannon's target. The cameras were rolling live, and they did not know what to expect. They knew however, whatever occurred for the day would be edited down to a forty five minute episode with timed commercials in between, making it be a full hour.

The contestant pointed back in Shannon's direction, and looked at his neighbor. "Is she serious right now?" he asked as he laughed.

"I said get your ass down here now!" Shannon demanded. The contestant finally came down and faced Shannon. He was significantly taller than her, but that did not phase her.

"You got something to say to me hot shot?" she asked, folding her arms into the white Kurt Angle "It's True. Oh, it's damn true" tee shirt she was wearing. "Something's 'bullshit' to you?"

"Yeah. _You_ ," he remarked sarcastically. "I think it's bullshit that you're one of the judges. You haven't 'made it,' " he said curling his fingers making air quotes for emphasis. "You're on NXT."

Shannon smirked before speaking, "You see, unlike you...Josh," Shannon said as she read the name on the left side of his chest. "I don't need a name tag to be identified. _They,"_ she pointed at Austin and the panel, "know who I am."

Before shooting started, Austin told the producers to place "Hello, My Name is" name tags on every contestant. Yes, earlier during pre-production meetings, he and the judges were given a sheet of names and a brief note of biographical information about them. But this was a teaching tool to the contestants from Austin. They hadn't yet proved _anything_ to _anyone_ to be given any special nickname, acknowledgement, or adulation of any kind.

"Whether your ass knows it or not, NXT for all intents and purposes, _is_ the place to be," Shannon corrected him. "I have accomplished more in three years in this business than you could ever possibly imagine! I have been here a mere six months and will be in a title match main eventing the next Takeover Pay Per View. Trust me, I _am_ a big fucking deal-not just now-but for years to come!"

"Look, are you done so we can get back to these boring ass drills?" Josh Bredl said rubbing his forehead.

"Oh you think your ass is in some kind of shape, NBA reject?" Shannon asked meeting his defiance in her tone. "I'm not a basketball expert, but I at least know if you get cut from the developmental league, you suck! You think you're ready for some kind of match? All of us," she once again pointed at the judges' table behind her. "Jericho, Show, Austin, and myself, watched tapes of everyone during the preliminary rounds before the the final cut of 12 were selected. Son your bumps are softer than Charmin toilet paper, and you're greener than grass! You're not even worthy of being a _jobber_ in a dark match."

"The shit fucking hurts," Josh muttered.

"Oh, it hurts?" Shannon said as she swiped her eyebrows with a single finger through a laugh. "It's supposed to! What the hell did you think we were getting slammed on-cotton candy? You honestly believed the surface would be gentle? You think we just pipe in noises of thuds like special effect engineers in animated movies when we land on the canvas?"

Josh sighed, and Shannon hammered him more.

"Are you sore? Banged up? Tired?" She asked and he nodded.

"Big fucking deal," she said with a grimace. "You've been here 10 days. Whomever wins will be here for 12 weeks. It's all minuscule in comparison to the _years_ we've been doing this. You'll have plenty of time for your body to adjust."

The remaining contestants behind him laughed, but Shannon's eyes remained glued on him. "You are _nothing_! You are _shit_ and will be treated as such. All of you," she said removing her eyes off of him temporarily. "Every single one of you are spoiled. You win a spot on the show. So you come here in _our_ _rings_ , using _our_ _facility_ _without_ paying dues, _without_ busting your ass-bleeding, sweating, breaking bones-in bingo halls, gym floors, auditoriums, crappy motels, _wherever and whenever_ you can get booked! Sometimes you're lied to by promoters driving hundreds-every once in a while thousands-of miles getting tossed around in the ring without being paid. Is it fucked up? Sure. But you don't complain because you want more experience!"

Shannon walked directly into the young man's face, a mere inches away from making contact. "Now you listen to me and listen good, _boy._ You heard me right because that's how I see you this very moment, as a disrespectful _child._ It takes a lot more than height and size to be 'The Man' in this company. Should you win this competition, you won't just have the $250,000 contract, but will be a part of the NXT roster. You will _not_ automatically be placed on shows. Don't worry about me stabbing you in the back because I'll say it to your motherfucking face: I will do _everything_ in my power to delay your journey until you show respect not just for what we do, but who we are! If it were just up to me, I'd eliminate your ass right now on the spot. But I'm not the only one that has a say in your destiny, unfortunately."

Josh gulped, not in fear, but in embarrassment. It was one thing to be brought down a peg from an unproven ego. It was another to be flat out buried on soon to be national television, and later the worldwide stage with the global WWE Network subscriptions.

"What happened to your hand?" She asked him looking at a finger on his left hand that looked crooked.

"I tried throwing a worked punch," he began, sucking his teeth and placing his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "And I didn't connect properly. Ahh, ahh, shit!"

"Man the the fuck up!" Shannon yelled at him through his screams. As he was explaining what happened to his finger, she used it as an opportunity to pull it back in place before he could put his hand back in his pocket. She did him a favor even though you couldn't tell by his whimpering.

She looked down a slight second before meeting his gaze once again. "Get your ass to the back of the group, and invest in a decent pair of shorts. There's a gaping hole in them. My dog's balls are bigger than yours. His dick probably is too."

Shannon didn't have a dog. But Josh didn't know that. His attitude needed to be bruised and broken. He walked to the back, shoving some of the people who snickered and mumbled jokes about him in the process.

"Carry on Steve," said Shannon as she exited the ring.

"Shit girlie. I wish 'ol 'Stone Cold' brought his fucking popcorn out when you watered the grass on the damn motherfucker," replied Austin after heavy laughter. "I thought my fucking ass had to start stretching, or do some warm ups or shit to get back into this hosting, sumbitch of a gig!"

They continued to the schedule of events for that taping.

* * *

 **Later that evening**

Shannon finished watching the Death Before Dishonor Pay Per View from Ring of Honor Wrestling a few minutes ago. With a smile on her face, she sent out a tweet.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "He gave you a reason. He gave you a reason. He gave you a reason to dance away. Congratulations **AtKyleO'ReilyInc**. Chasing the dragon indeed **AtWatchROH**. #Armageddon #DeathBeforeDishonor Don't worry **AtAdamColePro**. I've got something for you."

Kyle O'Reily, one half of the "two man smash machine" tag team known as ReDragon, finally captured the ROH World Championship from his former friend and current foe Adam Cole. Adam and Kyle back in 2010 were a tag team known as "Future Shock." Eventually they parted ways and Adam became a likeable babyface until he turned heel in 2013 during his first world title run. Kyle was later mentored by "The American Wolf" Davey Richards before turning heel in 2012 and forming ReDragon alongside Bobby Fish. They had a nice heel run for two years-obtaining tag titles not only in ROH, but NJPW as well. They were later turned face by the crowd in 2014. His partner Bobby Fish received singles gold last year winning the World Television Championship from New Japan Pro Wrestling's Tomohiro Ishii.

Adam and Kyle, since parting ways with Future Shock, had excellent singles matches against one another. There were some when Kyle was heel and Adam was a face. There were some when Adam was a heel and Kyle was a face. Some were technical classics. Others were graphic, and bloody. But Adam experienced singles gold three times. Now, Kyle's time had finally come.

In the closing moments of the main event, Kyle nailed Adam Cole with his signature rebound clothesline from between the ropes that Dean Ambrose stole and began incorporating in his matches over the past year or two. Following this, Kyle was primed to execute "Ax and Smash," his kick to the back of the head of a bellied over opponent, followed by a forearm to the jaw. His attempt was thwarted when The Young Bucks raced down the aisle to commence one of many "Superkick Parties." However to Matt and Nick Jackson's surprise, Bobby Fish was not too far behind, chasing them down the ramp. Nick threw up his leg to kick Bobby, but Bobby grabbed it and swung it into Nick's brother Matt, taking him out. Bobby then dropped Nick Jackson with a Pseudo Suplex on the floor. During this commotion, Kyle and Adam were exchanging rights and lefts, before Adam got the better of Kyle and set him in position for his "Panama Sunrise." This was a part of their tag team finisher when Future Shock was a unit. In the maneuver, Kyle would hit Ax and Smash, then a backdrop suplex. Adam would follow up with a jumping, rotating, inverted backdrop piledriver. It looked as sick performing as it sounded explaining.

Usually Adam did this jumping from the middle ropes in the corner of the ring. But looking over his shoulder at the Bucks' presence proving futile, he decided to adjust his plan on the fly, going for the move from a running position. Unfortunately for Adam, it didn't matter tonight. Mid rotation through the Panama Sunrise, Kyle countered Adam and held him high in the standard suplex position. As he stuttered a little with his steps, Bobby slid inside the ring and delivered a vicious kick to Adam's neck before Kyle dropped him to the canvas with a brainbuster. This was ReDragon's "Chasing The Dragon" tag team finisher, and it won the British Columbia native the number one title of his promotion.

Adam Cole tweeted Shannon back.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtAdamColePro** :

"Oh yeah, **AtSStormWWE**? What's that? ;)"

 _Damn, you shower fast._

She replied.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "My unwavering love and support **AtAdamColePro** during your time of grief. #EliteClub #4Life"

* * *

 **June** **28th** , **2017**

 **NXT TV**

"And here we go fans, Ember Moon and Bayley back to a vertical base…" said NXT Commentator Corey Graves. "They're exchanging rights and lefts...Who's going to gain the upper hand? Oh! Double axe handle by Bayley to the head of Ember! And she follows up with a strong Irish Whip to the corner."

Adrienne Reese was a very good independent wrestler from Garland, Texas known to many of her fans as "Athena." Adrienne was a world traveled veteran for a decade. Like many of the experienced women recently signing, or those who at least made appearances in NXT sporadically, Adrienne competed in the Shine and Shimmer promotions, in addition to Women Superstars United back East, and local independent Texas promotions like Anarchy Championship Wrestling. Adrienne was trained by several wrestlers, most notably WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, at his Pro Wrestling Alliance School in Houston, renamed the Reality of Wrestling two years ago. She signed with the WWE in the fall of 2015 and debuted under the new ring name, "Ember Moon," last year.

"Very nice charging clothesline to Ember Moon from Bayley in the corner," said fellow NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. "And she's lifting Ember on the top turnbuckle pad as Bayley herself climbs on the middle rope...could we see a Belly to Bayley there? It wouldn't be the first time we've seen it from the second rope!"

The crowd roared as they were anticipating Bayley's finisher from the second rope. Camera two focused on the stage.

"Well it looks like someone else wants to join the party," said Graves as he watched Shannon appear from the stage and walk down the ramp. She wasn't in her ring gear. She was wearing a black halter dress which came to her mid calf, white three inch pumps, and an equal amount of bracelets on her wrists. Her hair was down, in waves, not straightened. And she had a smirk on her face as she made her way down the ramp.

"What is she up to?" asked Phillips. "Clearly, we're in the middle of a match!"

"Relax Tom, relax!"yelled Graves. "It's obvious she's not dressed to compete. I'm a married man, but I have a brother who...um anyway, I don't believe there's a policy against talent checking out matches in person, especially when they don't have one scheduled for the evening."

Bayley saw Shannon from the corner of her eye and immediately hopped down from the middle rope, leaving Ember Moon still seated on the top turnbuckle.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Bayley to Shannon with her arms stretched as she headed to the side of the ring Shannon was standing.

"Don't worry about me," Shannon replied back. "You need to focus on your match!"

"Get out of here!" Bayley shouted at Shannon, pointing forward towards the NXT stage.

"Bayley better watch out," yelled Phillips, who showed deep concern and worry for the fan favorite. "Ember looks like she's recovering...I see her making and effort to stand on the top turnbuckle pad...look out Bay..."

"Eclipse!" screamed Graves. "Ember nails it. Bayley walks right into Ember Moon's diving corkscrew stunner! Wuertz slides down for the cover...1...2...3! And Ember Moon gets a non-title victory over the champion."

"I can't believe Shannon Storm just cost Bayley the match!" yelled Phillips. "How dare she?"

"What?" Graves asked contorting his face as though he drank the juice from a very bitter citrus. "Shannon didn't _cost_ Bayley anything because she didn't _do_ anything! That's not Shannon's fault if Bayley couldn't keep her eye on the ball!"

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes** : Many thanks to **Chaka1967** for her allowance of a reference to Sarita López. She is an original character of **Chaka1967** who will once again be mentioned in the story in greater detail at another date. **Chaka1967** and I have something fun planned where Sarita López will make a physical appearance._

 _Additionally, I hope you guys and gals appreciate me showing interaction from talent on NXT, the WWE main roster, as well as other promotions. It's a hell of a challenge keeping up with and writing Creative for multiple entities. But I do it firstly because it's a task I welcome. Secondly, because it's also one that's realistic. The boys and girls have pals all across the industry. They don't become invisible just because some of their friends got the call from Stamford. :)_


	25. Chapter 25: Tough Break

**July** **3rd** , **2017**

 **Century Link Center in** **Omaha, Nebraska**

 **Monday Night Raw**

Tyler Breeze, Dolph Ziggler, and John Cena were doing a good job at planting the seeds at this month's Battleground Pay Per View for a triple threat title defense of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. For Tyler's debut, he attacked champion Dolph Ziggler, following Ziggler's intentional disqualification when he hit Cena in the head with the championship. John Cena wanted a rematch against Ziggler. Ziggler tried denying him of it, but defeated him and retained the championship at the Money In The Bank Pay Per View a few weeks ago. Tyler wanted Ziggler, claiming his failure to defeat John Cena on the night he debuted on Raw "didn't even come close to the embarrassment of potentially losing to a more athletic, and _handsomely_ - _superior_ superstar" such as himself. The comment pissed Ziggler off and the two men had a non-title match on Tyler's second Monday Night Raw. In the weeks that followed, Ziggler, Cena, and Tyler interfered in each other's matches in some capacity, whether it be distracting each other, or physically provoking someone.

Tonight Tyler faced Cena and won via disqualification when Tyler grabbed his selfie stick, aiming for Cena, but ended up nailing Ziggler on the outside. Cena, who already received a signature move from Tyler was wobbly, but had enough wherewithal to grab the selfie stick. When he did, Tyler took a flop as the referee finally turned around from encouraging Ziggler to leave ringside. It was the type of infamous heel trickery made notorious by the late WWE Hall of Famer, Eddie Guerrero. The referee wasn't aware that Tyler was pretending to be drilled by Cena's use of the stick. So when he saw Tyler laid out, and the stick still in Cena's hands, he called for the bell.

Shannon watched Raw and saw Tyler hit both the Beauty Shot kick and arm trapped backbreaker earlier in the match. Once his music played, she noticed he was a bit delayed in the celebration, when retrieving his stick to take more selfies. After the show, she texted him.

 **Me** : Hey you. Good match, the win was even sweeter...by DQ, but we'll take it. You looked a little weird post match. You okay Rockstar?

 **Ty** : Hey. Thanks, Mark. No, I'm not okay in the sense that I'm getting an operation done soon. But yes, I am okay in the sense that it's a simple operation that doesn't require me to see 'the God of WWE' in Birmingham. Also known as Dr. James Andrews."

Tyler didn't text back as quickly as he did before, and Shannon didn't know if someone backstage at Raw grabbed his attention. Just when she was about to put her phone away, her screen lit up indicating an invitation to a video call. She accepted.

"Babe, when are you going to get an iPhone like the rest of the civilized people in the world?" Tyler asked through the screen. "Making me download a special app just to connect to you is _real_ work."

"I like Samsung," Shannon said with a smile. "I'm Team Android. I've never been an Apple girl."

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away," he replied.

"So I've been told," Shannon said with a nod. "So what's up? What happened?"

"After I did the backbreaker, something went crazy in my right knee," Tyler responded as the phone moved a little when he pointed to his knee. "I didn't feel a pop or a tear, but it got really stiff and prevented me from being fluid in the ring. That's why my Beauty Shot didn't look _as_ _good_. Docs say it's probably backed up cartilage or something, so I'm getting arthroscopy knee surgery done."

"Oh, ok," Shannon said with a sigh of relief. "It could've been a lot worse: MCL, ACL, both, or something else."

"Yeah. If it was MCL, that would've been three months out, ACL six months, if it was both then nine, like Hunter's quad," Tyler remarked, explaining the longevity of recuperation time. "The scope is a quick and common operation that's been done before. Hunter's had his knee scoped in '98. And Andrews fixed his MCL the same year, then quad three years after that. Big Show's had his knee scoped in '09."

"In other words, it's not serious and you'll be fine," said Shannon, who remained upbeat. "So if you're not going to Birmingham, are you staying in Omaha to get it done there?"

"Nope," Tyler reassured her, shaking his head. "Again, arthroscopic surgery's common and not serious, so I could really get it done anywhere. I'll be in Orlando Wednesday to get it done. Tomorrow at the Smackdown tapings, I'm doing a segment where out of frustration, I'm going on an 'indefinite hiatus to regroup and return more strategic.' I'll be out of surgery in a hour, hour and a half tops. It's a six week recovery period to get back in the ring. _And_ it gives me an excuse to see you. I miss you Mark."

"Even though absence makes the heart grow fonder, I miss you too," Shannon said with a chuckle. But he didn't return her laugh.

"It just sucks," said Tyler who undid his hair tie and sighed heavily. "This just _fucking_ sucks!"

"What does?" She asked sincerely.

"The timing of it Mark," Tyler said leaning his head backward against the wall while sitting on one of the production crates. "I've been in developmental _too_ long to have my first run on the main roster short-lived. Especially when it's short lived not creatively, but with an injury."

"Well for starters, it's not an _injury_ , but an _inconvenience_ ," Shannon replied trying to comfort him. "You're not hurt. Staff just advised you to get your knee scoped as a precaution so nothing worse happens as a result of wrestling through that lingering issue. And because you're _not_ stupid or stubborn, you're doing it. The longevity of your career will thank you later."

"I'm not looking at it like that though. I mean, it's a blessing," said Tyler who massaged his temple with his left index finger since the right hand was holding his phone. "Yes, I should be grateful that it's not more severe, but still."

Tyler placed his hand not holding the phone on his chest. "Baby, you know how I feel about you, and I mean what I'm about to say with the _utmost_ respect. You're not here yet. As great as NXT is, when you walk through a main roster curtain and the audience who watches NXT, or an NXT live tour has come to their town before recognizes you on the big stage, it's such a great feeling!"

"I can only imagine," Shannon replied as she slowly brushed her eyebrows with the thumb on her hand not holding the phone. She wasn't offended by what he said because he was correct. She understood his passionate sentiment. "As gutted as you are, don't let the frustration consume you. Look, you're the only one from NXT that _didn't_ win the NXT Championship, but got promoted to the main roster _anyway_. You were put in a world title program for your debut! That means _something_! That means Hunter believes in you and what you can contribute to the roster. So you're going to get your knee scoped, kick ass in rehab, and get back out there to do your thing. Because it'll only get better from here."

"How the hell does it get better when I'm _starting_ with a world title program?" Tyler asked with a hybrid mix of sarcasm and frustration. But that was okay because she knew how to get her man's spirits back up.

Shannon laughed. "Because maybe next time, you'll be booked to _actually_ _win_ the world title at the end of the feud," she replied with a wink.

"I wish I could kiss you right now," he said with a smile.

"Time heals a broken heart," she said simply, happy that he was feeling better. Since they were on a video call, there was no need for an emoji. She physically stuck her tongue out at him.

"What's up with you tonight with all of the proverbs and phrases of wisdom?" he questioned.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Text me the appointment details, and let me know when you're on your way back to your place."

"Alright, will do," he nodded again in response. "I love you."

"I know you do," said Shannon.

When they ended the call, Ryan Reeves, who performed as "Ryback" walked down the hallway whistling. Tyler told the boys he was seeing someone in the business, but didn't acknowledge whether they were in the WWE or some other company. They didn't know if she wrestled, was a valet, referee, announcer, or had a behind the scenes role of some kind. Sometimes it was best to keep the extent of your relationship with as most discretion as possible, especially if it was a fresh one. So many real life couples in the wrestling world came and went when too many details were shared, and the locker room acted like high school teens chomping at the bit for gossip. Ryback only heard the conclusion of the call and on his way passing Tyler, he teased him.

"Mattias and some chick sitting in a tree. And he is W-H-I-P-P-E-D!"

"At least I'm wanted by a woman instead of Bowflex, big guy," Tyler retorted referring to an actual brand name of dumbbells.

Ryback turned around and squeezed his dick at Tyler. It wasn't meant as a physical gay slur. It was Ryback's way of saying, "Fuck You."

"Airhead," said Tyler after shaking his head and getting up to exit the building.

* * *

 **Wednesday, July** **5th** , **2017**

 **8:00 AM**

Today Tyler would have his arthroscopy operation done this morning. He would be in Florida for six weeks before rejoining the main roster back on the road again. After listening to the Destiny's Child song, "Cater 2 U," Shannon wanted to surprise him with a little bit of pampering during his arrival. So she headed to the Whole Foods supermarket to pick him up some groceries. But while she was there, she ended up grabbing two shopping carts, buying items for the both of them.

Shannon bought three gallons of 2% milk. Two were for Tyler, and one was for herself. There were four dozens of eggs, which they'd each have two a piece. Tyler preferred the brown ones, but she didn't care. He mentioned something to her about the brown ones having double yolks in a conversation from the past. But Shannon thought eggs were eggs. As long as they continued to be an excellent, multi-use protein, that was all that was important to her. She picked up a few loaves of whole grain oat and bran bread, two canisters of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, and several cases of bottled water. Like their eggs, their cheese preferences varied in the carts too. She liked Provolone and Cheddar. He liked Asiago and Swiss. Their fresh produce included coconuts, pineapples, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, broccoli, okra, asparagus, kale, spinach, beansprouts, tomatoes, quinoa, granola, bell peppers, green and red onions, and lentils.

As she passed by other beverages in an aisle, she smiled when she saw a stack of "Honest Tea" bottles. Honest Tea was a company in Bethesda, Maryland started by two friends who loved all kinds of organic and herbal teas, but found many companies in the bottled tea industry's products were too sweet. So the owners started ordering various tea leaves across the world, brewing them in their own facility. They provided a product that they monikered, "just a tad sweet," infusing a limited amount of sugar in their brew. Even though she didn't create her Twitter account until this year under Paul's request, she would periodically snoop on other wrestlers' pages before she had her own. She saw Zack Ryder in 2012 post a picture of a case at his house, and from there knew he ordered various flavors from Honest Tea on a regular basis.

Once she signed to the WWE and made her Twitter profile, she sent him a direct message informing him that the company would give her a discount when she ordered in bulk since Honest Tea's headquarters were in her home state. Therefore if Zack wanted, whenever his supply was low, he could just tell her what he wanted ordered, and she'd get it for him for a fraction of the price. She'd just have the delivery address be sent to where he lived in Long Island, New York. He agreed, and he'd always reimburse her via Pay Pal transaction as soon as she forwarded him the email with the tracking information confirming that the order was on the way.

When she made it to the meat and poultry section, she stocked up big time, grabbing six types of fish including Tilapia, Salmon, Cod, Tuna, Croaker, and Halibut. Shannon also placed ground turkey, various cuts of boneless and skinless chicken, as well as various cuts of lean, beef steak in their carts. It wasn't that pork was never eaten by the couple. It was just a rare occurrence. Usually if Tyler was around and he'd whip up a bowl of chili, he'd mix ground pork sausage in his stock before cooking the chuck, beans, and spices together. Sure, most people consumed chilli in the colder months, particularly the winter. But Tyler wasn't the type of person that allowed a season or period of the year dictate his eating habits.

When Shannon made it to check out, the store clerk lifted his chin and peered at the plethora of items in the carts. He shook his head before speaking to her.

"Damn gal, do you just have one hell of an appetite, or are you feeding a soup kitchen?" he asked with a bit of wit.

"I'm a pro-wrestler," said Shannon. "The body's a machine. I have to refuel and replenish mine regularly."

"Pro-wresla, huh?" The bald, Latin clerk with a soul patch on his chin, quickly questioned back with an accent on the word "wrestler." "Where people squabble around in their tightie-whities, mamacíta? Why don't you become a _real_ athlete?"

"Because they don't work 300 nights a year like I plan on doing," Shannon snapped. She wasn't trying to bash any other athlete directly. But because this dude was being disrespectful undermining what she did, she was going to defend her brothers and sisters of the squared circle.

"But isn't that the fake shit?" he asked, folding his arms up with a grimace on his face.

"Yeah, it's the _fake_ shit with _real_ people breaking and tearing _real_ bones and muscles for the people willing to spend money to see them," Shannon said in irritation, not exactly in the mood to explain the differences between pre-determined and fake, or worked versus shoot style, certainly not to someone who was this close minded. Everyday they stepped in the ring was a real risk, but they all knew that going in. You tried your best to protect each other day in and day out; but even then, as with all contact sports, it had its limitations. Immunity was something non-existent when it came to injuries. They happened to everyone, and could occur at anytime. It was the nature of the beast. You just loved what you loved.

She continued. "Look sir, I'm not your supervisor, which means it's not my place to evaluate how you do your job. So I expect you to show the same sentiment of respect to mine."

The clerk nodded, embarrassed that he was put in his place in front of the many customers behind Shannon. They witnessed him manipulate an opportunity of small talk into a personal jab, holding them all up in line in the process. He scrunched his face up one more time, and rolled his eyes before beginning to bag up Shannon and Tyler's groceries.

"Could you double those bags for me please?" Shannon politely asked after the clerk packed them away for the first time. "I'm at the far end of the parking lot. I wouldn't want them to tear and be all over the place as I'm walking over to my car. And I know there's a stopping point where the wheels of your cart won't move beyond a certain line outside."

The clerk did not do as Shannon requested. He simply tossed a few of the heavy paper bags at her face.

Shannon thought he did that on purpose to be rude.

As she lifted the bags by their handles and politely thanked him for his service anyway, he mumbled something while she walked off towards the exit of the supermarket. "¡No Mirá el WWE!"

Shannon paused mid-stride, clinging several groceries to her chest tightly, with a few others on the floor, near her feet, before turning around and responding.

"I'm glad. Wouldn't want any unappreciative assholes like you tarnishing our product."

"Get the hell out of my store with your phony fighting!" The clerk yelled after realizing Shannon knew what he said, which was that he "didn't watch the WWE anyway."

"That pretend fighting attracted Hollywood to D'Wayne," Shannon responded with a sneer. "And he became highest paid action film star every since. His checks _never_ bounced in _Los_ _Angeles_ or _Stamford_!"

Shannon wasn't going to let that guy ruin her day. She didn't know if Tyler was in need of protein powder or any other nutritional supplements. So she was going to make another stop after loading her car with everything to the nearest health store to grab a few more items. Before Shannon did that, she quickly opened up the PDF that she always kept on her smartphone to review the latest updates to the WWE's list of banned substances in the Wellness Policy. For other sports to bash what WWE Superstars did on a regular basis, no other sports entity had as thorough of a Wellness Policy that the WWE had. There were substances banned in the WWE that weren't even banned in the NFL, MLB, NHL, or NBA for example. Not every superstar who received a suspension received one for taking a steroid shot or possessing marijuana. Many of them could have been caught taking a supplement that was accepted a decade ago, but was no longer approved. Even though all the talent were expected to be responsible, to be _completely_ fair, it wasn't about them all doing anything _intentionally_ egregious. Some were just negligent to remain informed. Shannon, being straight edge, tried her best to stay on top of it.

* * *

 **Same** **day** , **11** : **00** **AM**

Shannon showed up at the University of Central Florida Medical Center to see Tyler. After she purchased their groceries and went to the nutritional store, she packed hers away at her apartment, but left Tyler's in her car. She had the air conditioning running, and wouldn't be long. She sent him a text message. After ten minutes without receiving a response back, Shannon went to the reception desk of the Orthopedics wing of the hospital to retrieve a visitor's pass.

Tyler's surgery was a success, and he was currently in the recovery period, where he was supposed to be resting for an hour. But he heard a loud beep that startled his sleep. Moments later, there was a gentle tap on his door, and Shannon walked in.

"Well that was certainly stupid of me to expect a text back from you given that your phone is all the way over there," Shannon said with a smile as she pointed to the other side of the room before closing the door behind her. She walked over to him, and gently pecked his lips.

He chuckled through their embrace. "Yeah, that's part of the reason," he replied. "The other part is because I was supposed to be _resting_. But you put an end to that with the buzzing. The noise was bothering me, and I wanted it to stop. You know how it is when you get a text or voicemail notification on phones. Until you open it, they keep making noise. Then I woke up from my slumber, realizing I couldn't exactly spring up to shut it off."

"That's on me. I'm sorry for being a dumbass," Shannon said as she stared sincerely at his blue eyes before leaning over his bed for another quick peck. She pulled away, but he grabbed her to extend the lip lock. After a few seconds, she gave in to his desires, and when she pulled away the second time, they did so together. "You were going to be woken up in 45 minutes or so by a nurse anyway. I checked the chart. So how are you?"

"Better now that you're here," Tyler replied reaching for her hand and she gladly allowed him to take it, before slowly sitting on the edge of his bed. He started rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. "Where's Deano? Hunter said he'd see to it that he would drive me back to my place, with me being loopy and all."

"I have a confession to make," Shannon paused before biting her bottom lip and squinting her eyes. "I saw Malenko in the hallway when I got off the elevator and...kind of sent him away. I'm your cabbie today. I did some food shopping for you too that's in my car. I wasn't sure if your cabinets were bare. But since you're here for six weeks, I figured I'd give you a head start on groceries if needed."

"What a thoughtful and sexy surprise to wake up to," Tyler said with a wink. "Given I have no clue what you bought, or how serious it needs to be refrigerated to avoid spoiling, you need to do something to perk me up and shake the anesthesia out of me. Then we can hurry back to your car." He began to rub the pelvic region of his gown. "And I think you know what it is," he added with a smirk.

"Two words?" Shannon asked, holding up two fingers as she stared at his crotch.

"Suck it Mark," he happily replied with a nod.

"Technically, that's three," she said through a laugh as she slowly raised his hospital gown up and reached for the waistband of his boxers to pull down. "I better be getting a pleasurebomb from you at some point during your mini vacation."

"Of course," Tyler said through a groan when her mouth made contact with the head of his member. "You know I'm a generous lover."

* * *

 **Still** **on** **July** **5th** , **2017**

 **Later** **that** **night**

 **NXT** **TV**

Bayley was taking on Leah Van Dale, known to the WWE Universe as "Carmella." Carmella was not an independent wrestler with a wealth of experience in the ring as some of the other talents were. The Worcester, Massachusetts native who signed in 2013, in addition to being a fitness trainer, was a cheerleader for the NFL's New England Patriots, and a member of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers dance team. Her tie to professional wrestling was that her father Paul Van Dale wrestled independently, and was a regular jobber in the WWE in the 1990s. Though in real life she was from New England, since receiving her ring name and her association with Enzo Amore and her real life boyfriend, Colin Cassady, she was billed from Staten Island, New York. Their match was currently in progress.

"Atomic drop by Carmella. She's got Bayley reeling," said NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. "She heads for the ropes...but so does Bayley on the opposite end...double clotheslin...no! Carmella counters with a very nice STO!"

"But Bayley kicks out at 2 from referee, Eddie Orengo," said fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves. "You know Shannon, even though you were introduced by Eden prior to joining us here for commentary minutes ago, allow me to formally welcome you to the broadcast booth."

"Thank you very much Corey. I certainly appreciate being appreciated," said Shannon. "Whether it's in the ring, on commentary, or even if they needed me to hold the camera up in case that goof over there holding the third one-who looks out of shape-arms get tired. It's like Shannon Storm is a jack of all trades around this place."

"Could the 'Diamond Diva'-that is what you're calling yourself nowadays right-be any more cocky?" asked Phillips as he looked on to Bayley and Carmella, who continued to battle back, trading blows.

"First of all Tommy," Shannon snapped. " 'The Diamond Diva' is _not_ what I'm calling myself. It's who I _am_! I am the diamond of this women's division. I am a _walking_ _standard_! Second, pay attention: the song says, 'it ain't bragging if you back it up!' The last time I was in the ring, I won the Attitude Era Invitational! You need to understand something when you're in my presence: I'm not cocky. I'm confident. So when you tell me I'm the best, it's a compliment!"

"Whoah, I think she told you Tom!" Graves said excitedly in admiration of Shannon. "Bayley, making it up slowly on her knee, but ooh, Carmella with a dropkick to Bayley's legs, trying to keep her down...Carmella takes to the ropes again...possible boot to Bayley's head...no! Bayley catches her with a nice lowered exploder suplex!"

"Bayley trying to hook the legs, but doesn't get a strong grip," said Phillips. "And Carmella traps her legs for a crucifix pin of her own...kick out at 1! Look at Bayley, in a need to regroup, but still aware of what's happening around her to quickly kick out!"

The match continued for another seven and a half minutes.

"Shannon, I'm no genius, but I'm observant enough to know this isn't just any contest you're out here in the broadcast booth spectating with us," said Graves as he turned towards Shannon, who was in a seat between the men. "You've come out during a match with _Bayley_ _specifically_. What's going on between you women?"

"Well Corey as of right now, _not_ _a_ _damn_ _thing_ is going on between Bayley and myself as I sit here doing commentary with you guys. _Despite_ how much crap the NXT Universe wants to talk about me distracting Bayley for her lost last week," said Shannon, very much in character starting a tirade. "I'm out here firstly, because I have a right to be. And secondly, because Bayley, this audience, the locker room, and the world at large needs to be taught a lesson. Shannon Storm doesn't play to the crowd's affection like Bayley seems to love to do. I don't live off past glory like Trish and Lita. I don't leech off family lineage like Natayla Hart, Randy Orton, and many others in this business. I'm doing this _on_ _my_ _own_ , and I'm doing this for _me_!"

"Carmella's got her legs across Bayley's neck...possibly going to nail her 'Code of Silence' head scissors," Phillips said as he leaned forward at the table pressing his hands against it. "Bayley blocks it with a punch to the back, and Carmella bends over grabbing Bayley's legs...is she going to try to pull her down? No...Bayley with the sunset flip into the powerbomb on Carmella!"

Bayley didn't cover but crawled over to an opposite corner, using the rope to pull herself up, and tapped the top turnbuckle pad, psyching the fans up, and making them cheer.

"See this is _exactly_ what I'm talking about," Shannon said in frustration as she pointed her manicured hand towards the ring. "If you're going to hit the 'Belly to Bayley,' then just freaking do it! Screw the audience! I don't care about Izzy. I don't care about Little Jimmy. I am so sick of this pacified, 'everyone gets a trophy' way of thinking in society! It's not realistic. Some people _do_ suck. Like 'Macho Man' Randy Savage said, 'it is what it is.' Everyone is _not_ a winner. Once upon a time, if you wanted something in life, you made a plan and executed! You didn't whine your way to get ahead like John Cena did for his 15 World Championships. Or pamper people's-in this case small children's-behinds!"

Carmella charged into the corner towards Bayley, and she received two Belly to Bayley suplexes. The first was right into the corner, and the second was in the center of the ring for the victory.

* * *

 **Friday** , **July** **7th** , **2017**

 **Afternoon**

Shannon came to Tyler's place after leaving the Performance Center for more Tough Enough work in the morning. Even though the taped episodes aired Tuesday evenings on the USA Network, and the live voting occurred the last five minutes of the episode with results airing across the WWE Tough Enough App, there were many things done for the show throughout the week. From special challenges, to producers trying to instigate storylines within the competition itself, in addition to the traditional cardio and wrestling training that was recorded. These were all a part of the show's preparation.

Shannon left the island of his kitchen area carrying two plates. Tyler kept to his word about ordering a massive quantity of the flavored sparkling waters, once it was determined which were her favorite flavors following their first date. In between her armpits were a Peppermint Sparkling Water for herself and a "Mike's Hard Lemonade" she pulled from his fridge for Tyler. He drank, but he wasn't a total lush. "Mike's Hard Lemonade" was a mixture of vodka, natural flavors, and carbonated water. She joined him in the living room on the couch and he placed the plates on the end table, before pressing the appropriate button on the remote to the television screen.

"You know the only caveat to going to rehab everyday, twice a day this coming Monday, is that you won't continue to pamper me like this," Tyler said with a smirk. "I'm not even hurt, but seeing you play nurse is something I could _totally_ get used to." Tyler cupped her face in his hands, leaned forward, and kissed her. Initially, he was just toying with her, exchanging pecks. But seeing her literally play up the catering to him: wrapping up his knee, giving it the proper elevation, and cooking for him-all while wearing a baby blue scrubs set with matching Crocs-compelled him to get more aggressive in their kiss. He sucked and nibbled at her bottom lip even longer as his tongue explored hers, before letting go.

After breaking a part to catch their breath, she spoke. "When your father's a physician at a world renowned hospital, keeping a thorough head count of the stethoscopes and scrubs isn't exactly a big priority. I doubt they noticed me stealing a few over the years. And even if they did, oh well. I'm here now."

They both laughed and began to dig into their sandwiches Shannon prepared for them.

"Mark, what is this?" He asked. "I want to say it's a salmon burger, but then it tastes like there's something else in there. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know it's another protein. It's delicious though."

"It's crab," Shannon said with a smile. "It's something new I'm trying, and you were my lovely guinea pig of choice. The coastal states love their seafood. Maine loves their lobster. New England in general loves their clams. In Maryland, where I'm from, we love the blue crab. I like salmon burgers and crabcakes. This little concoction was my homage to them both. I grounded some salmon, mixed it with jumbo, lump, crab meat, and made a hybrid patty of sorts. But I hooked us up with great toppings: sliced roma tomatoes, Boston bed lettuce, our preferred cheeses, _and_ I remembered your spicy Mayo recipe from our first date. I don't think you'd miss having beef. From the spice blend, to providing a double punch of seafood proteins, you'd be satisfied. That was the goal anyway. Hey, even as a treat, look how nice I was giving us pretzel buns, instead of a lighter grain!"

"Those aren't the only buns that I like to see," Tyler said as she smacked Shannon's ass when she bent over to grab her bottle of Peppermint Water from her side of the end table.

* * *

 **Twenty** **Minutes** **Later**

Shannon and Tyler finished their sandwiches, and the movie they were watching on television was well underway. This movie wasn't anything special, but one of the stars in it was.

"So we find out the kid from Kazam used his third wish for Kazam to create a female genie for his girl cousin-who we were never introduced to in the first movie by the way-and for this sequel, it's Rousey?" asked Shannon as she grinned, not in enjoyment, but in disbelief of the plot. "Man, this movie sucks! Look at her: she doesn't even look happy granting this little girl's wishes. Why would she even sign up for this role if she didn't like the script?"

"I can't argue with that. This movie leaves more to be desired, and it doesn't help that she looks absolutely miserable doing it. What genie grunts and snorts at little kids? But as long as the checks clear, I guess it's all good," Tyler said after a chuckle. "You know it must really suck if they're not even airing it on a popular cable channel. How many people really tune in to WGN America on a regular basis? I only casually browse it here and there because we used to air Superstars on it."

"I don't know what's worse: knowing I can't escape her even in crappy movies, or those chants for her during Raws a few months after she left," Shannon said only half-joking. "At least they've stopped though."

Tyler changed the channel, not that he cared what was on, but because the both of them really weren't digging Ronda Rousey's movie.

"People like her though," he said. "They like you too-you know in the way they're _supposed_ to like you-which is hating you," he added playfully pinching her cheek. "If she ever comes back, you'll cross paths, trust me. And that's not a bad thing. You'll _each_ benefit from it."

Shannon didn't say anything. She just glared at him. Still having the floor, he continued his explanation, hoping she'd understand his point, even if she didn't agree with it.

"Look at it like this: Orton was going to be a star whether people in the locker room liked it or not. He was a third generation guy, fit the typical size mold that Vince prefers, and was further groomed by your boy. Now, had he been more mature, and didn't have so many Wellness Policy violations, maybe Vince would have preferred him as his number one over John Cena from that 2002 group. Cody could've been another one years later, but it's in my opinion that he didn't have a fair crack because he was smaller than McMahon would have liked, and he had heat with his father from the '80s. So much so that he tried to bury Dusty when he came to the then WWF, putting him in those bright ass yellow and black polka dot tights. Only it bit Vince in the ass because people _loved_ Dusty Rhodes. He made that shit work during that run."

"Yeah, I loved 'The American Dream' too," she finally spoke. "The 'son of a plumber' had nice promo chemistry with Flair."

"And I'll give you an example you'll actually care _more_ about," said Tyler who pointed at her with a single finger and smirked. "I'm pretty sure Hunter was pissed late '98 into the spring of '99 with Austin and Rocky. Not to the point where he'd put a bounty on their heads, but a _professional_ jealousy. He knew he had just as much-arguably more-talent, passion, will, and commitment as those two guys. He felt that he was more than capable to help them carry the company through its next phase. But what happened? Did he quit, or bitch every minute?"

 _I'm sure the world thinks so._

" _No_ he didn't. He stayed the course. He fought _like_ _hell_ against management, including Vince himself, to turn heel when they wanted him to stay the number two babyface. Why? Because he enjoyed working heel more, was passionate about it, and thought he would be great at it. And in a few months time, he was _right_. That summer he became 'The Man,' the crowd turned Rocky back to being a babyface, and as the top villain of the company, he was able to work with the both of them. He continued to bust his ass, and unapologetically told people how he felt about the situation along the way. The WWF would've been totally fucked between 1999 through 2001 with Austin gone for an entire year for his neck, Undertaker being on the shelf for a while, and Rocky off to film _The_ _Mummy_ _Returns_ , then his spinoff _The_ _Scorpion_ _King_ without him. As huge as Rocky was in 2000, he _needed_ Hunter as top villain to help carry the brand into further popularity. And that was the Attitude Era's most profitable year ever! Were Jericho and Angle around? Absolutely. They weren't quite ready to be top guys yet, but were well on their way to contributing."

She still was silent, but according to Tyler, she appeared to be getting it. So it was time to hammer the point home.

"When the ball was finally given to Hunter, he took that shit and ran with it! The same could happen with you and Ronda. Regardless of how you feel about her, you have to accept the fact that for whatever reason, she's over. If you're hell bent on being _thee_ top heel one day in the women's division-and baby, you're completely capable of doing that-you're going to need Ronda. Should she return, on arrival, she'd be the top face of the women. But that's what would be necessary to solidify your status as a top heel and major player in the future of the WWE. Just like Hunter, your time will come, babe."

Tyler pulled Shannon close to him and kissed her forehead.

* * *

 **Wednesday** , **July** **12th** , **2017**

 **NXT** **TV**

"Thank you very much for joining us on commentary Bayley," said NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. "We had Shannon Storm join us at the table last week. So it's only fair that you sit alongside us now."

"Life isn't fair," fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves scoffed to Phillips. "Why do we have to be here?"

Phillips ignored Graves.

"I'm excited to be here Tom," said Bayley with a smile.

"Shannon and Emma have been going at it for a few minutes now, and it appears they're going to press the reset button," said Graves. "Back to another collar and elbow tie up...Shannon with the go behind connects with a waistlock...Emma now with a nice snapmare takeover, follows up with a kick to Shannon's spine."

"Bayley, I do offer my apologies to your second place finish in the Attitude Era Invitational," said Phillips. "You and Asuka had a very strong showing. Honestly, the victory could've gone to anyone."

"Second place finish?" Graves asked in bewilderment. "There are no runner ups! She and Asuka _failed_! It's as simple as that. Nice tiltawhirl backbreaker by Storm on Emma, but a kickout at 2 and a half!"

"I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I didn't hear what you said Corey," Bayley began, still with her headset on, turning to him. "Because you're right. Asuka and I weren't victorious, but you know what? We gave everything we had, and wouldn't change a thing."

"Shannon with the Russian Leg Swe...no, Emma with a leg whip of her own, causes Shannon to stumble backwards...and she's got her legs caught the ropes! 'Dil-Emma'...that Boston Crab in between the ropes!" Yelled Phillips.

"1, 2, 3, 4," called referee Drake Wuertz. "Alright Emma, let her out," he added, noting although wrestlers like Tajiri, who have submissions that utilized the ropes such as "The Tarantula," you could not get a victory with them because the opponent clearly had a rope break.

Emma released the hold, and Shannon flopped to her knees, rubbing her calf and hamstrings, selling the impact of the maneuver on her legs as she crawled away from Emma, trying to get some distance.

"Do you and Shannon have some sort of issue Bayley? I mean, she came to see your match in person two weeks ago, which you were _also_ _unsuccessful_ in against Ember Moon," Graves spoke in a cunning fashion, poking the bear. "And let's not avoid the elephant in the room. Last month at Takeover, not only did you _lose_ , but Shannon went on a rampage, taking everyone involved in the match out, including the freaking women presenting the prize trophy!"

"I don't know what Shannon's deal is," Bayley replied shaking her head. "I don't have any resentment to her. I find her to be a talented individual, who could really benefit from having a better outlook on life. I heard what she said in that interview with JoJo about me being on her radar next, and me treating things like fairytales. And that's where the buck stops because she'd be absolutely wrong! _Everything_ about me is authentic! I'm no fantasy. I'm living the real thing. This is what I wanted to do since I was a nine year old girl! I'm a life long fan! I love everything about NXT. This building, these fans, are my world! I'm _not_ going to apologize for enjoying what I do for the people that support me."

"Shannon just cockily bouncing on the top turnbuckle, edging Emma on to get up," said Phillips, who smiled at Bayley's response to Corey's pandering moments ago. "Is she going for a dive? No! Emma pushes the ropes, causing Shannon's backside to fall comfortably on the pad...before Shannon gets a good rest, nails a beautiful, rolling wheel kick, and Shannon falls down."

"Emma, grabbing Shannon with one hand on her tights, the other in her hair as she sets her back on her knees," Graves started. "Short arm clothesli...rejected! Shannon counters with a nasty hip toss to Emma into the other corner of the turnbuckles. She quickly pulls her out of the corner, covering both legs. 1...2...kickout!"

Shannon lifted Emma up, and placed her in a seated position on the top turnbuckle pad. The people thought Shannon was setting up for the Perfect Storm, the alternate finisher she debuted for NXT during the qualifying round of the Attitude Era Invitational Tournament. But no, she wasn't going to do that. She had something else in mind.

"Hey Emma," Shannon taunted the dazed Emma, who dangled her head periodically selling. "Suck it!" Shannon pointed to her pelvis before running towards Emma and jumping crotch first in her face. But Emma tossed her over.

"Whoah! It seems like Shannon was feeling like a bit of a degenerate, going for what appeared to be a bronco buster-from a modified, running, leapfrog position-something I don't think we've seen before," Phillips started as he raised his eyebrows slowly, trying to explain to himself and the audience what he was watching once more in a replay. "But Emma back body dropped her over on the outside."

 _Okay, so I'm noticing a pattern that people like to get spots in with me when they toss me over head out of the ring. Candace did it to me on a stack of ladders. Pam did it on the steps. And now, Tenille did it, thankfully just on the outside mats this time. What do you bitches have against me? It's in good fun though. I love you all. People always did clotheslines spots on Trips where he'd backflip out the ring on one arm. He's a tough mofo. I'd always cringe when he did that spot, praying he didn't separate his shoulder in the process. I remember Trish did at Backlash '06 against Mickie. I called it as soon as she went over. I saw the bone sticking out. But she finished the match like a soldier._

The crowd started chanting, "Botcho-Buster" repeatedly.

 _Nope_ , _you_ _guys_ _are_ **_wrong_**. _We_ _didn't_ _botch_ _anything_. _That's a spot. She was supposed to toss my ass before my pie hit her face. Nice try, folks. We knew._

As soon as referee Drake Wuertz heard the splatter of Shannon's body hitting the mats outside on the floor, he pivoted his head to the side. The audience thought he was going to check on Emma, but he wasn't. He was actually communicating with someone else.

"The referee's at 6!" Phillips shouted. "If she doesn't want to get counted out, she better get a move on!"

A second later, Becky crawled from underneath one side of the ring and grabbed Shannon's legs, before she firmly got a single knee on the ring apron to climb back to Emma.

"Becky Lynch! Becky Lynch! Where in the hell did she come from?" asked Corey Graves as he looked on at Becky mounting Shannon, relentlessly throwing shots at her face.

This is who the referee was communicating with. Whenever segments were done where something occurred under the ring-whether it be a chase, a Bella Twin switch, or someone being pulled through the ring by The Undertaker or Kane, there were cameras beneath it. Becky was chilling, lying on her stomach waiting for the key spot in Shannon's match. She was watching the same action as Graves, Phillips, and the referee. Once Shannon hit the floor, she came out.

"Corey, she's absolutely going to town on Shannon Storm!" yelled Tom Phillips.

"I guess that's it then?" Bayley asked, not knowing what to make of the chaos.

The referee called for the bell, and Shannon won by disqualification.

"Man, Becky just tossed Shannon into the ring post!" Graves shouted. "And Shannon tries to stumble away...But Becky chases after her, delivering a running double axe handle to her back, and Shannon collapses."

"Fuck man! I broke a nail, when I grabbed the ring post," Shannon mumbled to Becky as she crawled extra slow. "It took a long time for that particular one to grow!"

"Shut the fuck up and take your lass kicking like a big girl, before camera two sees your mouth moving," Becky replied under her wrist as she pretended to swipe sweat from her nose.

"You're right," Shannon said. "My fault." Shannon drove her leg backward, delivering a mule kick to Becky's abdomen. She tried getting away again, but a recovered Emma was on the other side, preventing the evasion.

"Aww man, shoulder first goes Shannon Storm into the steel steps!" screamed Graves. "Becky Lynch, what on earth is your problem? You need to calm the hell down!"

"The hell she does Corey!" Phillips defended. "Don't play dumb now. You know _exactly_ why she's delivering this onslaught on Shannon. It's payback for what she did at Takeover, double crossing her and disrespecting our women legends! Wow, Shannon just got clotheslined over the barricade!"

Some pervert with a cold cup in hand, poured the contents of his beverage across Shannon's tank top, hoping to see some nipple action; but very quickly she turned around to her stomach, denying him of the moment. Becky was there too to get her back across.

"And it looks like...she's not done yet...watch yourself Bay..." warned Graves but it was too late.

Becky delivered an exploder suplex to Shannon on the commentary table, breaking it, and Shannon's boot caught Bayley through the rotation. Shannon and Bayley were out. Graves and Phillips jogged away in enough time to avoid the contact.

"Bayley had nothing to do with this Becky!" Phillips whined. "You just took out the champion!"

Finally, security and event staff ran down the ramp and separated Becky from Shannon. But she broke away from them to put Shannon in the fujiwara armbar that Becky called the Dis-Arm-Her. After keeping the hold on for thirty seconds, security grabbed hold of Becky again. Shannon jumped over another side of the barricade wall in the arena to flee. Shannon sold that ass kicking like a million bucks. The beat down was sold very much in the same fashion how Paul, as "Triple H," after outsmarting "Stone Cold" Steve Austin or "The Rock" with a sneaky win on Pay Per View, would then get his ass handed to him left and right on Raw and Smackdown for weeks, eating multiple finishers from both men. It was a non-finish turned into a brawl _done_ _right_. They were telling the story of Shannon teasing a transition to working with Bayley in a Women's NXT Championship feud. Yet at the same time, they were making the fans second guess that possibility as Shannon was due some comeuppance from Becky. Everyone involved-Bayley on commentary, Becky taking out Shannon, Shannon selling the attack-played their roles masterfully.

* * *

 **Thursday, July 13th, 2017**

 **Bismarck, North Dakota**

The talent was in the Bismarck Civic Center in Bismarck, North Dakota for a live event. Located in the South side of downtown Bismarck, it was a multi purpose venue with portable walls, staging equipment, piano, and dance floors. It was about fifteen minutes until the show began. Billy Kidman caught up with Shannon as she passed him in one of the rooms used for the production crew.

"Hey kid, come here," said Kidman as he placed a headset on his head and adjusted it, while other crew members monitored the set up of the screens in the room.

"Hi Kidman. What's wrong?" asked Shannon, who was wearing a throwback, royal blue, Philadelphia 76ers jersey featuring Allen Iverson. She wore the NBA jersey over some white, Under Armour "Tactical Training" shorts that matched the color of the name and numbers stitched on the jersey. She still wasn't a basketball fan, but Iverson, nicknamed "The Answer," like Michael Jordan, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and many others, was considered one of the greats among his peers.

She was on her way to the dressing room to put on her gear, but stopped when the former Cruiserweight Champion called her.

"Calm down, calm down. Nothing's wrong," Kidman said with a warm smile, while shaking his head. "You're fourth on the card tonight. You wanna' help produce the first match?"

"Um, should I be more nervous than I would be for my own match?" Shannon asked as she walked further in the room, and Jamie Noble handed her his headset, and gestured for her to take his chair.

She accepted.

"You're in the ref's ear," Noble replied massaging Shannon's shoulders. "You don't have anything to be anxious about."

"I wouldn't want to mess any of the boys up," she said, tightening the band of the headset on her head, before wiping her palms, which started to sweat against her shorts.

"You wouldn't be messing anyone up!" Kidman yelled, not in frustration, but in awe. It was comical to him of how much of an ass Shannon's character could be on television, but how very worried she looked co-producing for the first time. "It's Crews versus Aries. They're vets. They _know_ what they're doing. You'd be _guiding them along_ , more than anything."

"Exactly," Noble agreed. "Besides, it's just one match. We're not saying do the entire show," he clarified, folding his arms up against his chest as he stood up and watched talent finish warmups in the ring through his monitor. "You're a good worker with a lot of desire and grit. Learning as much as you can _out_ of the ring, will make you even better _in_ the ring, trust me."

With their vote of confidence, Shannon let out a sigh, and rubbed her hands together, embracing yet another task brought upon her. With the passion she had for the business, there would always be something to learn. And she loved every second of it. The goosebumps would disappear in due time.

"Okay, let's do it!" She replied with excitement.


	26. Chapter Twenty Six: On The Rise

**July 14th, 2017**

Almost every millennial wrestler was a gamer. Shannon and Tyler were no different. They were currently at his place. Tyler had a spacious loft apartment and converted one of the bedrooms upstairs into what he called, "The Game Hub." The room had a sixty five inch flat screen television with Sony PlayStation Four and Microsoft XBOX One consoles, as well as Foosball, Air Hockey, and Ping Pong machines in each corner of the same room. He was thinking about getting a pool table for the fourth corner, but decided against it. He figured the pool table would probably require its own room, given how people tended to slouch around, claiming to play in teams; while others gossiped nearby chalking up their sticks pretending they knew what they were doing.

Shannon and Tyler were in the center of the room sitting on his grey faux suede sofa set from PBteen. The PlayStation Four was turned on, and they were playing WWE 2K17. Currently, they were in an iron-man match. She was playing as him, and he was playing as Adam Copeland, better known to the WWE fans as the "Rated R Superstar," Edge.

"Typical you to pick a Canadian, right?" asked Shannon who was using the small talk in an effort to distract Tyler who was up 5-3 in falls on their match.

"Babe, you're playing as _me_. I'm an American citizen. I have been for five years now since coming to the States, and joining the company. So the logic in your comment is flawed," he said as he jammed a button and back suplexed "himself" on the game as Edge, right on the steel steps that Shannon's character, which was Tyler, tossed in the ring.

"Yeah, but you're _my_ Canadian, so it's different," she responded. As he turned to her shaking his head, she never took her eye off the game. She grabbed the steps, ran towards Edge, and hit him in the head. She pinned him. "Ha, that's 5-4."

"So since I'm on the shelf and we haven't had a chance for an official second date, whataya' say, we talk now?" He asked Shannon who used her "resiliency" icon to kick out of a spear. "Damn. Forgot you had that icon stored."

"Alright, shoot." she responded. "Yeah, Edge isn't the _only_ resourceful one in this game."

"Okay, what are your biggest hobbies?" he asked and grimaced when Shannon hit the Beauty Shot kick on Edge.

"1...2...ropebreak? You've got to be kidding me!" Shannon exclaimed frantically bobbing and weaving her head in various directions to the television as they played the game. This wouldn't alter her character's game play. But physically moving yourself as well as your joystick was commonplace for many gamers who were getting into their groove.

"Um, other than wrestling and jewelry, I'm pretty boring. I'll watch some Family Guy here and there. I don't go to clubs frequently. That's just something I do with Pam. I don't need to be in a certain place to dance. I'm not even sure if you'd consider me 'a hardcore gamer.' Hardcore gamers play all genres right?" Shannon asked rhetorically.

Tyler didn't even give her a physical nod, or shake of the head. They were focused on their match.

"Don't get me wrong: I'll play some Madden, GTA, Street Fighter, Tekken, and Mortal Kombat, but only periodically," Shannon continued. "If someone were to break in my place and steal them, I wouldn't lose my shit. If someone were to take my wrestling games though, that's a different story. Even though the PS3 made a slim model years later, I still have my '07 version. Because I wanted a Sony console that was backwards compatible so I could go back and play Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game, WWF: Monday Night Raw, WWF Attitude, WWF War Zone, Smackdown 1 and 2 from the PS1. What about you?"

Shannon hit the combination of buttons on the pad to highlight "dirty mode," as she made Tyler grab Edge's tights for an inside cradle.

"Wrestling like you, music, gaming, and anything with high intensity level training. Not high intensity solely in terms of strength exercises like weightlifting. But in terms of doing various things in a given workout whether it be Parkour, or the multi-dimensional Crossfit. Colby and I did Crossfit together all the time down here when he was still in Developmental. He still does it since being promoted to the main roster years ago. His marks call him 'Crossfit Jesus,' but I don't know why he hasn't coined the term for some merchandise," Tyler replied referring to Seth Rollins, before mashing buttons trying to kick out of Shannon's pin attempt.

"And I'm a regular blood donor if that counts as a hobby," she added.

"That's cool. I'm also very tight with with Austin," he responded as he jerked his controller. "We became friends as soon as he came to Developmental. We formed a tag team and were even roommates for a bit."

"Oh you mean Xavier?" Shannon asked. Tyler didn't look away from the screen, but gave her an affirmative nod. "It's cool seeing him make those UpUpDownDown gaming videos on YouTube with the talent, out of character. I saw a little bit of you guys interacting on the Behind the Curtain E60 special, but I didn't realize you two were best buds! That's neat."

"Yep. They don't really cover our friendship in the one hour special on ESPN, but they had some bonus footage on their YouTube channel that did. We need to find something to do together too though," said Tyler who wanted the conversation to return to themselves. "I don't want us to lose our individual identities, but it'd be nice to do something or discover something we both enjoy as a couple. Well I guess us playing Rock Band would be the first."

 _Pleasurebombs would be the second._

"Shit. No wait...ha, time's expired! I win!" He raised his arms in celebration as Edge's theme, "Metalingus," began to play. "I still love you though."

"Whatever," Shannon playfully whined. "A second longer, I would've got that pin, and we would've tied. Then it would be sudden death. Like HBK and the The Hitman at Wrestlemania 12."

"Just an afterthought now," Tyler joked. "Let's play a women's match next."

He knew Shannon didn't like the term "diva" as she thought that set the division back from what they were attempting to accomplish with the Ronda Rousey push on the main roster two years ago. "The Diamond Diva" was just her gimmick nickname, so that was fine. But all in all, she liked all the females being referred to as women.

"Alright, let me grab my CAW," Shannon said as she scrolled through the menu.

She already played WWE 2K17 a few times before at Tyler's place since they started sleeping together. While there she synced her own "Shannon Storm" Create-A-Wrestler to his console, so she didn't have to always be at home to play as herself. Although she was not on the current game they were playing, Paul sent Shannon to the headquarters of WWE Games to have her model created. For the past three years the WWE always promoted the forthcoming version of their game Summerslam weekend, where the talent got exclusive copies and new features were revealed for pre-sale, before its fall release. At this year's release, Shannon would be a playable character for the upcoming WWE 2K18 game. And as Paul reassured her back in January, Kid Rock's remix to her entrance music would also be available. She hadn't heard it yet, but was looking forward to checking out the track.

"Sure. I'm going to play as Nikki Bella," Tyler said after a short pause. "You don't mind do you?"

"Psst, I'm not insecure," Shannon said as she selected herself. "Go ahead. You're banging me, not her," she added as she got up. "Hey, I'm going to use the ladies room. This loads quickly. If I'm not back in time, just pause it, okay?"

"Okay," Tyler said as Shannon grabbed her purse and headed out to his bathroom.

The game loaded quickly as Shannon had anticipated, so Tyler paused it. When Tyler heard the door open, he placed his controller on his lap, then held hers up, not turning his head. He yelled, "Hey, let's play!"

"Tyler, I'm late." Shannon said, who stood at the door at the entrance of "The Game Hub."

"Late for what?" asked Tyler. "A mani-pedi appointment? I told you I'd pause the game, and wouldn't start until you came back."

"Tyler, I said I'm late," Shannon repeated her statement to him. He turned around this time, raising an eyebrow, still not understanding what she was trying to say.

"I'm not following, sweetheart," said Tyler.

"I'm _this_ kind of late," Shannon said pulling out a wrapped tampon from her purse. Tyler turned around and his mouth gaped open. If she wasn't late, it should have been opened, and used.

"Oh, _that_ kind of late," replied Tyler who grabbed both wireless controllers, leaned forward, and set them aside on the coffee table. "Are you sure? I mean I know I'm a guy, but there's no crime against reading. Is it just a day or two late? Some women are every 21 days, some are every 28, some are irregular. On the months that have five weeks, it can carry over and makes women miscount at times. Some flows are light. Some are spotty. Some are heavy."

Shannon was impressed by Tyler's inquiry. It was one thing to question his girlfriend's period, but to take the time to actually do a little reading on menstrual cycles in general, was a lot more than she could say for most guys.

"I'm talking a couple of _weeks_ late," Shannon replied. Even though Tyler was on the main roster now full time and spent several weeks working main roster live events while being a member of NXT a few months before, he would come to Florida on every day off which was roughly four times in about fifty six days. So they definitely made up for lost time, on more than one occasion, on each of those days.

The television grew dim due to the extended period of time paused without activity. Shannon walked over and joined him on the sofa. Tyler inhaled and exhaled a breath before he began to speak.

"Well, okay. I say you make an appointment, and we confirm what it may be. It's selfish of me to assume you can just up and get an appointment on my next day off when I get back on the road just because I want to be there," said Tyler. "But I do want to reiterate that I _would_ like to be there. I mean after all, it is 50% of my DNA swimming inside you."

Shannon grabbed Tyler's hands which became sweaty. She didn't know if they were sweaty from having the controller in them for so long, or if nerves were building from having this conversation. All things considered, she thought he was handling the conversation well.

"The appointment's already been made," said Shannon.

"Alright, so when is it?" Tyler asked.

"I already went," Shannon said simply.

Tyler released Shannon's grip from his hands and began rubbing her knees, not knowing if what she was about to say needed comfort. "And what happened?"

"The issue's been resolved," she said.

Tyler swallowed the lump in his throat. Though they were a new couple, he thought he was a great boyfriend, one of the good guys. But he felt like an ass right now, knowing that experience must have been a trying one for Shannon.

"I'm uh, I'm sorry you had to go through that alone," he stated before he paused trying to stay on topic without hurting her feelings, or causing her to become emotional when she didn't seem to be already, which was weird in itself. Perhaps she was trying to be strong for the both of them. "I'm not a woman, but I can only imagine the pain one may feel aborting their kid."

"Wait, what?" Shannon responded with a frown on her face. "What are you talking about Tyler?"

"What do you mean, 'what am I talking about?' You said you already booked and went to the appointment, and that the issue was resolved," Tyler spoke, not comprehending or expecting that reaction from her. "Clearly you're talking about aborting our child by yourself."

"Tyler, I didn't _abort_ anything," she said. Tyler released his hair from the scrunchy, and ran his hands through it. He was getting more and more confused by the second.

"Then what was that appointment about?" Tyler asked.

"I was never pregnant. I thought I could be. So yes, I made and went to an appointment on my own," she explained.

"So what was the issue that got resolved?" he asked. "Is there some other gynecological problem you have?"

"No. I thought I was pregnant. I told the doctor I was late. We ran through some tests, and they were negative." Tyler started to interrupt her, but she put a finger to his lips stopping him. "Let me finish please. But during the examination, they found a used condom still in tact, and said that lead to the blockage of my period. So we were never pregnant."

Tyler's shoulders collapsed. He was relieved, but he didn't want to be a dick about it. "Holy shit! Is that even possible? That's never happened to me before."

"Apparently it can," Shannon replied. "The doctor was even asking weird questions like 'how big is your partner?' "

"You give them a good number for me?" Tyler asked following a light chuckle.

"What? No stupid!" Shannon said as she smacked Tyler's shoulder. "I told her I was too busy enjoying the performance to just stick a tape measure down there in the middle of the act."

"Hahaha! Thank you baby," Tyler said. "So how long have you known that we weren't expecting?"

"Quite some time now," Shannon mumbled. Tyler's smile quickly turned into a frown and his bright blue eyes darkened to a deep sapphire in frustration. He removed his long knee brace, which began at the base of his quad, past his knee, extending to the beginning of his shin. He threw it against the armrest of the sofa on the side closest to him. Then he walked to another side of the room.

"Baby, be careful. You don't want to hurt yourself getting up so abruptly," Shannon responded with empathy.

Shannon knew he was a grown man, but couldn't help being concerned. Tyler was doing well in rehab, everyday twice a day, following his scope operation. But he was encouraged to wear the brace for at least another week, before rehab would slow down. From there he'd transition to getting back to the Performance Center to commence his in-ring training. She didn't want him to prolong recovery by inadvertently sustaining an injury on the gaming equipment that surrounded him, just because he was upset at her. They respected each other's careers first, then their relationship. They had goals, and just happened to fall _in_ _like_ with one another afterward.

"So you've known for awhile and just _now_ decide to tell me?!" Tyler asked angrily, ignoring her plea. "You're not in this fucking relationship by yourself! What the hell happens if you really were pregnant, huh?! What the fuck happens if my setback was a lot serious than it was? What if it was an injury that I had to take a year off? Or one that caused a damn _retirement_? Neither of us are where we ultimately want to be right now, and a kid would alter that journey significantly! Really, how do you _expect_ me to react to that?"

"Look, I'm sorry if you think I concocted some sick, twisted, plot to play mind games and get in your head," she said walking over to Tyler and reaching for his face, but he turned away. "I needed to find out for myself what the issue was first, and then I needed to know how you would take it. So that's why I presented it to you this way. Would you give a damn about the situation, or just bail? Your concern and eagerness to be supportive reassured me I had nothing to worry about. Well, before you just blew up on me a second ago."

Tyler sighed as he felt like an asshole again. While sure, it may not have been right or fair that Shannon waited before she presented the issue to him, as he grew emotionally invested in what was now confirmed to be a mere fictional child. But her intentions were good. She had a point: while it was clear their feelings were strong for each other, the reality was that they were only an official couple for a little over a month. He grabbed his brace which was now on the floor, turned to face her, and pulled her into a hug. She'd typically never shy away from his displays of affection before-the exception being if they were sweaty. But the fact that she hesitated his embrace this time let him know she was truly hurt by his outburst, and he needed to console her. Eventually, she leaned in to him.

"I apologize for blowing up, alright? But _before_ I'm your boyfriend, I'm just a regular human being with emotions. I don't like to be manipulated where my heart and feelings are treated like strings being pulled in certain directions to meet someone else's needs," Tyler said as he rubbed Shannon's arm, and she tightened her grip on him. "It's not that I don't want to be a dad. I'm just not ready to be anyone's parent right now. For a second, I thought I didn't have a say about anything whatsoever in the matter. I deserved to be in the know about the entire process-good or bad-from the very beginning."

"Neither do I," Shannon remarked finally breaking her silence. "I enjoy what we have now, but I hope you know that it was _never_ my intention to play you, trap you, or whatever you Canadians have as a slang equivalent to those terms."

Tyler giggled at the last part of her statement. "I know that now," he said as he guided her chin to him with his index finger. "From here on out, any future discoveries no matter how minor, major, or undetermined they might be, can you let me know, the _minute_ you know?"

Shannon smiled before leaning up to kiss him. "Done," she said.

"Great," said Tyler who repeated Shannon's gesture, pecking her lips after a one-worded response. "I love you."

"I know," Shannon said as she cuddled back into Tyler's arms, still _in_ _like_ , but slowly growing _in_ _love_ despite not being ready to admit it directly to Tyler. "At some point we need to do some painstakingly thorough research on the plethora of condoms that exist. Or maybe I should get an IUD, or vaginal mesh. Or you could just go to a sperm bank and have some collected, frozen, and stored before you get a vasectomy. That way I'll never fear the wrath of your semen."

Tyler tucked his brace under his right arm, and with his left arm clenched around Shannon's waist, guided her back to the sofa.

"I'm open for conversation on all subjects, but for now," he said tossing the controller at Shannon. "Shannon Storm's about to feel the wrath of Nikki's Rack Attack."

" _Please_ ," she arrogantly responded with a smirk. "It's a poor man's Evolution," Shannon added referring to her torture rack jumping double knee backbreaker signature.

* * *

 **July 15th, 2017**

"Oh yes," Shannon whined as Tyler grinned against her vagina. They were engaging in what she and Tyler cleverly called a "pleasurebomb." A pleasurebomb for them, was oral sex with a wrestling twist. Tyler would position Shannon between his legs, before elevating her to his shoulders seconds later. He would firmly hold her in place the entire time until she came. When she did come in his face, he would drop her like a powerbomb on the surface of wherever they were at the present moment. He'd do so safely, of course.

Once Tyler hoisted Shannon up on his shoulders, he would then push up her skirt or dress to her stomach. If she was wearing pants or shorts, she would help him out by removing them beforehand. With her thighs comfortably against his shoulders and her skirt or dress pushed up, he'd slide her panties down using his teeth. This was even easier on days she wore edible thongs. Unfortunately, Shannon wasn't wearing one of those today. But he still got the job done to hit his target.

"It's starting to take effect now huh, babe?" Tyler mumbled against his woman's mound.

Tyler was referring to the mint flavored Cherry Bomb clitoris arousal gel by the "Crazy Girl" brand. Shannon kept her promise that she made to him in February. When the NXT brand made their way to Philadelphia, she showed him where the Condom Kingdom sex shop was that she purchased her Gum Job and handcuffs several years ago. She didn't buy anything that day, but he did. This was what he purchased a few months ago.

This arousal gel served the purpose of delighting his taste buds, while intensifying sensations in Shannon's most intimate areas. Prior to propelling her on his body, he applied a small amount on his finger, and rubbed it thoroughly on her clitoris. The peppermint and menthol not only created a tingling sensation for Shannon physically, encouraged more blood flow to her genitals, but was also totally safe for Tyler to lick. After five minutes, it was making an impact, and Tyler was ready to fully engage.

Tyler slowly slid his face horizontally across Shannon's mound, then vertically. He was teasing her as the bridge of his nose delicately caressed her urethra, and his lips did the same to her core. He then took a moment to inhale her sweet scent. Shannon reached her arms down towards his head attempting to push him further on her center, but he clenched her ass cheeks and pulled his neck away.

" _No_. Let me take my time baby," he responded to the pout on her face. Tyler placed a few gentle pecks to her silky smooth, caramel, upper inner thighs, before repeating the same action back to her front.

He made one long lick to her labia majora, and to his pleasure noticed the moistness of her outer lips from the moments of anticipation.

"Ooh," Shannon cried out as he painstakingly delivered love bites along each of Shannon's folds. Before he continued his licking session, just like he did with the beginning of her mound, he maneuvered his head once again to her inner thighs, delivering love bites to those as well. In doing so, he slurped up some of Shannon's secretions that began to run down from her labia minora, to her opening. This was a result of her inner lips' moistness quickly growing into pure wetness. These were her sex juices. But the way he was so eager to take them in, you'd think he was a bear enticed by an abandoned beehive filled with honey hanging on a tree.

"Shit!" Shannon muttered, rolling her eyes as she rubbed the back of Tyler's neck. He once again vertically licked her feminine lips. First the inner, then the outer ones. This time, he didn't go across horizontally, but continued upwards on his licks, stopping directly at her clit. When he reached it, he circled it with his tongue four times before leaning his face in further pressing his tongue firmly on it, engaging her sensitivity.

"Ahh," Shannon hissed and closed her eyes. "Oh...my...God!"

Tyler then glided his tongue from her clit, and descended to her uretha once more before returning back down to her sex. This time he took an entire mouthful of her, nibbling and tugging lovingly with his teeth. With her natural juices now integrating with the saliva on his tongue, Tyler guided it inside as he separated her folds. They were both happy Tyler finally made his way down to penetrate her flesh.

"Yes...Ty...Oh yes," Shannon remarked following a moan. He started off slow, then gradually inserted his tongue inside her sex deeper, and faster. While doing this, he wrapped his right arm fully around her, while he brought the left down so he could use the thumb of that hand to aggressively rub her clit. She started to pant as his pace altered.

Tyler moved his left arm back in position on the other side of her waist. He withdrew his tongue for a moment just to look up at her. Shannon's mouth was slightly open and her chest was heaving, causing him to smile. But Tyler knew she wanted more, so he went back to work. He spread his mouth wide and dived back in face first, like an excited child tasting their first slice of sweet watermelon on a hot summer's day. His penetrations continued in her now swollen womanhood. Periodically, he would again remove his tongue as he traced the fresh wetness she gave his tongue all across her vestibule.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Shannon yelled. Shannon's toes curled, and the heels of her feet hit against his upper back and shoulder blades. The friction between her hips bucking against his face as his mouth continued to fuck her was intense. Tyler gave her ass another tight squeeze and hard smack before she started to come.

Tyler's tongue continued to plow her insides for a few more minutes as she came, and even played with her asshole with one of his fingers as Shannon's flow carried on. Tyler then started walking towards her bed. With his hands firmly on her waist, he propelled her even higher above his head like The Undertaker about to deliver The Last Ride to an opponent. He dropped her down and willingly sucked her dry, laughing against her core, which tickled her and once again made Shannon come a little more.

As he looked on at his woman, watching her heavy panting and trembling subside, Shannon could not yet speak. But her eyes told him that she was thankful and very appreciative. Tyler returned her stare, giving her a reassuring look of satisfaction and accomplishment.

"That was the softest, yet most intense bump I have _ever_ taken," Shannon spoke finally.

"Now that you're settled," Tyler began with a grin. "I can head off to rehab."

Shannon pouted. "PT on a Saturday? Look at me! A woman has needs Tyler." She loved him going down on her. But now that the appetizer was over, she wanted the main course.

"Yes on a Saturday when the facility's opened, and they have a motivated patient," he replied. "And trust me, when I'm back, those needs will be met. Likely, several times in a row. I was kind enough to give you something to think about in my absence."

With that Tyler gave her a long, deep kiss, not at all affected by them exchanging the taste of her lower half. He gave her one last peck before leaving her place. She blushed against her pillows as she heard the door close.

* * *

 **July 19th, 2017**

 **NXT TV**

"She's got her in the 'Dis-Arm-Her!' " Shouted NXT commentator Corey Graves. "Bayley's gonna' tap!"

After Becky Lynch's disruption of Shannon's match and the subsequent annihilation of her last week, literally tossing Shannon at Bayley, General Manager William Regal decided to book the two women in a grudge match.

"Thankfully she reaches the ropes, and Becky should be breaking the hold momentarily," fellow NXT Commentator Tom Phillips explained. "But wait a minute...what the hell? Where did Shannon Storm come from? She just kicked Bayley's free arm off the ropes!"

Shannon didn't walk down the entrance ramp. That would've been too obvious, and the crowd would've popped right away. She came through the audience, and hopped over a barricade. She wasn't dressed in her gear to compete. She was wearing a pair of dolphin grey track pants, her royal blue Under Armour "Speedform Gemini" running shoes, and her brand new tee shirt which had the alter ego Superman crest in royal blue on the front, and the text, "Diamond Diva" in cursive, written on the back. The shirt itself was jet black, and the text on the backside was in silver. Immediately after the airing of this episode, it would be available for purchase on WWEShop dot com.

"But the ref didn't see it Tom!" shouted Graves. "He was focused on watching Bayley crawl toward the ropes from the inside of the ring, that he wasn't aware what just happened on the outside of it...And now the momentum from Shannon's kick gives Becky an assist to roll Bayley over. Now she's back at square one in the center of the ring...Bayley's tapping!"

After Eden announced the winner of the match, and Becky Lynch's hand was raised, she quickly exited the ring, making her way up the ramp. Once she passed, Shannon started walking backwards towards the entrance ramp, stopping in the center. She waited for Bayley to turn around. She wanted her to see who was directly responsible for yet another loss. Before Shannon caused distractions. This was the first time Shannon physically got involved in one of Bayley's matches.

Bayley clenched her arm, selling the impact of Becky's submission hold, before staring ahead and pointing at Shannon. The crowd booed, alerting Bayley that her hunch was correct. Despite she and Becky "not seeing" Shannon's blatant physical interference, the audience _did_. And they were letting their favorite know.

Bayley beckoned for a microphone, and one was given to her. "I'm tired of this, and I'm tired of you, Shannon Storm!" Bayley yelled. "You want to keep getting involved in my matches? Why not just have one of our own then? You and me, right here next week, in this ring!"

The crowd roared. That's what Paul both expected and wanted.

"Gladly," Shannon mouthed as their segment ended, and a brief cut away to the main event on this episode aired. It was the "The Demon," Finn Bálor versus "The King of Strong Style," Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Championship. Nakamura defeated Finn and captured the title later that evening.

* * *

 **July 22nd, 2017**

Shannon sent out a tweet to someone special.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Happy birthday Showstopper **AtShawnMichaels**! I may be in the minority here, but I find it more than a coincidence-yet still adorable-that you and **AtTripleH** 's birthdays are both in July, five days a part, and you're both Leos. Part of me wonders if your parents were best friends in a past life, and mapped out your conception. Anyway, I hope you have a blast HBK! :+)"

* * *

 **July 24th, 2017**

It was another Tuesday, which meant that on the USA Network, another episode of Tough Enough aired today. A few eliminations occurred over the past month as there were now eight contestants left. The remaining contestants were lined up in the center of the ring, awaiting for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to greet them, along with the judges.

"Alright skidmarks, we're all here," said Austin with a grin. "How are you ladies and gents doing?"

There were a few mumbles which varied from "Okay, to Fine, to Sore."

"I saw your Endurance Challenge earlier in the day, where Shannon woke your asses up from the barracks bright and early at 3:00 AM for a three mile run with ankle and wrist weights," he said.

"Now I'll tell you, we had no damn idea it was going to be raining cats and dogs when she did that. I will admit though, it made for great television! You may hate her for it. You may feel like dog shit right now. But I'm sure in another life, for those of you who actually _finished_ the run," Austin paused and glared at some contestants who didn't. "Will look at it as a crowning achievement. To my understanding, while she knows she has to, Shannon doesn't particularly _like_ to run. So take solace in the fact that she actually ran _with_ you, instead of just barking out orders like I likely would have done."

Chris Jericho, The Big Show, and Shannon walked away from Austin and each got in one of the empty rings. There were seven total in the Performance Center. The contestants were contained in one, and each judge traveled to one of their own.

"As you can see, tonight the judges are not dressed for prime time, but dressed to _work_ ," Austin replied referring to Chris, Shannon, and Big Show who were all in athletic apparel, not street clothes. Shannon was wearing Paul's black "King of Kings" mesh shorts from 2006 to the knee, and Stephanie McMahon's white tee shirt from 2001. On the front were her SMH initials in black. On the back the text, which was also in black read, "Brains, Beauty, and _sometimes_ Bitch!"

"You've been coached on bumps from Billy Gunn, Sara Del Ray, and A-Train for several weeks now," Austin continued. "You've been taking them every day to experience what they feel like, but now it's time to _apply_ them."

The contestants folded their arms and looked on at Austin. After an impromptu run in the rain, in addition to their strength training, conditioning training, and in-ring training, they didn't want to say anything to get themselves chewed out.

"For those of you not bright enough to catch 'Stone Cold's' segway, that means we're about to engage in your Skills Test this week," Austin clarified rubbing his goatee as he began to pace. "Those earlier bumps were to get you acclimated to the feeling. Today you will be taking them to learn about their relevance in the context of a match. You will be actually engaging in various move sequences."

The contestants whistled in apparent excitement, as all of the other things they experienced thus far, they found rather boring, despite it being for their own good. But Austin stopped pacing and turned sharply at them with a glare for the interruption.

"Was 'Stone Cold' done yet?" he asked them.

"What?" the contestants responded.

"I said was 'Stone Cold' finished?" he repeated the question. This time, he practically screamed it.

They repeated the "What?"

"No the hell he wasn't! So ahem," he cleared his throat. "As I was saying, you will be engaging in various move sequences. But _not_ with each other. Been there, done that. How can you really learn from one another if you're _all_ terrible? So, nut-uh! You see in this business, we get our asses kicked for a living. But it's not by the same person all the time. In this business, you learn to trust and respect your body, as well as the other person giving you their body as you create art in the squared circle. So why would you continue to spar with each other for 12, 13 weeks? I'm splitting you up among the judges, and you'll be working with them. The three people who the judges and I view the worst in this Skills Test will be up for elimination tonight. I'm dying to see whose asses the fans save on the app!"

* * *

Chris Jericho was working with a group of contestants and executing a maneuver known as the Atomic Drop. This maneuver occurs typically when a person is on the rebound from running the ropes. The opponent catches them mid stride and carefully drops them crotch first on their knees. The illusion is that the opponent has temporarily impaired their genital region with their knee. But they're usually just carefully dropped front ways across the quadricep muscle of the leg. The opponent delivering it even assists with a lunge forward for proper placement. This move can be executed from a standing position without movement beforehand as well. Usually though, Shawn Michaels especially, executed it in motion before then ascending to the top rope to deliver an elbow drop.

"No," Chris said shaking his head after attempting an Atomic Drop. "That's not right. Just fall back flat. You're not taking the bump correctly."

"I'm scared," said the female Caucasian contestant with scarlet red hair named Eva Marie. "I don't want to hit my head."

"What's _scary_ ," Chris began with a sigh. "Is if you continue to take the bump on your ass and not your back, you're going to end up breaking your tailbone. Let's do it again, from the top…"

* * *

"Good, good, nice snap back," said Big Show to a contestant named Greg, who did a good job selling his "Weapon of Mass Destruction" finish, which was just a punch.

Big Show started using it about a decade ago during his Wrestlemania 24 match against boxing legend Floyd "Money" Mayweather. Floyd was a huge pro-wrestling fan. He modeled himself as a boxer that promoted _himself_ just as much-if not more-than the matches themselves. He loved and embraced Paul's villainous portrayal as "Triple H" completely. In 2008 leading up to that feud, Paul in fact, was the one who trained Floyd in preparation of that match with Big Show. In return, he gave both Paul and Big Show tips and pointers in boxing. They all became friends during the booking, and both Big Show and Paul to this day, still encompass a little of boxing in their training regimens.

"You're next Josh," Big Show said to the man who had issues with Shannon being on the show weeks ago.

Big Show wrenched back before bringing his arm forward, but Josh was delayed in the delivery and smiled.

"No," said Big Show. "I have a long reach, obviously," Big Show added and other contestants in his group laughed. "Sure, give yourself adequate distance, but don't just freaking duck! I need to make contact-not a ton-but _enough_. Otherwise, what the fuck are you selling? I'm just flailing my fist to no apparent target! Squat, chin down, and thrust your hips forward as you take your bump. You keep it up with the stupid ass grins and poor selling, I will tag you _for_ _real_! Don't waste your opportunity being here. Do not take this experience lightly or for granted."

* * *

Shannon was working with her group on Side Headlock Take overs into Headscissor nip ups.

"Now usually when someone takes me across with a side headlock, they wait for me to take the bump before coming over," Shannon spoke calmly on the ring canvas, veiling her frustration.

"Right," said Ricky, an African-American contestant with brown eyes, whose hair was in black cornrows. He was roughly 6'2, 235 pounds, and was lying on the ring canvas with his arms around Shannon's head.

"They usually don't drop me on my neck," Shannon said, once again, calmly.

"Right," Ricky repeated, but still didn't get the point Shannon was making.

"So you can begin to understand my irritation when you've done it to me for the seventh time!" Shannon yelled. "Get the hell out of my ring, and practice on the floor mats outside! I swear, if you stay here and drop me on neck one more fucking time, I'll make _you_ a vegetable before I become one! Quit pissing me the fuck off."

* * *

 **July 25th, 2017**

 **NXT TV**

"I know William Regal is the General Manager here Corey, but I've gotta' say, if Bayley wants to book herself versus Shannon Storm, I have no problem with it!" NXT commentator Tom Phillips said with excitement as he watched the two women standing shoulder width a part, exchange forearms right and left, blow for blow.

"I won't argue with that one Tom," Corey Graves said, agreeing with his broadcast partner. "Hell the GM wrestled, the wrestlers book, it's all good to me! Oh, Shannon's got Bayley on her shoulders! Weather The...no...Bayley pushes off, and nails a sick German suplex on Shannon. She folded her up like an accordion. It looked like Shannon landed _right_ on her head!"

"Bayley quickly crawls to the side of the ring Shannon landed on for the cover," said Phillips. "1...what?"

The bell rung.

"Ladies and gentleman, we have reached the fifteen minute time limit for this match," Eden Stiles announced to the crowd, to which they booed. "Therefore this contest will end in a _draw_!"

Chants of "Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!" went on for a couple of minutes.

Shannon still selling her neck, rubbed it with one hand, and rolled out of the ring, requesting the microphone. Eden gave it to her. Shannon walked up the ramp holding her neck with her left hand and the microphone in the right.

"You people want five more minutes?" Shannon asked the Full Sail audience.

Like sheep they yelled an emphatic "Yes!"

"Well tough shit because you're not going to get it!" She yelled back at them. "Screw you people. Screw Regal. Screw Triple H. You're not on your time, you're on mine! You think I'm _that_ stupid, that much of an idiot to give you five more minutes of _my_ _body_ , _my_ _energy_ , _my_ _sweat_ when Bayley never even agreed to put the title on the line in the first place? No way. I'm out of here!"

Shannon dropped the microphone on the NXT arena stage and left. The episode ended with loud boos, and Bayley staring ahead at the titan tron, gesturing her hands forward for Shannon to come back and finish their battle.

* * *

 _ **Author's** **Notes for September 2nd, 2016** :_

 _Firstly, I'd like to wish the American readers a very safe and happy Labor Day weekend._

 _I told you **Cinnamon Muffin Punk** , it was coming. You should know exactly what I'm talking about. :)_

 _On a sad note, like many of the marks out there, I'd like to send well wishes to the family of WWE Hall of Famer Harry Fujiwara, known to many fans as "Mr. Fuji." He died last week on August 28th, 2016. He was such a great worker in the ring, hilarious guy on camera as a manager, and from accounts of others I've read in the industry, he was just as entertaining behind the scenes. Well, God won't be in need of salt anytime soon. Because Mr. Fuji has plenty. Say hi to Yoko and Owen for us. I can only imagine the ribs you three will pull. :) #WrestlingHeaven_

 _And freaking shout out to "The Game!" The finish this week to the Raw main event was great in my opinion. Just pedigree freaking everyone! Congrats are in order for Kevin. I called it in 2012 when you were still in ROH...so did the Young Bucks! Glad we were all right. #ChampionOfTheUniverse :)_


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven: Building Momentum

**Friday, July 27th, 2017**

Today was a special day, so Shannon sent out a special text.

 **Me** : HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRIPS!

 **Trips** : Thank you. You do know though, that you could've tweeted that to me, just like you did Shawn a few days ago, and I would have been just as appreciative, right?

 **Me** : But I don't have Shawn's number. I have yours! :)

 **Trips** : Yeah, and he, just like Kev, and Kid, I'm sure will be jealous when I tell them you _texted_ me, but tweeted them on their birthday.

 **Me** : Well you don't have to tell them. ;)

 **Trips** : This is true. Anyways, I'm going to get a workout in, but thanks again for the birthday wishes. -HHH

* * *

 **Same day, but later in the morning**

Tyler and Shannon traveled two hours and forty three minutes Southwest from Orlando to Venice, Florida. Florida, like many other tropical climate locations, was truly a "take your pick" sort of place when it came to finding beautiful spots to hang out. They again, just like that time in February at Daytona Beach, wanted to get away from the Orlando scene for a bit. They decided to come to Venice for a brunch date to celebrate Tyler's rehab being right on schedule. He'd start training in the ring again next week for a Summerslam return. They were dining at Café Venice, a restaurant and wine bar. Like Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Venice was an island off the Florida Coast, and this restaurant was in its historic downtown district.

Café Venice was a small, intimate, bistro-style restaurant featuring an exquisite menu of American Cuisine, paired with a fine wine and a full bar selection. Shannon and Tyler loved that it was small, but sophisticated; inviting, yet elegantly personable. To them, it was a perfect choice to have a casual meal or drink with people close. But still unique enough to have a special moment like celebrating an anniversary, or a having a wedding proposal.

"Welcome to Café Venice, voted Venice's 'Best Café six years in a row and counting!' " said their waitress. "My name is Rachel. I'll be serving you two today." She was a friendly looking charcoal-haired woman with brown eyes. Her hair was in a nice pixie cut. "Here are your menus. The alcoholic beverages are on the last two pages if you're interested. I will be back in a few minutes."

"So Summerslam weekend sounds like it's going to be fun," Tyler said with a smile as he rubbed one of Shannon's hands on the white linen tablecloth with his thumb.

"Yep," Shannon agreed with a nod. "Takeover should be good. You and Rollins are returning at Summerslam. It's New York. Well Brooklyn, but still. I'm excited to come back up the tri-state area. It's been a while."

"Part of me thinks you're just a tad bit more excited for the fashion show Sarita's putting together," Tyler replied with a smirk.

"You're in it too dork!" Shannon said after a chuckle.

"I know," he replied. "Just wanted to see you smile again."

Rachel returned, and they placed their orders. They talked for a few more minutes until Rachel delivered their appetizers and beverages. Shannon ordered an Italian roasted Espresso coffee. It was just a quarter til noon, but Tyler had a Florida Cosmo, which consisted of Old St. Pete Vodka, Tipplers Orange Liqueur, cranberry, and a splash of lime.

"What is _that_?" Shannon asked with a look of disgust.

"Eggs Benedict Mark," Tyler said, repeating Shannon's facial expression, not out of disgust, but out of confusion. "It's pretty common. Haven't you heard of it?"

"I mean yeah Rockstar, I've heard of it," Shannon said nodding, still contorting her mouth. "But I haven't seen it in the flesh like this. Only when I occasionally skim through programs on the Food Network. And isn't it supposed to be on an English muffin?"

"Well this is a house special, and they've put their own spin on it," Tyler explained. "They're using flatbread instead of an English muffin. And rather than topping the egg with a rich, buttery, Hollandaise sauce, they've doused it with an avocado puree. Want a bite?"

"Absolutely not," Shannon said quickly as Tyler began to dig in. "If not scrambled, I prefer mine to be large, white, and hard."

"You get that from me whenever I can," Tyler said flirtatiously with a wink, taking advantage of Shannon failing to add "boiled" to the word "hard" when describing her egg preferences.

"And I'd gladly take _that_ over watching you devour what looks like runny vomit over Canadian Bacon," Shannon said before picking up one of her Eggplant Frites and eating it. These were sliced eggplant fries topped with white truffle oil and Parmesan Cheese.

"Don't hate," Tyler remarked holding a fork full of his dish up and the runny egg was just oozing from it like a faucet. "And don't judge a book by its cover. It may look..." He paused trying to find the precise words. "Unnaturally, aesthetically appetizing, but it's good!"

Before she could get another word out, Rachel returned with their meals.

Shannon ordered a slice of "Quiche of the day." Today's quiche contained fresh spinach, diced prosciutto, red onions, and candied walnuts, with grated Goat Cheese across the top. She requested that Rachel hold the prosciutto, and replace it with mushrooms. In addition to her quiche, she ordered a grilled chicken BLT sandwich. The sandwich traditionally had grilled chicken, bacon, Swiss Cheese, and sweet chilli mayo. Shannon asked Rachel to swap the Swiss for Cheddar Cheese. She also swapped the Ciabotta roll that the sandwich came with for a whole wheat croissant.

Tyler's entree was a roasted New Zealand rack of lamb. This lamb was marinated in a dijon, rosemary, and truffle demi-glaze. The dish was served with asparagus and mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette.

After finishing the previous drinks, they collectively ordered unsweetened iced teas. But they were different in their citrus choices. He wanted a slice of lime inserted in his glass. Shannon wanted a lemon.

After about fifteen minutes, they finished their meal and made their way to dessert. Tyler didn't want anything heavy. He ended up just getting a beverage, an iced Mocha Latte. Shannon had a slice of Florida Key Lime Pie. The pie was homemade with lemon juice and served with non-fat whipped cream on a graham cracker crust. He was taking his time sipping his iced latte as he didn't want to rush Shannon on her dessert. Two minutes in to her taking a bite, they were interrupted.

"Damn Shannon! I know it's a small slice, but you're _really_ digging into that pie," said a voice.

"We came to this place for its relaxed type of environment and intimate space," Tyler replied with a bit of annoyance on his face as the person came near. "I know they offer indoor and outdoor dining, but we didn't go outside for seating in the terrace in order to have more privacy _here_."

"Maybe he's mistaken me for someone and will go away," said Shannon who leaned further into the table, speaking lower to Tyler in case the person was nearing them.

The man behind the voice continued to walk, stopping at their table.

"Is today your cheat day Shannon Storm?" The man asked looking toward Shannon.

Cheat day. So he hadn't mistaken her for someone and had to know who she was, even if not personally. He also called her by gimmick last name instead of her real one. Rather than cause a scene and have him escorted out of the building, she decided to answer his question at least.

"I don't look at it like that anymore," Shannon replied turning to him, but remaining in her seat. "I used to view it as cheating, but my philosophy changed. Far too many people have a negative relationship with food, and that's why most of them end up losing their commitment to their diets. If I'm eating clean 85% of the time, and the last 15% I mix it up, why should I feel guilty? It's not a cheat day. I call them _treat_ days because I've earned it."

Tyler smiled at Shannon's explanation. It made a lot of sense, and her play on the words made it especially cute to him.

"Oh, I was just messing around," the man responded with a grin. "It's only one slice. It's not like you had an _entire_ pie at the table. But that's cool though how you look at it. It's inspiring." He glanced over and noticed who was at the table with her. "Oh hey, what's up man?" He didn't think anything of it with Shannon being at the table with Tyler. Talent traveled together all the time. It didn't necessarily mean that because they were having a meal, they were an item.

Tyler slurped his latte through the straw extra hard as he bucked his head upward acknowledging the man's greeting. He placed his latte back on the table and rubbed his palms on his shorts, wiping the condensation from the cold glass sweating against his hands. He wasn't jealous, but was pretending to be. And Shannon found it adorable. Moments later, he slowly reached his arms across Shannon's lap under the table and caressed her thighs.

"What's your name?" Shannon asked him.

"Kyle," he said with a grin. "Kyle Henderson. I'm a big fan of yours. I like what you're doing in NXT. You mind if I get a picture? You're my girl."

Tyler cleared his throat, but Shannon ignored him.

"Thank you," Shannon said smiling. "Look, I'll take a picture, fistbump you, 'too sweet' you, let you headlock me in the picture, sign whatever you want me to sign, but can you _not_ tag me in it?" She added, knowing full well she did not create a social media account of any kind until required by the WWE. And even now, she had the Twitter, but refused to create an Instagram, Periscope, Facebook, SnapChat, Vine, and the countless others that existed.

"Hahaha, but why?" asked Kyle. "Kayfabe's dead! You wrestle. You know it best."

Tyler's hands, which were once caressing Shannon's thighs under the table, now gave them a gentle squeeze, before slowly going underneath her dress and tracing the line of her panties. Shannon turned her head sharply and gave him a look of "What the fuck are you doing?" He returned her look, with a darker, devilish, one as though to say, "It's not my fault you decided to wear a dress today."

She looked back at Kyle to justify her request.

"Kayfabe as a whole has been dead for decades, yes. But you still have to preserve some of the mystique, otherwise the entire wrestling industry would tank," Shannon explicated, which became difficult in itself with Tyler _literally_ playing with her under the table. "I respect the integrity of the business. I think you have to be of legendary status to openly break kayfabe-especially if you're a heel-so carelessly, whenever the hell you feel like it."

"But wh…" Shannon interrupted Kyle.

"Let me finish please," Shannon asked nicely. "It's like this: If _you_ don't care, why would the _fans_? I'm not Piper, Savage, DiBiase, Superstar, Flair, Orndoff, Michaels, Austin, Rocky, Jericho, Triple H, and the countless others on that elite status. They've _earned_ that right. Until I've established myself as a strong, believable, and credible heel, I don't care if someone has a poster 10 feet high, or gets my initials tattooed on their arm. I won't break character to the public or on TV. Once the cameras go off, and folks are still in the arena for a dark match, or if we're doing a live event, then it's a different story. You can totally fuck with me if security lets you by. Shit, if you can come up with a totally creative, non-PG sign, and I spot you, I may greet _you_ after the match."

Tyler was getting turned on by Shannon speaking so passionately to this fan about her commitment and desire to preserve whatever she could during her time in the wrestling world until she became a legend in her own right. He pushed the material of her underwear to one side and began to slowly finger her. She had to bite her lip to fight off the moans.

"Funny thing about security letting fans by," Kyle began as he rubbed the side of his jaw.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Shannon questioned after exhaling in her mouth, so her moan wasn't audible.

"That's what I do," Kyle confirmed. "I work security. My company doesn't always get booked at WWE shows though. TNA remains in Orlando for the most part, and rarely tour outside the town anymore. Here and there, we'll work some NXT shows, and some ROH ones. That's in addition to what's left of the Florida indie wrestling scene, since both TNA and NXT operate in the state. Haven't yet been lucky to catch a shift with the WWE main roster. Sometimes after the show ends, the staff will let us take a few bumps in the ring. Well not really 'us,' just me. Corey Graves is from Pennsylvania. I met him once when you guys were in St. Petersburg a few hours before the show, grabbing a bite to eat. He's a cool dude. We got to talking about Philly and ECW, and I really impressed him with my knowledge of the promotion. So whenever I'm on duty for a show, he'll hook me up with a few minutes in the ring when the live event ends and the crowd clears. I'm thinking about joining a training facility though. I really want to give it a shot. I know the Dudleys have a school in Kissimmee, like a half hour from where you guys train in Orlando. Jay Lethal has one in Tampa. Someone ought to take me and my money!"

Shannon hadn't really given Kyle a good look when he first came to the table. She was too engulfed in their conversation. But now that he mentioned his aspirations to one day do battle between the ropes, she gave him a quick scan up and down. The Caucasian blue-eyed brunette, whose haircut looked like Harry Connick Jr's, certainly had some size on him. He appeared to be about 6'4, 240.

"Is that so?" Shannon asked smiling at him. She reached under the table to swat Tyler's hand away so she could stand up. It was only a matter of time before her squirming and manuevering around her seat could be so covert. Tyler was being naughty, taking advantage of a situation, and he knew it. He laughed under his breath, and licked his fingers clean. "Well I guess I ought to take a photo with a potential superstar in the making!"

"That's the dream," Kyle replied wrapping his right arm around Shannon's waist, reaching in the left pocket of his pants for his smartphone to angle it up and snap a picture. "That's quite the dedication you have. But no worries, I won't tag you. You're still my girl though."

After Kyle took the picture, Shannon gave him a quick hug before he departed. Shannon sat back down in her seat and stared daringly at Tyler. Then she grabbed the lemon slice from her glass of iced tea, and sucked the bitter juice from it before dropping it back in the glass. He reciprocated her look, whipping out his tongue, and licking his lips top to bottom as they continued to give each other their "Fuck Me" eyes. Kyle didn't pose a threat. But right now, Tyler was hot. So was Shannon. He wanted to mark his territory.

"You're his girl, huh?" Tyler asked. "Where do I fit in the puzzle?"

"I'm his _girl_ ," Shannon began and reached for his hand under the table. She placed it back under her dress, alerting him that her mind was exactly where his was. "But I'm your _woman_."

"Check please!" They both shouted simultaneously, and Rachel made her way over to complete their transactions.

Tyler noticed many of the customers were exiting the venue and moving outside to the terrace seating area. They stared at each other once more with lustful eyes. She looked away from him, focusing her gaze on the owner at the counter, before returning her eyes to him. Tyler reciprocated his gaze to the owner and back to her. Tyler looked at Shannon with a mischievous grin before leaving the table to approach the owner. He had an opening.

"Your women's restroom is out of service until further notice," Tyler remarked slipping a $100 bill in the owner's hand before closing his fist for him. " _Major_ utility issue."

"But nothing's wrong with it," said the owner who was soon interrupted by Shannon.

"There is now," Shannon said as she walked to the counter, slipping another $100 dollar bill to the owner in the same fashion as Tyler when he reopened his hand. Tyler gently smacked her ass as a token of thanks for her assist. "Might want to call a plumber to handle that clog."

She and Tyler headed towards the restroom.

"Yes ma'am," the owner said, whose frown instantly disappeared, and he reached under the countertop for a permanent marker, tape, and a piece of paper to write a sign about the "malfunction." "I'll get right on that as soon as possible."

"Thank you for putting the customer first," were Tyler's last words before he closed the door.

* * *

Not even two seconds passed from the door being closed that Shannon and Tyler started making out heavily. When he lead her to the women's room, he did so just because he was a guy. He figured the women's room would be more clean and neat than the men's room. But when they got there, to his surprise, it was even better than that. It wasn't just clean and neat. It didn't just open up to a bunch of boring stalls. There was a vanity area before you even made it around the corner to the toilets in the stalls. It had mirrors, a few cushioned chairs, and a round table with a some magazines on it. The walnut vanity table itself had a double sink, wooden cabinets, and a tiger-skinned, white granite countertop with a matching back splash. Apparently Café Venice's commitment to provide intimacy and comfort didn't just stop with the restaurant itself.

Shannon gripped Tyler's neck tightly, practically begging his body to be pressed against hers, so their lip lock would match the intensity of their feelings. Tyler tugged on Shannon's bottom lip before licking it, desiring entry inside her mouth. Shannon acquiesced, and his tongue didn't wait a moment later to happily greet hers. He could feel her reach for and unfasten his brown, leather belt. Tyler slid his hand under Shannon's cocktail dress and squeezed her round, tight, bountiful bottom, before sliding her panties down. It didn't take a lot of effort, since he got started when she was talking to Kyle.

"Graaaah," Tyler let out a groan in Shannon's mouth after feeling Shannon pull his navy blue fitted shorts by John Varvatos. They had a very dressy look with their narrow pockets, but the linen fabric made them feel casually comfortable. She pulled these and his boxers down simultaneously, freeing him of his member. Shannon rubbed it aggressively before guiding him backwards toward one of the walls.

Their mouths separated finally, to relieve each other of air. But not a moment further went by before Tyler shifted Shannon's momentum.

" _I_ started this," Tyler said huskily as he span Shannon around and slammed her back hard against one of the walls.

"Yes, you did," she replied after a moan from him biting her neck and then shoulder. "So _finish_ it."

He lifted her up, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he placed her on the vanity.

"Oh shit," said Shannon as Tyler raised her dress, inserted his manhood inside her, and started pounding away. She reached her arm down to remove the band from his hair, running her fingers through it.

Tyler planted his face in her cleavage, pleased that her white Sachi mini dress by Indah didn't completely cover her twins. Shannon may have loved it because it was an edgier upgrade to the "little black dress." But right now, Tyler loved the fact that the bust line had an adjustable tie closure. With one arm firmly planted on the vanity for their security, he used the other to reach up for the drawstring, pulling her double D breasts out. He slowed down his speed. Not completely, just a little, to grab one of her brown, succulent, melons and sucked on it. He circled his tongue around her hard nipple before nibbling it. He paid the same treatment to the other breast.

"Mmmm," Shannon once again moaned from the meticulous attention Tyler gave her breasts. She quickly gasped as his speed picked back up once more. She tried to thwart her hips into him to meet his strokes. But before Shannon could form the synchronized union, she found her thighs being pulled down slightly by Tyler for a modified angle. He grabbed her hands, raised them above her head, and firmly placed them against the mirrors while he hammered her harder.

He smiled for a second as he looked at the reflection in the mirror. Shannon's eye liner was sliding down her face as they steamed up the place.

"Oh Shannon," Tyler spoke in between his own panting. "God I love how your pussy has such a vice grip on my cock. Fuck yeah! Take all of me, baby."

"Umph...and you certainly know how to work it...Aaah! Don't stop!" Shannon begged the deeper Tyler went. "Let me have it...fuck...I'm about to…about to..." Shannon's panting grew more and more rapid before she finally came.

Tyler wasn't quite ready yet. He reached his hand up her dress again to grab her ass. While there, he fingered her anus with his thumb before adding two fingers seconds later. It was a little moist as her juices ran down, and he felt her come a second time as he continued to thrust inside her. The heels from her lime green sandals were striking his shoulders as her feet were raised several minutes ago when he altered her position. After another ten minutes he removed himself from her. Shannon was lost. He made her come-multiple times-but _he_ _hadn't_ yet. She got her answer soon enough.

Tyler lifted her up once again, and carried her to one of the cushioned chairs. He flipped her over on her stomach, kissed her on her backside, and slowly entered it. This wasn't their first time having anal sex. But this current session was a spur of the moment thing, and he didn't have any lubrication handy. So after every few seconds, he'd pull out and rub his wand with his pre-cum to match the moistness already at her rear. When he felt comfortable that she was alright physically, and he could slide in better, the plowing commenced.

"Fuck me Ty!" Shannon growled. "Fuck me good!"

"It shouldn't be long babe," Tyler replied after smacking her ass with his hand as hard as his balls were. "Shannon, I'm, I'm...close. So...fucking...close!"

Tyler pulled Shannon's left leg behind her and propped it against his left shoulder. Her calf ended up wrapped around his neck somehow, forming an L shape. He elevated his own right leg and firmly planted his black canvas Vans shoes on the right side of the chair's armrest. His thrusts became more aggressive, and he reached his left hand back to Shannon's front, massaging her clit. She cried out, and Tyler could feel the blood flow from his testicles moving upward for his pending release.

"Ahhh…God...dammit!" Tyler screamed. He pulled himself out of Shannon and leaned forward, resting his chin against the back of her neck as his hot seed emerged. He frantically spread it all across Shannon's bottom, slapping her ass with the head of his rod as his long flow continued on, traveling down the back of her legs.

Tyler kissed the scar on her back before trailing more kisses up towards her shoulder blades while he made his recovery. Tyler rose, pulled up his boxers, and adjusted his shorts. He then walked toward one of the sinks, and wet a bundle of paper towels to clean Shannon's backside. He handed her one of her own to clear up her smudged makeup. Once he did, she stood up to readjust her dress. She placed her breasts back inside, and pulled the dress itself down to cover her other intimate areas.

"Yep. I'd say your knee's just fine," Shannon said after walking up to Tyler and attempting to get the wrinkles out of his mountain-stream blue and black gingham, collared shirt from J. Crew.

He cupped her face, leaned down and kissed her through a grin. "I'm definitely ready to go."

* * *

 **August 2nd, 2017**

 **NXT TV**

"Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you as we do each and every week for tuning into this broadcast," said NXT Commentator Tom Phillips who appeared on the webisode before the introductory video package of the show. His tone was very serious.

"NXT will air in its entirety on the WWE Network," said fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves, who was seated at the broadcast booth next to his partner to a silent crowd. "However we'd like to inform you about an incident that will affect tonight's episode. A few days days ago on July 28th, Bayley was set to film a commercial promoting her appearance this coming weekend at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. And well, it did not exactly go to plan. Take a look at this exclusive footage."

The clip aired.

"Alright Bayley, in 3...2...1, action!" said Jeff Dunham, the director of the commercial Bayley was shooting.

"Hi. It's Bayley!" Bayley shouted, dressed in mustard yellow shorts and a violent purple cap sleeve blouse, as she began walking outside a set in Delaney Park. This was the same park Shannon watched Tyler do his Parkour workouts. There were some children planted on one of the benches, and others were occupying a playground to make for a natural environment. The kids, whose ages ranged between six and nine, were child actors. There was also a podium with a microphone and amplifier set up alongside it, in addition to the airdancer that accompanied Bayley during ring entrances.

"Normally, you can catch me each and every week with this guy," Bayley said as she pointed to the airdancer, which was the official name for an inflatable moving advertising product. Other names the airdancer was referred to included, "Skydancer" or as most popular in the Family Guy series on Fox, "The Wacky and Waving Inflatable Tube Man."

"But this Sunday," Bayley continued as she stopped in front of the podium. "You'll catch me on the stage because I'll be hosting…"

Shannon, who was wearing a red skort, black laced blouse, and nuede boat shoes, ran through the park, a few feet away from the set. She came behind one of the dome-like structures that held public restrooms in the area. Shannon clobbered Bayley in the back of the head with a forearm, and the children screamed. The impact of the blow caused Bayley to lean forward, pushing the podium over and she collapsed on it.

"Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut!" Jeff announced to members of his crew. "Who is that? Where's security? Someone get the kids!" While members of the crew placed their cameras, lighting, and microphone equipment to the side, Shannon was stomping away at Bayley before lifting up the wooden podium and throwing it across Bayley's back. The children continued to scream.

But that was a trigger for Shannon.

Shannon knew one set of the planted children were playing on the playground, and it would be too dangerous to push one of them off the swings. Children in general though could be rather unpredictable. But the kids on the picnic bench at least were closer to the ground, which was covered entirely in grass. These group of children, as well as their parents, were informed beforehand that Shannon would interact with them, but would not hurt them. Their parents signed waivers acknowledging their understanding of the impending physicality.

There were two girls sitting on the left and right seat section of the burgundy park bench. When Shannon approached them, the girls hopped off and ran under the bench itself, crouching in fear. A boy who was at their table kept his feet on the seat portion of the bench, while his bottom was sitting on the table itself. He too, was frightened, but folded his little arms in defiance, as though he wanted to protect the girls. Shannon did not push him with great force. She gave him a gentle shove with one hand, and he fell back on the table portion of the bench. The girls underneath cried. He pouted as he rolled off the bench, rubbing his back before joining them.

That was the opening Bayley needed. As she saw from the corner of her eye Shannon not just put her hands on one of the kids, but the little boy who was wearing her "I'm a Hugger" shirt, she snapped. Bayley got up and charged toward Shannon. As the kids saw Bayley running in their direction, their squeals grew louder. They all ran from under the bench to join Jeff, who had gathered the other kids who were in the playground section to avoid being attacked.

Shannon's back was turned to Bayley, but she knew she was coming. They thought it would be too predictable to have Bayley spear her through the bench. People speared people through things all the time: the barricade, the titan tron, etc. So Shannon kept her back turned and Bayley dove on it, delivering a "Stinger Splash" on her, causing Shannon to hit the bench chest-first.

Shannon rolled over, made it to her knees, and tried swinging at Bayley. Bayley ducked and delivered her "Belly to Bayley" over head suplex, releasing Shannon. The picnic bench wasn't completely destroyed, but the impact caused a partial break.

"Gaah," Shannon grunted, now trying to crawl away, but Bayley wasn't done. She grabbed Shannon by the hair, and tossed her into the airdancer. Paul made sure to inform the directors to lower the motor speed of the electrical fan powering the airdancer since it was already hot outside. Having the motor overheated wasn't a good idea in the event someone botched this spot. No one wanted Shannon to end up getting burned by the engine of the airdancer that caused the inflatable figure to move.

The kids laughed as Shannon's head hit the airdancer's abdomen, causing his arms to form a funny shape. Feeding off of their reaction, Bayley grabbed Shannon and threw her into the figure again, and she took another flop. Bayley then whipped Shannon back first into one of the Oak trees that had the traditional slime contraption of Nickelodeon set up. The impact of Shannon bumping into the tree caused her to get slimed.

Shannon sold being blinded by the slime. Her body was completely covered in it. But the moment Bayley whipped her into the tree, she closed her eyes tightly so the slime wouldn't enter them. The children laughed once more as Shannon continued to swing aimlessly at hot air. Bayley watched on as Shannon mumbled obscenities, tottering around before tripping over a public trashcan and falling in it.

* * *

Now the actual commercial that would air both on the WWE Network as well as the Nickelodeon channel, was already recorded ahead of Shannon's attack. It was safely hidden on the WWE's digital storage cloud and would begin airing immediately following tonight's episode of NXT TV. The commercial would then be broadcasted on Nickelodeon tomorrow. Paul produced this segment to build more steam and momentum in Shannon and Bayley's program. He wanted Bayley to kick Shannon's ass and get the upper hand in the brawl to show that Bayley had a fighting spirit. No, Bayley wasn't evil. Nor was she transforming into a villain. _But_ she was willing to defend the honor of her fans, particularly the younger ones. She was also illustrating how very _human_ it was to be frustrated and viciously lose it-even if temporary-when you're pushed to the brink.

"As a result of the physicality taking place between both Bayley and Shannon Storm, General Manager William Regal has suspended both women this week for their unscrupulous behavior. _Neither_ of them will appear on tonight's show," explained Phillips.

" **The roar of the crowd!**

 **Stomp your feet to the ground!**

 **Give it all to me now!**

' **Cause it goes like, goes like…"**

This week's episode aired as promised.

 **New tweet** from user **AtItsBayleyWWE** :

"To my friends, family, and most importantly my fans in the #WWEUniverse and #NXTUniverse: I sincerely apologize for my actions this past week which have lead to me not appearing on tonight's **AtNXT** episode. No one should be a bully; they should all **AtBAStar**. But when you're taunted for so long, sometimes it's impulsive for you to react physically. I had a breaking point, but I'm only human. I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me because I still love you all very deeply. I'll see you Sunday night at 8PM on **AtNickTV** for the Kids' Choice Awards."

Bayley's tweet showed up in Shannon's newsfeed, not because she was tagged in it, but because she followed Bayley and the subsequent WWE accounts. When she read it, she decided to text her.

 **Me** : Dude, very nice tweet! You really played up the sympathy card, and made the "suspension" a big deal.

 **Pam** : Thanks. You know how the company uses social media not just to promote corporate partnerships, but also as a means to extend feuds. The tweet wasn't total character BS. People shouldn't be bullies, and I do love my fans.

 **Me** : Haha, the exception would be wrestlers. We kind of do need bullies to keep the product going. Nothing wrong with face on face action, but it'd be boring without heels.

 **Pam** : I hear you.

* * *

 **August 9th, 2017**

 **NXT TV**

"It is time this comes to an end. You won't end it until you get your hands back on her in another sanctioned match," Regal said to Bayley, who nodded. "You won't end it unless she puts her championship on the line," he added, now turning to Shannon.

"You're damn right," Shannon mumbled back to him since he was the only one in the ring holding a microphone. There was another one on the table, but she chose not to pick it up. There would be a time for that later.

"So it's come down to this," said Regal, who held up a clipboard with the opposite hand, not holding the microphone. "I've been in contact with both of you over the past week, as well as your lawyers. In my hand I have a contract waiting to be signed by the two of you. On August 19th, at NXT Takeover: Respect in front of 18,000 people at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, it will be 'The Diamond Diva' Shannon Storm, taking on the 'Ultimate Hugger,' Bayley for the NXT Women's Championship!"

The crowd roared.

"Now Bayley, your lawyer has read over the materials, notifying me that they have no problem, and nothing looks egregious. So you can go ahead and sign," Regal replied to Bayley, who reached for the pen on the table and the subsequent clipboard when Regal handed it to her. She was wearing a denim jumper with the straps intentionally pulled down to her sides so her tie-dye shirt stood out. On her feet were mocassin flats.

"Shannon, you-and I don't know why-chose to have your attorney _present,_ " said Regal before a sigh.

Shannon asked Paul if she could borrow David Otunga for this segment. He still hadn't married Jennifer Hudson yet, nor was he any better in the ring. But she could use him as her lawyer in this role.

"Yes I do," Shannon said emphatically as she arrogantly chewed gum. The audience started chanting, "Veda Scott, Veda Scott, Veda Scott," remembering when Shannon was in ROH last, Veda represented her. Shannon was cool with Veda in real life, but she had to get them refocused on her segment with David.

"Well she didn't get her JD from Harvard like _my_ attorney did," Shannon said, intelligently cutting them off. "Go ahead Mr. Otunga," she added, handing the clipboard over to David following Bayley signing it.

"Oh come on now," Regal whined. "This is the same contract Bayley's team has agreed to! What seems to be the problem? And why are you reaching for his pen? There's nothing wrong with the one we have provided."

"All due respect General Manager Regal, while other attorneys may slack off, I painstakingly read _every_ _single_ _word_ of the fine print," David affirmed as he pulled out his "Sawyer," full framed, multi-focus reading glasses from Foster Grant. After removing and opening them, he used them as a pointing device to Regal for emphasis. "My client has no idea if you made a slight modification without her knowledge. Let us have a moment."

He put on his glasses. They huddled, and he mindlessly pointed at various pages. "By the way," he continued as he temporarily looked up at Regal. "I'll have you know, I have impeccable taste in stationary products, including writing utensils. And my client has exquisite penmanship. People would pay to have a John Hancock like hers."

As Shannon pretended to focus, placing her hands on the hips of her black capris, they read over things. David returned the clipboard to the table, then Regal grabbed the iPad also on the table and he once again talked. "Since Bayley has signed, I'm just going to scan the page of her signature so we have this on record not just tangibly, but digitally as well."

With Regal's back turned on one side of the table, preparing to boot up the iPad to its proper app to begin the scan, Regal heard the hard surface of the clipboard touch the other side of the table. Regal thought Shannon was finished signing.

"Very well then," Regal remarked with a smile, as he flipped to Bayley's page first and positioned the iPad over it, completing her scan. "I'd like to take this time to remind you both, should _either_ of you get physical with one another from _any_ point forward _prior_ to Takeover, there _will_ be consequences. Bayley, you will be banned from making an appearance at the show, with the match canceled. And Shannon, you will be suspended for six months."

Shannon stared at both the clipboard and tablet. A second later she quickly grabbed the iPad and struck Bayley in the face, sending her backward, knocking her out of her seat. She then stomped on her in various places across the body. The stomps were fine, but didn't look as strong as they could have been because Shannon was stomping with sandals that matched in color with her crop top, rather than a shoe more suitable for a fight. But she got heat from the crowd anyway for merely attacking Bayley preemptively the first place. Shannon grabbed the tablet again, placing it at Bayley's throat, and choked her with it. Finally, she pulled Bayley by the straps of her jumper and guided her up before delivering a WTS.

"Bloody hell!" Regal shouted. "Are you out of your mind? You're suspended for six months!"

"I'm not suspended from a damn thing...because I never signed!" Shannon screamed back after reaching down to pick up the spare microphone from the ring canvas.

David smirked as he adjusted his bow tie.

The crowd erupted again, but this time in boos. Shannon, after all of this time, made her way to the clipboard, which just like the extra microphone, was also underneath the fallen table. She physically signed, then scanned her signature on the now smudged and cracked iPad.

"Nevermind Austin," Shannon responded with a smug look. "Storm 3:16 says, 'I just outsmarted your ass!' "

She dropped the mic, and spat out her Wrigley's Winterfresh gum. It landed on Bayley's abdomen.

Shannon definitely "heeled up" on that one. She hoped Paul and Steve were happy.

* * *

 **August 10th, 2017, Noon**

Shannon was on her way to the Performance Center to check on the Tough Enough contestants' progress a bit early before more footage was taped. Her smartphone buzzed as her fingertips hit the door of her apartment. It was a text message.

 **Trips** : Hey Shannon, do you have a second?

 **Me** : For you? Always. :) What's going on?

 **Trips** : Okay. I want to talk to you about your entrance for Takeover. Stay by your phone. Expect a call from me in the next 10-15 minutes when my meeting concludes. -HHH

* * *

 **Author's N** **otes for September 10th, 2016:** _I'd like to give a huge shout out to "The Game" and "The Rattlesnake" for the excellent segment in their 2001 feud that lead to their amazing 2/3 falls match at No Way Out. It was far too epic for me to not be inspired when writing this contract signing. Your chemistry was_ _ **fucking**_ _ **golden**_ _with one another. Not just physically gentlemen, but in your promo segments as well. :)_

Shout out to **Cinnamon Muffin Punk** and **spanky1988. awj.** I hope I delivered on some of the things we discussed to your liking.

Hey everyone: I've put a ton of effort in for the Takeover/Summerslam/Raw weekend chapter. It will likely be posted in multiple parts. I just wanted to give you a heads up so no one goes, "Hey, this looks incomplete" when I eventually post it. It's quite massive, and may not be up at the start of next weekend. It won't be because I'm forgetful, but because more polishing needs to be done. I try my absolute best to as 'The Rock' says, "just bring it," in "big match situations," or other particularly intense moments in the story. Whether or not I succeed in my efforts is subjective. But do know I go "all in" from my passion, to the content I provide. I hope it shows that I'm a fan first and foremost. I appreciate your support every step of the way.


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight: Game Time Pt 1

**_Author's_ Notes for November 30th 2016:**

 _Well, after a nearly three month hiatus, I'm back with an update! I apologize to anyone who wanted an update sooner, but as I mentioned earlier on my profile and at the end of the last chapter posted, I had some fun things planned that took a lot of time and effort, and rushing them would have took away the steam of their potential._

 _A lot has happened in the world since my last update, but the talk around most people's tables is the U.S. 45th President-Elect Donald J. Trump. If you remember way back in Chapter 10 of WTS, he was the victor of the election. I had no idea that I'd call it that soon, so whether you liked the real outcome of November 8th, 2016 or not, I hope the nation progresses rather than digresses. Everyone on both sides seems to be saying the right things as of late, ignoring what was spewed about each other throughout the campaign season. Words and actions, as we all know, are two entirely different things. To our friends on the other side of the pond in the UK, maybe we Americans didn't take Brexit seriously. To our friends north of the border in Canada, our apologies for bringing your immigration server down. But the worry many people have in the states is real._

Because the gap from today's update versus the last one is so significant, I felt it necessary to remind readers of a few things:

1\. This story is in an alternate universe and there may be talents who are in current WWE that may or may not be present here, or appear at a later date.

2\. This story is advanced in time in addition to being in an alternate universe, so some things that have occurred in current WWE such as the return of the brand split for example, or the first ever women's Hell in a Cell match has not happened here.

 _This is the first part of a trio of chapters centered on Summerslam/Takeover Weekend. I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

 **Monday, August 14th, 2017**

Members of both the main roster and NXT brand were in the tri-state area all week. This was the third year in a row where the WWE had once again sold out the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York for three straight nights. Saturday, August 19th, the Barclay Center would host NXT Takeover: Respect. Sunday, August 20th, was Summerslam, and of course the next night August 21st, was Monday Night Raw. Ticket bundles went on sale for fans wanting to book all three shows in June. They were sold out in minutes upon the announcement. A few hundred were available for individual shows following the Battleground Pay Per View in July. They all were completely sold out by this point.

For the past decade or so, the WWE marketed Summerslam as "the biggest party of the summer." And with the rise of NXT in popularity since 2014, Paul decided to take a chance in 2015, booking a NXT Pay Per View in the same venue as the superstars who were already on the main roster. The move was made before he was Chairman; and it proved dividends, having not only a tremendous turnout physically, but a great showing online with social media feedback. It proved to Paul in numbers what he always felt in his heart: that he too, could produce, book, and manage a brand that could _draw_ _just_ _as_ _good_ in a large venue as his father in law. Dare say as of late, _perhaps_ better. So for the past three years "the biggest party of the summer" stretched out like Wrestlemania, for an entire week, culminating in the weekend.

This morning some superstars of both brands were doing volunteer work for the Grand Central Food Program in New York, NY. The program was a mobile soup kitchen for the homeless in the area. Shannon was one of the NXT participants selected for this activity, along with Apollo Crews, Becky Lynch, and Sami Zayn from the main roster. Shannon asked Paul if there were any other heels joining the group because for purposes of kayfabe, she would feel awkward being the only one represented. The event was scheduled well in advance, and did have some heels taking part. Kevin Owens and Paige were the heels who joined them.

Following working at the mobile soup kitchen, the group each drove a truckload of non-perishable food items to the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, Inc in New York, NY in the afternoon. Unlike the Grand Central Food Program, this organization was both a soup kitchen and food pantry. The thirty four year old organization represented over 1,200 soup kitchens and pantries in the New York City area, in addition to the low-income working families who still relied on their services to make ends meet. So there definitely was a need to bring in as much food as possible. Kevin, Paige, Shannon, Sami, Apollo, and Becky each made four trips back and forth from various supermarkets to the NYCCAH. The staff appreciated the several tons on food delivered, especially the superstars' unexpected desire to also help organize the food to store in the plethora of cabinets and closets. It wouldn't give them much free time before their perspective shows later in the evening. But it didn't matter. They were doing good deeds.

Another group would be sent to the Hope City Empowerment Center in Brooklyn later in the week to help both feeding the homeless, and supply clothes to families in need. Others who weren't pitching in here were doing various "BA Star" rallies with the Boys and Girls Club of America. Academy Award winning actor Denzel Washington, who was a native New Yorker, was a spokesperson for the New York Chapter. Some of the talent met him there.

Tonight's Monday Night Raw emanated from the Izod Center in the Meadowlands of East Rutherford, New Jersey. Live events during the work week produced by both NXT and the main roster would take place from venues in New Jersey, Manhattan, Long Island, and New York, New York before culminating in Brooklyn for the remaining evenings in the work week.

* * *

 **Wednesday** , **August 16th, 2017, Afternoon**

AJ Styles was granting a wish in the Metro New York and Western New York region for a fourteen year old girl named Jasmine. This Make-A-Wish teen, who suffered from a heart condition, wanted to meet Styles and play a few matches with him on the WWE's 2K Sports videogame. Well it just so happened that during Summerslam week, fans could officially pre-order the forthcoming game to be released in the fall. Also during this week WWE Superstars received exclusive copies on the latest consoles before the game was even available for fans. With this in mind, Styles took Jasmine backstage and after meeting a few other talent scheduled for his house show, set up a Microsoft XBOX One in his dressing room, so they could play the game.

Before AJ brought Jasmine over, he texted Shannon and informed her of what Jasmine wanted to do per his granting wish. He also told Shannon that Jasmine was a heel mark, which put a smile on her face. Shannon texted Paul and asked even though she wasn't on the main roster and couldn't attend AJ's live event in the evening-as she would be involved in one of her own for NXT-if she could head to his venue beforehand to hangout with his wish-kid. He approved.

While Jasmine was a sweet young lady, and AJ was one of her boys-both as a fan and as a peer since they both wrestled-she also had an ulterior motive to join their gaming session:

" **From the 313 to the 410!**

 **Shannon Storm is a woman who's bold!**

 **She started from the bottom:**

 **grinding and shit.**

 **No apologies!**

 **Since day one she was down with 'The Kliq'!**

 **I might've gone country for ten years.**

 **But I can still spit strong.**

 **If you come at Kid Rock wrong,**

 **'Weather The Storm,' and you're gone!**

 **Hate is motivation.**

 **From East to West,**

 **and all across the nation!**

 **I'm sick so I'm coughing out this track.**

' **Cause it's a WWE Exclusive.**

 **On a beat or a Capella,**

 **You'll be taking in all my fluid rhyming juices!**

 **My flow just doesn't know**

 **how or when to end.**

 **If you don't tap out in her matches,**

 **She'll just get the win with a pin!**

 **Walks like a boss.**

 **Talks like a boss.**

 **Definitely not a bitch you wanna' cross.**

 **Between the ropes, or on the mic,**

 **Shannon can do anything.**

 **Don't believe what I'm saying?**

 **Hit the chorus and sing!**

 **They say I'm 'cocky,' and I say 'what?'**

 **It ain't braggin' motherfucker if ya' back it up!"**

"Wow, Trips told me Kid Rock did a remix to my theme as a favor to the company with no strings attached, and that they'd put it in on a DLC pack for WWE 2K18," Shannon began with a ridiculous smirk on a face which looked like a combination of elation and dumbfoundedness. "But JJ never let me have a listen. I was just told 'it was done.' This is nice!"

Shannon's ulterior motive was to get a head's up on what her alternate theme in the game sounded like that Jim Johnston produced with Kid Rock. She'd get her copy of WWE 2K18 in a few days before Takeover, but couldn't wait. AJ had his copy already, so wanted to check it out. AJ played as Shannon, and Jasmine played as Paige.

* * *

 **Still on Wednesday, August 16th, 2017**

Tyler had to do morning media promoting Summerslam for four hours, in various areas throughout the state. He teased a return in the process. There was a house show that evening in New Jersey, and although he was cleared to compete, Paul didn't put him on the card, thinking media appearances were teases enough. If he did, Paul knew someone posting a video of a house show was bound to happen, and that would spoil Tyler's Summerslam return. Social Media made leaks to some things inevitable. The goal was to minimize them and throw enough swerves at people to thwart them.

On the August 16th episode of NXT TV, General Manager William Regal booked a "Champion's Choice" vs. "Challenger's Choice" set of matches for Bayley and Shannon in lieu of their forthcoming title match at NXT Takeover: Respect. The matches were scheduled to serve the purposes of "warming up" the women scheduled to do battle this weekend. Shannon chose Nia Jax for Bayley's opponent. Bayley chose Dana Broke to be Shannon's opponent. Both Shannon and Bayley lost their matches. This was intentional by Paul. Many fans believed whomever the victor was between a feud on the most recent episode of television before a Pay Per View would go on to lose the Pay Per View match. By booking both women to lose on NXT TV, that unpredictability on who would have their hand raised come Takeover would remain in tact.

* * *

 **Thursday, August 17th, 2017**

"Good morning Joe," Shannon said to Joseph Anoí, who competed under the ring name "Roman Reigns."

He was chosen by Vince McMahon to succeed John Cena as the next predominant face of the company. Like many stars, there were bumpy rides along the way. Paul often clashed with his father in law, arguing in favor of guys such as Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, and most recently Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens being in those roles for top faces and heels respectively. But it was Vince's company then, and he wanted what he wanted. With roughly eighteen months with Paul as Chairman, things were changing.

Roman was still around, and still received mixed reactions from crowds, not unlike John Cena. He just wasn't being treated like an untouchable deity.

"It's all good in the hood baby girl," he replied to Shannon as she passed him in one of the halls of the East Coast ABC Studios in New York. He would appear on _The_ _View_ , a women led panel of five co-hosts who discussed current events and the latest in pop culture. He would interact with the ladies on whatever they talked about of course. But he was also there to promote Summerslam and Raw.

 _Damn, even out of character, he's a fucking corn ball. Wow, so cheesy and dull. Haha._

* * *

 **Fifteen Minutes Later, 11:00 AM**

"Our next guest pounds her opponents in the ring the way we pound chicken cutlets in the kitchen," said Carla Hall with a huge smile. "You can see her tomorrow night at NXT Takeover: Respect at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. Please welcome for the first time at 'The Chew,' NXT Wrestler, Shannon Storm!"

While Roman was on _The_ _View_ , Shannon was across the hall taping an episode for ABC's _The_ _Chew_. The episodes aired weekdays at 1:00 PM. However they were recorded a few hours early as some shows were taped blocks ahead of time in advance. _The_ _Chew_ was a daytime talk show centered around food with five chefs. Shannon's episode was recorded today, but would air on tomorrow's Friday show.

Shannon came to the set and playfully took baby steps through the crowd, before slapping some hands, and eventually making her way to the kitchen with the co-hosts. She hugged everyone, and the men co-hosts kissed her on the cheek. She stopped next to Mario Batalli in the center of the kitchen, while the other co-hosts returned to their seats at the counter on the far right corner.

"What's up little mama?" asked Carla Hall. "You showed some hesitation as you came out here."

"Hahaha, no no no," said Shannon turning towards Carla. "It's great to be here. I was just surprised by the reception. Getting cheered is like walking through uncharted water for me. But then I realized, it's Manhattan. They like me here."

"The producers told us that you wanted to cook with one of the male chefs today," said Mario Batalli.

"Oh, I was just messing around with your staff," Shannon replied with a smirk. "I love everyone at 'The Chew.' Carla's my girl. Daphne's cool. Both of our father's are physicians..."

"I didn't know your dad was a doctor," said Daphne Oz, daughter of TV host and real life doctor, Mehmet Oz, before raising her glass of a cocktail Clinton Kelly made in a previous segment.

"That's probably because I'm meeting you today for the first time," Shannon said after a light chuckle. "But in my head you've known that already. See, I'm cooking with you guys and dropping fun facts at the same time."

"Well let's pretend you weren't playing around and really did want to work with the me beautiful," said Mario Batalli.

"Aww shucks," Shannon said as she squeezed Mario's waist in a side hug. "You are by _far_ the sexiest Chef to rock a pair of orange crocks with khaki shorts. And when you're making a pasta dish and that passion comes out when you speak Italian, it makes me melt."

"Flattery will get you _everywhere_ in 'The Chew' kitchen my dear," Mario replied enjoying Shannon's wit, despite being quite confident she wasn't serious with the flirting at all. Although Mario was an excellent cook and quite charming, he was an overweight man with a pudged belly, and a very thinning and receding ponytail. There was nothing wrong with that. But he didn't see himself as Shannon's type, even if he was single. "Do you like fish?"

"I love fish," she said quickly.

"Do you like Tilapia?" he asked.

"Definitely," she responded again quickly.

"Well I had to ask because it's Friday on 'The Chew.' And we call these episodes, 'Extra Value Friday,' where we prepare dishes that are affordable, but are still delightfully scrumptious," Mario clarified. "Tilapia may not be as costly as King Salmon or many other fish. But what I like about it, is its thick and meaty texture. It's very underrated among the fish proteins."

"I agree," Shannon said. "So what are we making today?"

"We are going to make a magnificent breaded Tilapia served on a bed of cous cous with my homemade pesto sauce. And we're going to make a wonderful stuffed eggplant side dish," Mario replied as he began moving various miniature bowls filled with herbs and spices to one side of the kitchen countertop. He then grabbed a glass pan with fish inside from the refrigerator, placing it near the cutting board. "How do you feel about spice?"

"Chef Battali, if I can take a punch, I can take the heat in a dish," Shannon responded.

The live studio audience whistled at Shannon's comment, and she gave him the reassurance to go "all in" with whatever spice blend he had in store for seasoning the breaded coating. Mario didn't have filets of Tilapia. He quickly sliced the whole fish into appropriately sized filet pieces.

"I'm sorry, I've just gotta..." said Michael Symon. He hopped off his chair and jogged over to Shannon, squeezing her left bicep and tricep. "We've had John Cena on the show a few times, and he's always fun; but we surprisingly haven't had any women from the WWE over yet. I just wanted to feel. Oh boy, they're _rock_ _solid_." After squeezing a second time, he returned to his seat.

Shannon smiled. "That's fine Chef. Not that I needed your confirmation, but the gun show is real. As long as that was the only thing you were reaching for, we're good," she clarified with a wink. "If you were reaching for something else, while I'd be initially flattered, I'd have to remind you of two things: One, you're a married man. And two, this is daytime television."

Michael held up his hands and let out his horrible, ogre-like, creepy laugh, before rubbing his bald held as he blushed.

"Alright, so I'm using both whole wheat crushed cereal flakes for both its fiber to get us full and that magnificent crunch," said Mario who dumped garlic, cumin, chili powder, diced chipotles, cinnamon, cayenne, and black pepper into a bowl with the flakes. "I'm also adding 1/4 cup of cornstarch to the breading just to add some depth to the texture, so we'll have a nice bite. While I give this a good mix, why don't you prep our stuffed eggplants? I have already halved them and scooped out their insides. I need you to dice up those veggies." Mario pointed in the direction of the materials as Shannon followed suit.

Shannon diced some green, yellow, and orange bell peppers, a parsnip, portobello mushroom, and a red and green onion.

"What's next Chef?" Shannon asked as she cleaned the knife with a hand towel.

"To my left, I have a cast iron pan with olive oil heating up. You're going to pour those diced veggies in there, and as soon as they begin to caramelize, we'll add some ground turkey and chicken sausage," Mario explained as he gathered some eggs and separated them in some more bowls. "When that cooks for a few minutes, we'll stuff that mixture into our halved eggplants, top them with Parmesan cheese and panco bread crumbs, then bake them in the oven."

Shannon followed Mario's instructions with the vegetables and sausage. Clinton Kelly noticed something and asked Mario a question.

"Now Mario, why are you separating the yolks from the egg whites?" asked Clinton. "Many of us use the entire egg before we coat our meat and cook it."

"Clinton Kelly, you would be correct, but since we have an athlete in our presence," he gestured his hands and arms to Shannon. "We are going to dip the fish in egg whites only. It'll be lighter and less caloric. We don't want to be responsible for the woman's cholesterol spiking up."

"Translation: he's just looking out for me Clinton," she replied. "Which I appreciate," she added.

"You can get in here, and bread the fish. Then place them in the pan right next to the sausage that is also pre-oiled," said Mario. "We'll pan fry them for about two minutes, and toss them in the oven at the same time the eggplant goes in for 350 degrees."

"So what makes one become a professional wrestler?" asked Daphne.

"Well the quick answer is passion and desire to get beat up and beat others up," Shannon said as her hands were now completely covered in Mario's breading as she handled the fish. "But to me, the longer answer is that it's just like any other profession. If you want to become a doctor, there's college yeah, but you ultimately have to go to medical school. If you want to become a lawyer, you go to law school. If you want to be a cop, there's the police academy. Well, for wrestlers, there's wrestling school. I promise you folks, it's an _actual_ thing," she said looking in the audience's direction with a laugh. "You don't just click your heels together like Dorothy, or go in some creepy bar looking for a brawl."

"On that note, we will click our heels, and place these pans in the oven! I will whip up the cous cous, and when we return from commercial, we'll dig in. Stay with us," said Mario.

* * *

After the commercial break, Clinton served each of his fellow co-hosts Mario's dish, while Mario plated Shannon's himself, topping it with fresh lime zest. Shannon grabbed her utensils, but Mario stopped her.

"Allow me my dear," said Mario as he sliced a piece of the fish, and was careful to get his cous cous and sauce in the bite. He raised it to her mouth, and she accepted it. He stared at her, and waited for her reaction before he took his own bite.

"Wow, divine," she said. "The spice is very intense, but the crunch in the breading calms you down for a moment. Just when the kick from the spice returns in the back of your throat, the cous cous and pesto mellow it out. Delicious."

She then moved on to the eggplant.

"I love that you're not stingy with the stuffing. The turkey and chicken sausage are very filling. This could even be a meal of it's own-this eggplant dish," Shannon said making an orgasmic facial expression.

"Batalli, I know you said you were going to put the fish on a bed of cous cous," said Michael Symon as he dug in the dish. "But it's not cous cous. It has that finesse, but it's not that grain. What have you done, oh wise one?"

"I noticed that too," said Carla with a nod. "It tastes delightful, but it's not a grain. Was it a white carrot puree?"

"Great awareness Chef Symon, and good guess Carla Hall, but it was not white carrot," he replied after swallowing another bite. "It's actually cauliflower. Before we go, I understand Shannon you have an announcement to make?"

Shannon's mouth was stuffed. She grabbed a napkin covering it as she continued to chew before speaking.

"My God, I almost forgot, " she said. "I was so busy enjoying this that I forgot where I was for a moment. Great chefs, great food, and you _personally_ _fed_ me the initial bite. Yes, uh, NXT Takeover and Summerslam are both sold out, but I have a pair of tickets to each show."

The crowd cheered.

"Before the show started, we gave every one a raffle number before you took your seats," Daphne said as she reached her hand in a fish bowl to retrieve a number. "974. You've won a pair of tickets to both shows."

A heavy set Latino man with brown hair and a thick mustache was the recipient. Shannon placed her plate down on the counter, pulled an envelope from the back pocket of her red, sleeveless jumpsuit, walked to the audience, and handed them to the man. Next to the man was a middle aged woman with a young boy. It wasn't clear if this woman was his mother, aunt or some other caregiver, but the boy was disappointed that she did not win the tickets. The Latino man opened up the envelope, and handed the lady his pair of NXT Takeover tickets, while he decided to keep the Summerslam tickets. They were no longer in Shannon's possession, so he was free to do the kind, yet unexpected gesture.

The other members of the crowd went "Aww" and Shannon joined 'The Chew' co-hosts back on the set.

"But Shannon's not leaving everyone empty handed," said Clinton Kelly, who grabbed an index card with some information typed on it. He glanced at it and recited into the camera its contents. "Shannon's brought everyone in the studio audience DVD's of Triple H's 'Power Series.' " Members of 'The Chew Crew' walked down the aisles with boxes passing out the DVDs to the audience. Paul was on the cover, shirtless, wearing some red and black shorts. "You want to tell us a little about that?"

Shannon didn't say anything, but was pointing to her mouth.

"Here, take my virgin daiquiri," said Carla. Shannon accepted it and drank it straight down.

"Sorry about that. I finally reached the breaking point with the heat," she replied. "Fans always ask superstars for tips on getting a great body. And for the people who are into fitness, they'll ask more specific questions about different regimens. For some strange reason, the WWE never recorded and produced their own superstars' workouts and sold them to the public, until now. There are a lot of gimmick machines out there. And some trainers charge $50, $60, sometimes $80 bucks for DVDs, who in my opinion, aren't even _that_ ripped."

Michael Symon once again let out a monstrous laugh.

"This DVD is a _steal_ for the $15 bucks we charge at WWE Shop dot com, but you folks are getting it at the lovely price of _free_. Triple H doesn't just wrestle. He was a bodybuilder too. So packed in your workouts, you'll be getting a heck of a coach in him as he demonstrates full circuit training, which consists of exercises to enhance power, agility, and conditioning."

"Is there anything special that people need to buy, or can they get started right away?" asked Carla.

"It's very bare bones and old school by means of necessity. That's what I like about it," replied Shannon. "He understands people's lives are even more mobile now than they were ten years ago. He designed this program with his trainer and friend Joe DeFranco with that idea in mind. So you don't need to use fancy gym equipment. All you need are three things: A DVD player or you can use the digital version for your tablets, smartphones, and PCs. Space, and dumbbells. The amount of weight used depends on what size dumbbell you can comfortably carry for a period of time. And if your fitness level is novice, there's a modifier not using weights that you can follow along with as well. All exercises were filmed at the Performance Center in Orlando with actual WWE talent. Another thing that I didn't necessarily like in competitors' DVDs were not knowing who the people in them were. Here, you'll recognize faces if you watch our product."

Shannon pointed her index fingers out to the audience. "For the gentlemen in the crowd, do you want to get chiseled like the Chairman?"

The men didn't cheer, but politely nodded and clapped very slowly.

 _Ha. Haters. Not a shocker there._

"And for you ladies, do you just want to pop the DVD in to watch 'The Game' shirtless, working up a hard-earned sweat, not really paying attention to a freaking word he says despite how funny or informative it may be?" Shannon asked with a smirk.

The women raised their hands in the air and screamed wildly.

"Ladies," Shannon began, shaking her head. "I can't say I disagree with you."

Michael Symon, getting a little jealous, walked over to the opposite side of Mario, next to Shannon, carrying a plate of a dish he made to accompany Clinton Kelly's cocktail in a previous segment.

"Hey, hey, _preparing_ the food the can be just as sexy as watching muscled up guys like him _burning_ _off_ the calories!"

Shannon laughed.

"So what do wrestlers usually eat?" asked Daphne.

"The simple answer is everything," Shannon said as she rubbed the right side of her jaw. "The elaborate answer to that is everything _if_ we maintain a strict level of discipline and make a lot of modifications. I mean there's bars out there with protein, fiber, and other healthy nerdy stuff that isn't a part of most people's vocabulary. But in terms of actual meals, yeah, everything."

"Okay, well give us say, three important tips you think that could improve our overall fitness," Daphne quickly replied back.

"The first tip I'd say is to eat more," Shannon responded.

"Says the woman who could probably pick me up," Clinton said with a chuckle.

"But it's true. I understand the irony of the statement at face value, but you actually improve your chances of a better, healthier you with multiple meals," Shannon explained. "We eat like five, six times a day, every two to four hours. And when I say 'eat more,' what I really mean by that is to _consume_ more. Don't look at it as counting _calories_ , but counting more _nutrients_."

Shannon could tell from Mario's body language he was going to ask her to elaborate. So she did.

"You don't have to have six Thanksgiving Dinner sized platters every single day. But after breakfast, drink a smoothie two hours later, and put some protein powder in there if you can. Have a nice leafy salad with some sesame and flax seeds a few hours after lunch. Even better if you can have a chicken or turkey breast on top of the salad. Eat a few pieces of fruit-apples, peaches, pears-whatever you have- _skin_ _on-_ before dinner so you triple the amount of your fiber intake. Swap two scoops of ice cream for three or four servings of Greek yogurt. Even if you're not hungry every two to three hours mentally, it doesn't mean the organs inside your body aren't craving _something_ : whether it be iron, protein, calcium, antioxidants, probiotics, whatever. Every organ and muscle has a job to do. If you make a commitment to treat your body like the engine it is, it will give you the maximum productivity, I _promise_ you."

"And the second tip is," Carla said with a nudge.

"The second tip is hydration," Shannon remarked. "And I think it's one of the most underappreciated tips. Even for some people who enjoy physical fitness, they'll complain about busting their butts in a workout, being consistent with it, but feel so terrible afterwards, like on the brink of death in terms of exhaustion. To that I say, drink _regular_ water. By regular water, I don't mean sticking your head up the facet's tap water. I mean drink more bottled water that's not your usual overly caffeinated, energy sports drink with added sugar. Everyone has a hustle and I'm not hating on Powerade, Gatorade, Red Bull, or 5-Hour Energy. But the headaches and sudden feeling of wanting to crash afterward from all that added sugar and caffeine aren't worth it to me. To each is their own I suppose."

The audience laughed, and Shannon gave them a moment before she went on.

"If you want something with a little flavor, I'd recommend Hint Water. I like that as well. Hint Water is manufactured on both the East and West Coasts of the U.S. So it's a convenient find. It has zero sweetners, zero preservatives, zero calories, no cholesterol, non GMO, and all natural. It's straight up water with a hint of lime, peppermint, or whatever you choose from their selection. Another type l'll suggest is Coconut Water. Some nutritionists call it 'nature's sports drink.' There are a lot of brands out there, but the one I've been drinking lately is by this company called 'FOCO.' They use green coconuts imported from Vietnam, not the brown ones we're more familiar with in North America. What I like about them is that they explain to you the electrolytes that are included in every bottle."

"Most sports drinks have electrolytes though," said Michael. "So why Coconut Water?"

"Yes Chef Symon, most sports drinks _claim_ to have electrolytes," said Shannon who turned to him. "But that's _all_ they say. They never tell you _what_ they are, which makes me often wonder if they're really electrolytes there in the first place. FOCO tells you which ones are included in the label. And if you're not a chemistry buff to know what K, Na, Ca, P, or Mg means, or if you don't know a sports medicine specialist or dietitian to inform you of what potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are, this brand will guide you. They'll give you names of the nutrients and describe in layman's terms how their functions help the body. Coconut Water in general too, is very filling. So if you're a person that doesn't like to drink a lot post workout, you don't have to down like four at once to feel replenished."

"Final tip sweetheart?" asked Clinton.

"Uh, the final one is regarding sugar. If you like sugar, don't torture yourself," Shannon remarked placing one of her hands firmly on her right hip, with the other firmly on one of the countertops of the set as she addressed the chefs. "For those with a sweet tooth, I highly recommend using things like Stevia, Agave Nectar, or Monk Fruit."

"Those are fine options," Daphne interrupted. "Agave's been on the rise in popularity in the health community for the past few years, but I've recently discovered Monk Fruit. It's even sweeter than Agave, I find. You don't even need to use it a lot."

"Exactly," Shannon said snapping her finger at Daphne. "Some dieticians will say cut sugar completely out of your diet to lose weight faster, or get more definition in your body if you're already in shape. I won't lie, that helps greatly. But how realistic is that for most people? Besides, it's not just desserts to be concerned about. There's hidden sugars in condiments, breads, yogurts, lots of things that you wouldn't expect. So it can be incredibly challenging to divorce it cold turkey like that. I'm also aware that there are people who may not be educated on these alternatives, or may not live in an area where there's regular access to high quality grocers to buy these options. So overall for people across the board, I'd say, don't terminate sugar from your life completely. Just try your best to be smart about it."

"Excellent tips, though I'm comfortably happy with my pot belly, so I won't be using them," said Mario who rubbed his stomach. "I'm like a culinary Buddha. We want to thank Shannon Storm for stopping by," shouted Mario as the crowd began to applaud.

"Please swing through again when you're back in New York," he continued as he grabbed her in side hug.

"Would love to if the folks in the suits pencil me in," Shannon mumbled to him.

"Don't forget to check out NXT Takeover tomorrow night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and Summerslam Sunday evening at the same building. Oh, my producer is yelling in my earpiece that Monday Night Raw will be there as well, a full load! If you do not have a ticket you can of course order the Pay Per View through your local cable subscriber. Or watch both shows in their entirety for free, if you subscribe to the WWE Network."

* * *

 **Friday, August 18th, 2017, 11:00 AM**

There was an outdoor setup on Rockefeller Center, the home of NBC Studios. Specifically, the set was on 48th street between 5th and 6th Avenue. These were the streets that occupied Studio 1A in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, the location of _The_ _Today_ _Show_. Monday Night Raw aired on the USA Network, which was owned by the NBC Network. _The_ _Today_ _Show_ was a morning news program featured on NBC that WWE Superstar John Cena co-hosted numerous times over the past three years. So there was promotional value being in that vicinity for the weekend's events. Cena was out of action from most live events this week to film another WWE Studios movie. But he still attended Raw this week, would compete at Summerslam, and agreed to commit to co-hosting on _The_ _Today_ _Show_ from 7:00 to 9:00 am Friday morning with Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, and Matt Laurer for the fifty fourth time. He was there to not only promote Summerslam, which he would be appearing on; but to throw in a plug for NXT Takeover and the Monday Night Raw following the Pay Per View as well.

It was late morning now, and _The_ _Today_ _Show_ wrapped inside. But outside was where the fun was for WWE fans. In 2015, ESPN entered a partnership with the WWE, facilitated largely through Jonathan Coachman for several projects. The first were a set of E:60 documentaries. The first was on the company's grooming of the next generation of Superstars, highlighting Paul's concept, creation, and execution of NXT and the Performance Center. It received high praises as it pulled the curtain back even further showing Paul and his staff make cuts, write scripts, help talent groom characters, and show their ups and downs from injuries to struggling with connecting with the audience. The second documentary was on WWE two-time Hall of Famer Ric Flair, highlighting not only his success in the ring, but the real-life partying lifestyle that saw many of his peers die prematurely, his own financial woes, multiple failed marriages, and his thoughts on some of his children taking a stab in the squared circle.

The next set of projects would be unheard of twenty years ago, but something D-Lo Brown envisioned as "the next step" for the then WWF to break another glass ceiling. ESPN would begin a thirty minute segment on their network hosted by Jonathan Coachman, recapping feuds and interviewing superstars about the latest in their feuds. Sometimes those interviewed weren't even active in the ring any longer. John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, The Big Show, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins were some of the notable names highlighted in the segment. Another thing ESPN started the summer of that same year was have a full day coverage Summerslam pre show on the ESPN 2 Channel. It consisted of interaction with superstars and celebrities who were in the New York area that weekend, making predictions, and fusing pop culture references all in between during conversation.

It was something truly unprecedented and never expected to happen. But when "The Coach" as wrestling fans know him best, left the WWE in 2009, it was not on bad terms. He wanted to work for ESPN one day, but also wanted to bridge the gap in the divide between wrestling fans and what others referred to as "real sports fans." It was in his opinion that all parties involved were fans of each other in some capacity, whether they would verbally admit to it or not. So if there was ever an opportunity for the worlds to collide to some extent, why not capitalize on it? ESPN had been struggling to maintain its viewers with other networks like CBS and Fox expanding their hub sports channels, in addition to sports creating their own networks such as The Golf Channel, NBA and NFL Networks. And with the WWE, they were always interested in gaining viewership, whether it be fresh fans, or attracting old fans back that left them for Mixed Martial Arts, or something else.

There were several long steel frames-identical to those used in the 1980s and 1990s to barricade fans from the ring-that surrounded the two streets. Within the area was a gold carpet in promotion of the Conor's Cure Foundation which raised awareness for childhood cancer all year long, but particularly in September. Fans who surrounded the barricade were given postcards explaining the foundation, where to donate, and how to get a bracelet for their donation. At one end of the carpet was a portable curtain which extended from a closed off entrance of NBC Studios for superstars to enter and exit. As superstars walked through NBC Studios, the curtain lead them outside to the gold carpet. From there, superstars would then interact a bit with fans before continuing down the carpet to a dome structured booth, assembled with a table, chairs, large flat screen monitor, and mics to be clipped to their chests as they conducted interviews with "The Coach."

"Welcome to New York," said The Coach who extended a hand to Shannon. "And a future welcome later when you head down the road to Brooklyn."

Shannon loved The Coach. She found him funny on commentary when he filled in for Jerry "The King" Lawler, and thought he could've been even better as a heel manager. Shannon believed he had the potential to be another Bobby Heenan. Because not only did he do your typical valet heel schtick of distracting the referee, grabbing or pulling your client's opponent before a key moment in the match, he could also _talk_. He wasn't just wasted space on the roster. Shannon just thought it took Vince too long to see The Coach's talent before he ended up leaving. It didn't help that his first five years in the company were spent being mocked by "The Rock" for appearing weak and corny on a regular basis.

"Thank you Coach," said Shannon who accepted Coach's hand as he pulled her forward and greeted her with a respectful kiss on her cheek before she took her seat. "But Brooklyn's no Long Island."

A fan wearing an NBA Brooklyn Net's jersey yelled, "Cheap Heat!" The Nets used to be a basketball team in New Jersey. But rapper Jay-Z purchased the team in 2010, and relocated them to his hometown of Brooklyn, NY.

Shannon smiled at the fan before she shouted at him.

"Damn right, it's cheap heat, but it doesn't change the fact I'm right! You have anything else to say smartass?" She asked. The fan did not respond. "That's what I thought!"

"Our fans certainly are vocal here in the boroughs," remarked The Coach in response to the fan's distraction in an effort to save face, hoping he would not disrupt the progress of the interview. "We apologize Ms. Storm for the interruption."

"Let them be as loud and raucous as they want," replied Shannon, who handled the situation remarkably. "That's why only the big boys and girls can do this. All the more reason why my triumph over Bayley will be rewarding. Because I'll shut up _all_ their asses!"

This statement was more of a worked shoot for Shannon. Aside from the comments in character about Bayley, she really meant what she said. She secretly loved the energy from the crowd. They played off each other: Shannon would shout all sorts of smarky things at talent when she went to shows; so she wasn't offended by the fan at all. It was cool being on the other side of that. In her opinion, some of her fellow wrestlers-especially babyfaces-would take smart mark comments too seriously at times: refusing to sign merchandise, block or delete their social media posts, or flat out ignore them. Shannon wasn't very active on social media because she hated it. But this sort of heckling _in person_ from fan interaction, she embraced it.

Shannon thought it was all fair, and a part of the fan process as long as such interactions weren't racially, religiously, and sexually offensive. And even then, there would be some discretion. She understood wrestlers were also entertainers, and some promos or feuds could _and_ _would_ implicate race, religion, or sex. She also was sympathetic to comedians who would use similar topics in their material. The point was political correctness and the ever expanding digital age made for a hell of combustion. But in times like this, Shannon felt she could react without blowing a total gasket.

"Bayley made some remarks about you earlier," Coach said as he tucked his tie into his suit jacket because the slight New York breeze blew it. "Let's take a look at that."

A Bayley hype video played promoting their upcoming match. Bayley was preparing and reflecting on the contest. Soulful singer Sia's, song "Elastic Heart" played softly in the background as she spoke:

 **"Shannon Storm may be the next driving force of NXT. She may bring a lot of adversity my way. And I may not be able to overcome it all. But I sure as heck can walk through that adversity and guarantee when I come out on the other side, I'll still be NXT Women's Champion!"**

"Go right ahead Bayley," Shannon began after clapping mockingly as The Coach grabbed the remote of the flat screen television, ending the clip. "Keep talking tough like I'm supposed to be intimidated. You know it's a shame that the five and six year olds can't go to the theater to see a Marvel movie without their parents. So they have to rely on her as a pathetic excuse for a super hero to look up to."

"I'm not sure action heroes are exactly comparable to what you each do on a regular basis," The Coach said with a grin. "But you are talented nonetheless."

"As the song says, it ain't bragging _expletive_ , if you back it up," said Shannon. Shannon caught a side smirk from The Coach who noticed Shannon censor herself. They weren't on the WWE Network after all, but were broadcasting live on ESPN. "I'm tired of Bayley ducking and dodging me. Come Takeover, she won't be running any longer."

"With all due respect to you and Mr. Kid Rock," The Coach said as he adjusted himself in his chair. "That's merely a lyric to a rap song."

"Oh, so you don't think what Kid Rock says is valid?" asked Shannon who was becoming pissed off in character. "Are rappers not poets who chose to share their work over melodies and beats? Not that you have a PhD in English, Creative Writing, or anything."

"No, I'm not a professor," The Coach clarified. "I'm just saying, aren't we past quotes here? This is a title match we're talking about!"

"Coach, yes, this _is_ a title match we're talking about," Shannon affirmed. "But you're lying to these people if you deny that athletes are motivated by things they hear or read-whether it be motivation to solidify a point, or motivation to prove people wrong-which is what I intend to do tomorrow night! But you know what? You don't want to hear poetry? That's fine. See, Shannon Storm is versatile. I'll drop some prose on you. 'Well done is better than well said. He that can have patience can have what he will.' Do you know who said that Coach?"

"Uh, the president on the $100 dollar bill?" asked The Coach, who made a lucky guess.

"An author, a philosopher, an inventor, and many other things, but Ben Franklin was _never_ President," Shannon responded with a conceited tone. "Like _I_ am too good for the NXT Universe, _he_ was ahead of his time, and too good for the people to run the nation. They wouldn't have appreciated his great leadership."

"Well everything in America worked out in the end for the best I'd say," Coach replied as he tucked his tie in his suit which blew minutes earlier from the slight New York breeze.

"That's still up for debate," Shannon remarked while shaking her head. "But be that as it may, you have questions for me. So let's get to them."

They continued the interview. They discussed their predictions for both upcoming shows: NXT Takeover and Summerslam, Shannon's character being available for the pre-order of WWE 2K18, which would be released later in the fall, and her views on Paul's leadership of the company.

Shannon received a notification that she was mentioned in a tweet on Twitter. She didn't respond to it, but did read it.

 **New** **Tweet** from user: **AtSuplexCityTool:**

"Hey for anyone that will be heading to Brooklyn to check out **AtNXT** #TakeoverRespect, be on the lookout for **AtSStormWWE** to debut a new finisher. I was vacationing in Myrtle Beach, SC in June, and heard NXT was in Orangeburg for a live event, so I went. She howled a bit and held her hands up before doing it. It looked great, and it got a pop. I don't know what it's called, but I wouldn't be surprised if she does for the **AtWWENetwork** viewing audience and hot crowd tonight.

 _You've got part of the story, mark. I showed it to my boys in March and they approved. I did it at that live event to get a feel for the reception, but I don't think it'll be my finish. Probably will be another one of my signatures. We'll see._

* * *

 **Later that evening**

Shannon sent a group text to Bayley and Sarita López.

 **Me** : LOVED all the shopping we did with Kim, Mary Kate, Ash, and their crew. Had a blast!

 **Pam** : Me too. My bad for holding up the sight-seeing, but I just _had_ to get that other bag!

 **Rita** : Ha, don't even worry about it Pamela. I'm a NY'er. I've seen it all & I know where everything is. U & Shannon aren't, but oh well. We can make it an educational excursion some other time chicas.

 **Pam** : LOL! Hey Shanny, are you beat from packing up everything? Everyone bought a lot of shit. Rita and I want to go out with the other girls tonight.

 **Rita** : Yeah mamí. I'm picking the spot!

 **Me** : Ha, well of course we'd buy a lot of shit when it's not on _our_ dime, but Kim, Mary Kate, and Ash's treat. ;)

 **Rita** : Haha, true. My girls r tight with me, so I was sure they'd treat u2 right.

 **Pam** : So are you clubbing with us tonight or what?

 **Me** : Sorry ladies, I can't. I promised Tyler I'd check out his band, "The Retro Mechanics" at some venue tonight. Fozzy's in town, and Jericho pulled some strings to give Ty's band about 10-12 minutes to open up for them.

 **Pam** : Oh, they're back together now? What do they sound like? Quite a bit of us have side projects in lieu of performing in the ring. But you know I can't say I ever went to one of his gigs. Now I know that reads real shitty as a friend. But it wasn't meant that way. I was hoping he'd succeed on his own. I didn't want him to think if a bunch of us went we were forcing the crowd to like him through our association with working for the WWE. Does that make sense? Kind of like staying in my own lane.

 **Me** : Ha, no I get it, and I'll be sure to explain that to him if you come up in conversation. My understanding is that they never broke up, but were on hiatus. He said they're an '80's cover band, which probably explains their name. They've recorded a few LP's here and there that are on iTunes and Google Play. His band-mates are still old school and will sell some out of their cars. I'll meet them tonight.

 **Rita** : U said they r on stage 4 10-12 mins though, right? So what time will he be done? U can still party with us when he's through. :)

 **Me** : Naw, not this time. I'm not a dick. I won't just leave after Tyler's set. I'll stick around and listen to Fozzy too. You girls have fun.

 **Rita** : I get it. She thinks we're cock-blocking Pamela. ;)

 **Pam** : #We'llBackOff :D

 **Me** : Hahahaha, fuck you guys! It's not even like that. I just had a prior commitment. Later.


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine: Game Time Pt 2

**Author's** **Notes** :

To **AJ** : Thank you for the fun fact about Ember Moon being a reader, writer, and possible Evolution mark on Fanfiction. That's both awesome, and something I was unaware about. Thanks for educating me!

To **Guest** : I appreciate your kind words regarding a certain user, their spouse, and other potential allies they have who've become notorious for abusing and mistreating others-be it covert or direct. Regardless of said behavior, I do plan to march on with this story with the most integrity and fun that I possibly can. And I do hope you and everyone else continues to enjoy what comes in the future, in addition to what has already transpired in the story up to this point.

A tremendous thank you to **Chaka1967** for helping organize the fashion show in this chapter, as well as a more thorough introduction of her OC Sarita López. It took quite a bit of time readers, but her insight, detail, and coordination was both a necessity and extremely appreciated in putting this together.

After months of organizing and writing this update, my respect for those in the fashion industry responsible for planning and directing shows-big or small-has been elevated. I wasn't sure if I'd ever finish this chapter, with as much meticulousness I put in it, not just with the clothes, but writing the chemistry during the interaction with people. So kudos to everyone in that profession.

The following link will take you to a PDF of a slideshow I have provided with all of **Chaka1967** 's picks for the people and sources used in the fashion show: https (colon) / / drive dot google dot com/file/d/0B1I0T8tFdvpbU21uaFpjWkxZQWs/view?usp=sharing

I had to phonetically spell out where the punctuation belongs and space part of the link out due to FF's inability to embed links within a chapter. But when you're copy-pasting in your browser, be sure to place everything together. It is highly recommended you open it in a new tab to accompany you as you read, so you can picture what everyone is wearing. When you check out everything from the slides as you read the show, you'll see why this was a delayed update. :) Hopefully, it was worth the wait.

Another tremendous shout out goes to **Chaka1967** for creating the new avatar for this story I'm debuting for this update. I hope you all find it as cool as I do.

* * *

 **Saturday, August 19th, 2017**

 **Rumsey Playfield**

 **Central Park, New York City, NY**

 **10:30 AM**

 **"So give it to me like I need it. You know how to make me feel it.**

 **Roc me me out, more and more. Roc me out on the floor..."**

"How's everyone doing this morning?" screamed Sarita López into a microphone to a full capacity crowd of 3,000 who responded with cheers, following her entrance as her theme music, "Roc Me Out," performed by R&B sensation Rihanna played. She was accompanied by her fellow co-hosts. "Y'all ready for the biggest fiesta of the summer, WWE style?" They cheered again. "Well let's...get...it...poppin'!"

Sarita wore a black and silver beaded dress made from beaded Tulle fabric. The dress was absolutely stunning: not only did it have a halter wrap-around neck, but it had a provocative open back as well. The $550 dress Sarita had on was from her own line. Even though she had a team in her line, she still sketched, and still could sew. She hated when celebrities had products with their name associated but didn't have a true passion or knowledge for what they were, or used them themselves. She not only created her clothes, but wore them too.

Her look didn't stop with the dress though. On her feet were white, customized Swarovski Rhinestoned heels. These six inch, $250 shoes, which were from one of her co-hosts selection, were individually handcrafted to provide a gorgeous shine, and enhance the legs of whomever wore them.

Keeping up with loyalty, the jewelry Sarita wore with this outfit, also came from some of her co-hosts. On her ears were Black and White Pavé Diamond circle designer earrings. These $6,142 earrings were 18 carats in solid White Gold. On her left wrist was a women's round cut, diamond watch. Elegance truly showed in this $14,240 watch because in addition to the bezel's round cut diamonds totaling 1.72 carats, its stainless steel band fully repeated the set of small round cut diamonds at 6.78 carats.

Topping off Sarita's jewelry were three bracelets on her right wrist and a ring on the finger of the same hand. The first bracelet was a Black and White Diamond stackable bangle. This $9,600 bangle was set in 18 carats of White Gold with five White Diamond sections. The second bracelet was a Black and White Diamond Pavé, open scroll motif cuff. This $12,500 bracelet was set in 18-carat White Gold with over 20 carats of diamonds. The third and final bracelet was a Black and White Diamond stackable bangle. This $7,650 bracelet contained alternating spheres of Pavé White and Black Diamonds set in 18-carat White Gold. Finally, on her finger was a White and Black Diamond ring. The $19,582 ring was designed like a dome, and in 18-carat, solid White Gold.

Today was a huge day for her. Her mood, spirit, and most definitely her outfit, reflected that.

* * *

Sarita López was a Puerto Rican WWE Diva from Brooklyn, New York who been in the company for about three or four years now. She had aspirations to be a fashion designer, so attended New York University's School of Fashion and Design. It was there where she met and befriended famous actors and twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, who also attended NYU. During summers off, Mary Kate and Ashley would invite Sarita to Los Angeles to meet some of their other Hollywood friends. After about a year and a half in college, Sarita decided it wasn't her scene. She dropped out, determined to become a designer her _own_ way. She remained friends with the Olsens and became a swimsuit model for income, while still sketching and creating pieces on the side to sell individually to online retailers.

What was rather interesting with Sarita's story was her upbringing, and its impact on her drive to succeed. Sarita was raised in one of many housing projects in Brooklyn, to a single mother of six children. Sarita was the only girl to five brothers, and their father was not in the picture. Sarita was teased by neighborhood children who would bully her both physically and emotionally, claiming she would end up like many of them: teenage mothers with children by young gangsters. These kids were jealous that Sarita remained level headed, focusing on school and her designing aspirations.

A few scouts in Talent Relations discovered Sarita López in a magazine and informed John Laurinaitis, who headed the department for the WWE. Mark Carano, who could be seen sometimes on the WWE's "Total Divas" reality show, also worked in the department. He asked Sarita if she had any athletic background. She didn't really have one. But one of her brothers taught Self Defense classes at a local recreation center in New York. Some students were young kids wanting an introduction to contact sports before making a commitment to a specific discipline like wrestling or mixed martial arts. But many of them were teen girls and young adult women seeking tips and advice to fight off potential stalkers or rapists, should they ever be attacked. Even though all of Sarita's brothers were older than her and would protect her in a heartbeat, she attended a few sessions. She knew how much her brothers loved her, but this was about building her own sense of self-esteem and self-sufficiency against the neighborhood bullies when she young.

By no means did she want to learn enough to be a multiple degree Black Belt holder. But once she mentioned it to Laurinaitis' team, it was something they could work with and build upon. From there she put her fashion dreams on hold, and joined the company realizing the exposure could elevate her platform, where she could one day come back to them.

In 2015, there was heat between both Sarita and the WWE's most popular woman on the roster at the time, Ronda Rousey. Ronda claimed Sarita was on the roster just because she was "model with a great face, and a nice set of boobs." In Sarita's view, Ronda had no room to talk. While Ronda may have been popular, Sarita felt her then relationship with Seth Rollins heavily influenced her push on the main roster. No other WWE Diva won the championship in their first match, in less than a minute, on the Raw after Wrestlemania no less, who just twenty four hours prior was a referee. And never did Sarita hide her modeling background from anyone. For the past eighteen months she'd spend extra time at the Performance Center on days off to get tips on improving in the ring between the time on the road. That was something that Ronda didn't do. She was too busy getting endorsement deals with Adidas and movie scripts.

With a few years in the company now, more opportunity, more exposure, and more fans, Sarita finally was able to launch a new fashion line that she had been working on for two years. She felt with Summerslam weekend being back in her hometown of Brooklyn again, this was the best time to showcase pieces of her collection. And thanks to Paul, he lent out some of the WWE talent to serve as models during the event. This was the event that Shannon received a random text from Sarita in June about.

The stage between 72nd Street and 5th Avenue, known to many as Rumsey Playfield, was the venue chosen for Sarita's fashion show. The stage was fifty yards wide, half the size of a football field. Its oval roof also served as a viewing screen with three additional screens that had bright LED lights. These were rectangular-shaped. The first and largest one was very wide and in a horizontal position. The other two, were in a vertical position, parallel from one another on the far right and left sides of the stage. These also had bright LED lights to compensate for people in the audience who were in the far back of the seating area. Extending at the front center of the stage was a twenty foot, black and white checkered runway, specially constructed for today's show.

Rumsey Playfield, was a hot spot for a variety of entertaining cultural events, including art, dance, and film. It was also host to many summer concert series on Good Morning America, a popular national morning news program. Everyone from Blink 182, Jason Derulo, Kenny Chesney, to Beyoncé performed there. All summer concerts required tickets in advance for entry. People were limited to requesting four, but they were all free. Sarita sold tickets for this show, with 70% of the proceeds going to her favorite charity, Women In Need, Inc. For thirty three years, this charity provided job training, financial literacy, physical and mental health support for victims of drug abuse and domestic violence, child care, and housing assistance. All tasks were done to help empower New York City's homeless women and families in an effort to one day become self-reliant once again. The remaining 30% would go back to Central Park for whatever restoration projects they had planned to continue providing free services for Sarita's fellow New York citizens.

Sarita loved that it was an outdoor stage right in Central Park, which would look great on television. The event was being streamed live on the WWE Network. The E! Network which produced and hosted "Total Divas" would also broadcast the show on their channel.

DJ Pauly D from MTV's "The Jersey Shore" was off on a far side of the stage spinning records.

 **"In New York: concrete jungle where dreams are made of.**

 **There's nothing you can't do! Now you're in New York!**

 **These streets will make you feel brand new!**

 **These lights will inspire you!**

 **Here in New York, New York, New York!"**

The crowd popped when rapper Jay-Z took the stage and started performing his 2009 hit "Empire State of Mind," featuring Alicia Keys.

* * *

 **"Bring 'em out, bring 'em out, bring 'em out, bring 'em out!**

 **It's hard to yell when the barrel's in ya' mouth. (Swizzy!)**

 **All my hot girls yelling, 'Bring 'em out, bring 'em out!'**

 **All the dope boys yelling, 'Bring em out, bring 'em out!' "**

Following Jay-Z's performance, DJ Pauly D played Atlanta rapper dubbed, "The King of the South," T.I.'s 2005 hit, "Bring 'em out" featuring Swizz Beatz. Midway through the song several of the WWE talent that were participating in the fashion show-women and men-walked down the long, extended catwalk in black jeans, shoes, and tops. It was Sarita's artistic intention to have everyone in dark clothing, with the idea being that the following superstars were her human canvases: John Cena, Nikki Bella, The Miz, Maryse, Bayley, Randy Orton, Shannon Storm, Roman Reigns, Kofi Kingston, JoJo, Jason Jordan, Natalya, and you obviously couldn't have a fashion show without "The Gorgeous One," Tyler Breeze. Naturally, he had the most fierce walk of all the men. Each superstar here would be back of course for other segments. They just all appeared on the stage together during the opening of the show.

All other superstars who were weren't in attendance here, were a few blocks down the street at the "Landmark on the Park," for the WWE's annual corporate party ran in conjunction with WWE Games to promote the pre-release of WWE 2K18. Landmark on the Park had a strong reputation of being the most affordable, flexible, and beautiful environment in Manhattan. Their spacious building contained multiple facilities including conference rooms, a gymnasium, chapel, and a Neo-Gothic main hall. It didn't matter if you required a location for a fundraiser, party, holding area, or wedding reception, this venue could accommodate all those needs. Wrestlers, several representatives from WWE Games and 2K Sports, WWE executives, and celebrity ambassadors for the company's BA Star anti-bullying coalition campaign attended this party. Lil' Jon was their DJ for the festivities. Shannon skipped out on this party to attend Sarita's event.

"Great opening, and thank you J!" yelled Kim Kardashian-West with a firm grip onto her microphone. She was one of the Olsen twins' friends from California they introduced Sarita to when they were in fashion college. "I'm your co-host Kim K."

Kim Kardashian-West was wearing one of her best friends, Sarita López's, dresses. She donned a short, fully beaded sleeveless dress with a gorgeous and a unique open back. The $600 dress had a "Diamond-White," silver, and gold color combination. On her feet were a pair of gold, laser-cut, Crystal-embellished, Satin sandals. The $1,350, four point three inch stiletto, open toe shoes were from Kim's own line.

Like Sarita, she was supporting their other co-hosts' by wearing items from their jewelry line. On her ears were a pair of large, diamond, double-drop earrings. These $7,370 earrings were 18-carat Pavé White Diamonds. On her left wrist was an 18-carat gold open-weave cuff with diamonds. For $9,600, this bracelet definitely sought to set the tone for decadence. Finishing her jewelry was a "Stardust-Gold," radiating-diamond dome ring on the finger of her right hand. The $12,000 ring's diamonds were 18-carats.

"And we're the Olsen twins," said Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in unison. After finishing their studies at NYU, the sisters ended up creating a successful accessory line.

The twins, like Sarita and Kim were supporting each other at today's event with respect to their attire. Mary Kate Olsen wore a beaded Tulle, Violet Purple and gold slim-fitting short dress from Sarita's collection. The $600 dress, which encompassed an intricate sequin pattern, had a strapless heart neckline. On her feet were a pair of leather, multi colored stilettos with ankle straps. These $80 shoes from Kim Kardashian-West's collection were Violet Purple, with gold dual ankle straps to accompany the color scheme of the dress chosen from Sarita's line. For a pop of color, the back sole of the shoe was a bright Scarlet Red.

She wore jewelry from she and her sister's collection. On her left index finger was an 18-carat Yellow Gold, Sapphire, cocktail ring. The $11,000 ring, which had a Purple Sapphire in an oval shape, was 100% genuinely natural, and its sixty four round-cut, brilliant diamonds surrounding it were colorless. On her right wrist was a vintage sapphire and diamond wide bracelet. The $6,400 bangle, like the ring, was also in Yellow Gold and 14 carats. Finishing Mary-Kate's jewelry was a beautiful handcrafted, two piece, diamond set which came with a necklace and matching earrings. In 18-carat Yellow Gold, the eighteen inch necklace had a two inch Sapphire pendant hanging from it. Completing the $5,400 set were the accompanying two point five inch earrings which had a screw back post.

Ashley Olsen wore a vibrant, Champagne Red, short dress from Sarita's collection. The $575 dress had sheer, scalloped lace with straps, and an open back, providing a fun and flirty appeal. On her feet were a pair of Scarlet Red, pointed toe, four inch pumps. These $100 shoes from Kim's collection had a cute finish of a large Metallic Silver bow just inches above the point of the toe, with red lining underneath of the same shade of the shoe itself.

To no-one's surprise, like her twin, she sported her own jewelry. Also like her sister, she had a necklace and earring set. The $3,594 18-carat White Gold set was completely studded with diamonds and had a Ruby stone. On her left wrist was a 20-carat White Gold plated bangle. The $1,870 bracelet was studded completely around with oval-cut natural ruby stones. Ashley also topped her outfit with a cocktail ring like Mary Kate. Hers was in White Gold with rubies in an even brighter shade than the bangle to accompany her dress' color.

"And along with my girl Rita, we're showing her best summer pieces to the world!" Kim exclaimed. "In her _S_. _Lo_ _by_ _Sarita_ _Lopez_ collection, you'll see the finest fashions that will take you from the beach to business. 'Girls night out,' to just hanging out. Paired with my shoe line-"

Mary Kate and Ashley wrapped their arms around Kim Kardashian's waist as they cut in.

"And our jewelry and accessories," the ladies said, piggy-backing off Kim. "You'll be in for a treat!"

* * *

"Fans are you ready?" asked Sarita, who received an emphatic, "Yes!" "Models are you ready?"

The WWE talent, who were serving as models for Sarita's event, also gave a verbal confirmation that they were ready. Behind the large stage was a dome like structure petitioned off with portable walls. This was the changing section for the talent. In this area were a few people from the E! Network's makeup crew, as well as some seamstresses and tailors who were a part of Sarita's team to create her line. They were helping the wrestlers get fitted and move swiftly for the scenes they were a part of for the fashion show. Also backstage was Mario López, former star of teen sitcom, "Saved by the Bell," current host of entertainment television show, "Extra," and also the older cousin of Sarita López. He was the lead correspondent conducting interviews on the models' preparation, as well as sneak peaks of performers warming up.

 **"Ya' sawft, you're sloppy! They callin' me Papí.**

 **I roll in a Benz. You ridin' around in a beat up jalopy.**

 **Bros wanna' copy, but they are just not me..."**

Enzo spit out some dark liquid from his mouth as he walked out on the stage, which disgusted the audience because they weren't sure what it was. The wrestlers saw him in the back earlier with a small plastic bottle called "Blk." It was premium alkaline water from a company based in Oakland, New Jersey. Shannon heard of alkaline water, but never recalled it being dark, _ever_. It was always clear. Enzo told everyone to "chill" because with this type of water, in addition to the electrolytes, and pH of 8, Blk also placed fulvic minerals from "beneath the earth's surface" inside, which gave the water its natural black color.

Sarita flicked her wrist quickly in irritation at the animated Enzo, for interrupting her show with his presence.

"Now hold up, hold up, hold up," said Enzo, while his theme music, "Sawft is a Sin" died down.

He was followed up on stage, with Big Cass, who offered his tag-team partner a microphone. They were wearing track pants and their "Certified G" shirts from WWE shop dot com. Enzo was loud enough on his own and didn't need one. He took it anyway.

"My name is Enzo Amorè. I'm a number one stunner and a certified G. And you can't teach that!" Enzo screamed. "This man right here is Colin Cassady. He's seven feet tall, and you can't teach that!"

Enzo and Big Cass were a fan-favorite pairing among most of the WWE Universe, who didn't take terribly long getting over with the crowd. And they had a pretty interesting background. William Morrissey, known to the WWE Universe as "Colin Cassady," before people soon just shortened his name to "Big Cass," had a basketball background. He played against Enzo in a circuit league during high school. He continued to play throughout college, and after changing majors from Pre-Med to Economics, decided to become a pro-wrestler. He was always a fan, and it was always in the back of his mind. He wanted to get "Plan A" out of the way first.

Eric Arndt, better known as "Enzo Amorè" to wrestling fans, on the other hand had no previous training in professional wrestling. Although he was a lifelong fan, he never had the desire to pursue it in any capacity before entering the WWE. After his younger years playing against Big Cass in basketball, they eventually parted ways. While Big Cass stayed in New York for college, Enzo ended up traveling to Maryland at Salisbury University on a football scholarship. After studying journalism, he went back to New Jersey, and worked various jobs, including some time as a DJ. While Big Cass was getting his feet wet wrestling independently, on an off chance in 2011, Joe DeFranco, friend and trainer of Paul for the past few years, saw Enzo working out in his "Training Systems" gym in New Jersey. But he wasn't only working out. In typical Enzo fashion, he was also talking trash.

DeFranco decided to record Enzo and texted a clip to Paul, noting his "gift of gab." Impressed with Enzo's promo skills, and with him working out with his friend, Paul took a chance, got in touch with Enzo, and offered him a developmental deal with FCW before it was later rebranded to NXT. Once Big Cass was signed by the company and went through a couple of ups and downs with partners and gimmicks, he was eventually aligned with his childhood buddy. The rest was history.

"You plan on ever getting to the point of _why_ you're delaying my show?" asked Sarita who was pretending to be a little pissed off. This was planned: a little something to make fans laugh. Sarita already knew they were on-board.

"Yea, yea, yea, babe, I'll tell you why we're crashing this lil' shindig," Enzo responded pointing at the large stage and set. "Don't we go back mamacíta? You're from the BK. My man represents 'Queen's Finest,' and I throw down for North Jersey! So how in the hell baby girl, do you come back home to the tri-state area, put on this fancy show, and not invite the ' _realest_ _guys_ _in_ _the_ _room_ '? The two cats who know where it's at!"

"If my people find something in the back for you, will you calm your silly ass down?" Sarita snapped, which caused a smirk to emerge on both Big Cass and Enzo's faces.

"Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay," was his response. That wasn't really telling her anything. But again, this was Enzo we were talking about.

"On one condition," Sarita began, holding a finger up, and turned towards the crowd at the bottom corner of the left side at the end of the runway attached to the stage. Kim and the Olsen twins were on the right. "Y'all cool with these two joining the party?"

The audience roared.

"Well I guess it's settled then," she replied, looking right at the men. "You're in!"

Big Cass clapped while Enzo did his odd leg dance, which kind of looked like his lower half was having a seizure. The crowd still popped though.

"How you doin'!" was Enzo's final remark before dropping the mic on the stage.

"They're certainly..." began Mary Kate Olsen.

" _Special_ ," said Ashley Olsen, finishing her twin's sentence.

"Yeah. That's one word for it," said Kim Kardashian-West.

* * *

A deep bass beat, followed by syncopated handclaps began. Shortly after on the large LED monitors various real life images of sunrise were on display. DJ Pauly D was starting the "Hello, Good morning" remix by Diddy Dirty Money featuring Rick Ross, and Nicki Minaj.

"Kicking things off is my Summer Chic: Daytime collection, starting with the ladies," said Sarita with a bright smile.

 **"Hello, good morning. Tell me what the lip read.**

 **Pretty face, thin waist, with the sick weave.**

 **First time fish tailing in the six-speed.**

 _ **Real**_ **bad boy. Tell 'em come and get me..."**

JoJo made her way to the stage, and stood still for a few seconds allowing the cameramen and photographers to get their opening shots before she started her walk.

"JoJo is wearing a beautiful Carnation Pink, silk, flare-fit dress at $220," said Sarita as JoJo started to proceed down the runway. "I love this Daytime look for her. The silk-softened fabric structures the puffed cap sleeves on her shoulders, and the widely flared skirt. She could easily wear this at a cocktail party as well. Kim, tell us about the shoes."

" **Uh! I'm in love with large bills.**

 **A dime with a fat ass, thin waist, and tall heels.**

 **Yeah, it's the teflon Don.**

 **Hundred carats in the charm, tryna' give it back to Sean."**

"Well I decided to keep the pink trend going, but mix up the pattern," Kim replied as Rick Ross' verse came to a close. "I have JoJo in a pair of pink, leather sandals. I call these sandals 'Wild Thing,' because I have a crazy alignment with fringe surrounding the open toe and then at the back...would you arch your heel for me, sweetie?"

JoJo, as she made it to the rear of the runway, pivoted her foot so Kim could finish explaining.

"Thank you darling," Kim replied. "See at her ankle, where there's a wrap tie? Yeah, there's fringe there too. Almost like a tassel trim. A beautiful 4" inch shoe for $785. Ladies, we see the lovely JoJo is accessorized. Do share!"

"Absolutely!" shouted Mary Kate Olsen. "Well the dress that Sarita has JoJo modeling has a split neck, and we wanted to take advantage of that skin on display. So we started her off with a Black Onyx and Hematine pendant necklace at her chest. This $2,800 necklace has a woven silk cord with a toggle clasp. The onyx is oval-shaped, and is 18-carat Yellow Gold with Black Rhodium accents."

"On her ears are an Oestra pair of drop earrings with Hematine for $1,350," Ashley Olsen followed up. "I adored the necklace my sister gave her, and being consistent with the richness of both the sterling silver, and Black Onyx, these earrings reflect that. I repeat the exact same concept with the Renaissance reverse-set bracelet on her left wrist. The metals in this bracelet match the earrings and pendant, and it has a hinged opening. This gorgeous piece is available for $1,950."

"What's that thing called when more than one of you battle together?" asked Mary-Kate Olsen to Sarita, referring to a certain type of in-ring competition.

"Tag-team, MK," Sarita replied with a giggle.

"That's what Ash and I have done here, and you'll see with all the other models," said Mary Kate. "We finished JoJo's look with an amazing Wheaton Ring with diamonds. The ring, once again is sterling silver. It has Pavé Diamonds, and the 16X12 millimeter center is just so decadent! It can be yours for $2,750."

JoJo made her way to the back.

" **Hello, Good morning. Let's go, let's ride.**

 **Hello, Good morning. Know you've been waiting for it.**

' **Cause I seen you watching. So let's go. Let's get it popping."**

Natalya, daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and wife of Tyson Kidd, approached the stage as part of a verse performed by P. Diddy played.

"Thank you JoJo!" shouted Sarita. "Up next, representing the Hart Dynasty is Natalya! I have her in a long sleeve, floral, Wrap Dress in shrimp-or should I say _-Hart_ Pink?"

Natalya winked at Sarita with the specification of pink as she made it down the runway.

"This dress has a sheath silhouette, shell, and lining with a combination of both Polyester and Spandex fabric," Sarita continued. "The hem hits below the knee and like I said, it's a wrap dress, so it ties on the side. It's available for $280. Kim?"

" ' **Cause I've been leaning on the bar. Looking cleaner than a star.**

 **All these broads won't give me my props. 25 on the bank.**

 **I be stuntin' on their ass. And they mad 'cause the bitch won't stop."**

"I see you girl!" Yelled Kim as Natalya strutted and pivoted, modeling the outfit through a Diddy Dirty Money verse. "Work that turn! Here I go again with another piece from my 'Wild Thing' collection, ladies. I have Nattie in a leather dark pink sandal. Like JoJo's shoes, these also have fringe in the same exact locations: at the open toe and at the tassel ties at the back of the ankle. These are 3.3'' inches, and hers are trimmed in Rose Gold to compensate with the floral print you Rita, have incorporated in her dress. These are also $785. I like that you went pink with her too here. But to spice it up with contrast, JoJo's pinks were lighter. So I gave Nattie a deep, Magenta Pink."

"Moving right along," began Mary-Kate with a smile. "Kim said she picked a sandal with a Rose Gold trim to accentuate the other colors in the floral print of the dress. Perfect. Because that's where we went with the jewelry. Surrounding Natalya's neck is beautiful four strand, round, beaded, Pyrite necklace. It's in a great, full-oval shape, giving it that 'bird's nest' look in terms of the finesse with the precise oval arch, not a complete round circle."

"I really like this," said Natalya as she raised her hands to her neck and caressed the piece of jewelry."

"We're glad, we're glad," said Ashley. "This necklace has 22-carat Yellow Gold plating and the Pyrite beads are mixed shape. It's available for $350. Paired with this necklace I've provided Nattie with a pair of Yellow Gold Rockstud earrings. They're simple, yet cute, and have post backs. These are $150."

"Finishing off her jewelry, we have her showcasing a Pearly, bold cameo ring," Mary Kate remarked, and Natalya extended her right hand out. "Once again the metal is gold. It's 10-carats. In the center is a carved face of a woman dressed in what a woman of the Renaissance period in Greece would wear. There's a very meticulous arrangement of flowers in her head piece. Surrounding this oval with the carved face are faceted Crystals and pearly glass beads. This ring is $285. Thank you Nattie!"

" **Got your boyfriend feeling like a groupie. (You know, you know, we on that).**

 **Stuntin' like you looking like a movie. (You know, you know, we on that).**

 **And everybody know who the truth be. (You know, you know, we on that).**

 **I blow 'cause I'm blowing on the ooh wee. (You know, you know, we on that)."**

Natalya made her way back up on the runway, and now approaching the stage was Maryse as Diddy Dirty Money's chorus played. Maryse was a former model too. She needed no tips whatsoever on her walk, and couldn't wait to make her entrance, flicking her wrists and yelling "Pourquoì" to fans as she did so.

"Mrs. Mizanin is on the floor!" yelled Sarita, acknowledging Maryse's marriage to Mike "The Miz" Mizanin. "This gorgeous gal is in my black Ottoman-detail, Neoprene Sheath Dress. It's made with 89% Polyester, 11% Elastane, and is Sleeveless. There's an exposure zip closure in the back, which begins at the neck, and goes all the way down to the base of the booty. So you don't have to fight and squirm, holding your breath to get into it. You shouldn't have a problem with the inches I give with how far down the lining of the zipper goes. This goes for $280."

"Life-saver," said Mary Kate with a chuckle.

"Hahaha, I'm just saying. You know things happen girl! A little water weight here, feeling bloated from a period there, so I totally understand," said Sarita. "I'm here to help. What I love the most about it is that the Ottoman ribbed insets flank the paneled waistline, giving you that tailored look, paired with the V-neck, and sleek and stretchy neoprene."

" **I came up in it a little bit self centered. But did I kill a Queen?**

 **Alexander McQueen's got a wrist on glow. The bottles is on po'..."**

Nicki Minaj's verse started as the ladies continued to describe the outfit.

"Maryse is rocking a pair of my black Tudor-studded, with a red sole Suede Sandals," began Kim. "Maryse is all about turning heads; and women envious of these shoes certainly will be! These sandals have metallic pyramid studs and pearly beads. Because of the tudor, that material is imported from Italy, but the entire shoe was constructed in the states."

"How tall is the heel?" asked Ashley.

"4" inches, but again, she's fine because I have a wide ankle cuff, and wide strap bands across the open toe. Suede shoe, but the red soles underneath are leather. These mamas are $1,195."

"I love when we're all in-sync," remarked Mary-Kate. "You'd think we knew each other for years or something." The girls laughed at Mary-Kate's wit.

"Maryse is donning a Satin, lariat-station necklace. It's approximately 17" inches. It has rectangular stations with Mother-Of-Pearl insets, and a lobster clasp. This piece, which has a 14-carat Yellow Gold flat link chain, is available for $1,495."

"Nice job sis," said Ashley. "On her finger I have an 18-carat Gold, rock-candy, large lollipop diamond Mother-Of-Pearl ring. It has a Pavé diamond bezel with a to tal carat weight of 0.45 for the diamond itself. The center is round cut, and clear quartz. It can be yours for $3,295."

"And we can't leave out her ears," Mary Kate said as Maryse played with them with her fingers. "She is wearing a pair of duo Satin, Kite Drop earrings. At approximately 3" inches, these are kite-shaped with Mother-Of-Pearl insets. I have to reiterate these are for pierced ears only. We don't have them available as a clip-on. They're in 14-carat Yellow Gold. $1,395. Thanks, love!"

" **Got that shibby, shibby, yeah, shibby yeah, ayou…**

 **Man the last time I checked I was bubbling out.**

 **Got to turn down shows, out in Dublin now…"**

"Talking about shows, this woman's in a big one tonight," Sarita remarked with a chuckle for the next participant who entered, following Maryse's exit. "It's Bayley! She's exciting and all about fun. _Fun_ is what I definitely have going on here. She's wearing a black, multi-print Embroidered Mini Dress. There's floral. There's an early evening skyline. There's birds-ravens, crows, seagulls-ones you'd see either see on a brisk spring day or in autumn on this side of the country. This dress has a bateau neck, is 100% silk, and the sheer and fluttery bell long sleeves add a level of sweetness and romanticism to it. It's priced at $297."

Bayley tugged at the hem of her dress and bowed for emphasis on the pleasantness inspired by Sarita's creation of it.

"Following your lead with Bayley's dress being 'out there,' and I absolutely mean that in a fun, light-heartedly way, I've given her a pair of fur pouf, black, Multi-color Sandals. The sandals are suede with dyed stripes of gold, black, blue, pink, red, and yellow Fox Fur. It's a chunky, block heel at 3.5'' inches. The outsole is leather with an open toe, and a self-tie ankle strap. $450."

"When I look at this dress and listen to you talk about the evening skyline, the color blue comes to mind Sarita," Mary-Kate begin. "But nothing too deep like a Midnight. That's why for her jewelry, we wanted to bring out some of the hues of blue in her dress. You have some lines of Royal and Navy. We're adding a pop by throwing some Turquoise her way. Bayley's wearing a 30'' inch Fringe Necklace. The center of the fringe of the chain has a stunning 'Y drop.' This turquoise and howlite necklace has a 14-carat gold filled chain. This is priced at $795."

"Well stated Mary-Kate," said Ashley. "She's also wearing a pair of Turquoise Chain-link Statement earrings. These are faceted round turquoise in a rope, Bezel setting. They're tear-shaped with a chain link drop, and have 18-carat, Yellow Gold plating. This is $450, ladies. And the last piece we have for her, coming back to the original darker hues of blue, on her finger is a deep, rich, London-Blue topaz ring. The topaz is oval-cut in the center, with round cut surrounding Pavé details. And around the 18-carat Yellow Gold plating we have some scrollwork done in Greek. The ring is available for $1,690."

Bayley made her exit, and Nicki Minaj's verse continued.

" **Wait, wait, hold on, maybe they didn't get that here.**

 **Like 11 hundred horses when I switch that gear.**

 **Swerve on them sorta like I missed that deer.**

 **Press that little button on the sit back chair..."**

Nikki Bella approached the stage as, raising her arms high in the air. She too, was another former model.

"Thank you Bayley," said Sarita. "It's not 'Brie-Mode,' but Nikki is looking _fierce_ , _fearless_ , and _fabulous_ in this black, reversible v-neck, High/Low Knit Dress. Like the front, the back is also in a slight 'V.' The dress has slight cap sleeves, and slips over the head. It's $315."

"What's your favorite thing about this one mama?" asked Ashley as Nikki made her way down the runway.

"Well Kim's going to allude to this in a second with the shoes she picked for Nikki," Sarita started. "But I have pops of contrasting color peeking out from the strategic hi/low hem. And remember this dress is reversible. Not only are you getting a usual a fit and flare dress from me. She can cleverly flip this back and forth from black with vibrant red, or vibrant red with solid black trim."

"I'm playing with the boldness and seriousness of black, but something like a little pop of red from that hemline can bring out the sexiness. So I have Nikki rocking a black/red pair of my Pyra bubble, Studded red sole Sandals," said Kim, explaining her artistic direction for why she picked the shoe she chose. "These are leather platform sandals-a 1" platform and 4.5" inch heel-giving her a 5.5" inches total. It has a two strap vamp with the halter strap at the ankle being adjustable. By far my favorite part of these $1,195 shoes are the round and pyramid studs."

" **If you got a million dollars, you put it up and bet it.**

 **I just be like 'hello hello,' but I could never salute them.**

 **Young money, I do it for the yout dem!"**

Nikki posed a few seconds as Nicki Minaj's verse came to a close and the twins described her jewelry.

"Nikki is wearing a leather, Rockstud Choker Necklace with red stones," said Mary Kate. "The necklace, priced at $220, has a thorn buckle snap, and the red stones are glued by hand on the gold studs."

"On her ears are are a pair of Crystal Spike Earrings," Ashley started. "We've got studs on her feet with Kim's shoes. Studs on her choker. So I'd said, 'you know what? Let's put spikes on those ears!' These $44 earrings are 18-carat Gold plated, and centered with red Glass Stones. And lastly, my favorite piece she has on-and I personally have one of these at home-is a Hand Chain and stones ring set. The chain is 7" inches in length, with a 2" inch extender should your wrist need it, and a 4" hand chain drop. It has a gold tone with red and black glass stones, and a lobster clasp closure. This set is $100. Thanks Nikki!"

" **Hello, Good morning. Hello, good evening.**

 **You blow? You feindin'?**

' **Cause you know that you're really needed.**

 **And I'm the one that you wanna' be with…"**

Nikki made her way backstage, and outwalked Shannon to model yet another Daytime look for Sarita.

"They say save the best for last, right?" Sarita asked rhetorically. "Well, last, but certainly _not_ least is Shannon Storm, who is wearing a one-shoulder, Asymmetric Dress in black and Robin's Egg Blue. Nikki Bella, our previous model, wore a reversible dress with a peek-a-boo trim. Here with Shannon, I have a similar concept. It isn't reversible, but the peek-a-boo trim is present. This dress is made of Silk and Spandex with a A-line silhouette...Woo! Ha, don't hurt 'em girl."

As Shannon was walking down the runway, the portion of her dress with the asymmetrical trim lifted a bit from the New York breeze. Rather than be distracted, Shannon quickly decided to channel her "inner Marilyn Monroe," and embrace the opportunity to showcase a little more leg. Sarita's outburst was comical gratitude of Shannon. There were light rehearsals before the show. But it still didn't mean anything was flawless. Things happen, and you couldn't make weather behave the way you wanted it to. She was glad Shannon didn't freeze up and went with the flow.

" **But right now baby, you dreaming. Wake up and turn the lights off…"**

Another P. Diddy verse concluded, and Sarita continued to explain.

"As I was saying, her contrast trim is in Robin's Egg Blue. This dress is sleeveless with minimal shoulder coverage, and as you can see, it has a one-shoulder neckline. It's available for $495."

"Love it Rita," said Kim. "I have Shannon in an Adeline Suede, Crystal Lace-up sandal in black with Robin's Egg Blue stones in the crystals. This crystal-embellished suede sandal has an open toe and strappy vamp. The outsole is leather, and the adeline used for it was imported from Brazil. Her heel is 4.8" inches, and as you fans are probably starting to recognize a pattern," she chuckled. "I really like pizazz in the back which is why these shoes have an adjustable lace-up back with swinging tassels. $895 from my collection."

"While she razzles and dazzles the audience, let's talk jewelry," remarked Mary Kate. "Playing with the hues of blue, we gave her what we call an 'Ocean' Crystal Choker. This choker contains Blue Topaz stones with a lobster clasp closure. With its antiqued goldtone plate, it accentuates that exposed neck and shoulder of Shannon, giving her that sense of glam meets opulence. This is $95. The second thing we put on her are our 'Ear Crawlers.' We call them that because the further along the earrings stretch-they're about 1¼" inches, and then ⅝" inch of a drop-they have a curvature shape, almost like a worm bobbing, weaving, and crawling its way through whatever little mud pile is around. Like her choker, they have an antiqued gold tone. But unlike the choker, these have Blue _and_ Black Topaz alternating left and right in the glass stones. These are $80."

"Mary Kate set the tone and I'm following through," Ashley commented. "Shannon is wearing a 'Crown Stack,' geometric edge, stacking bracelet. These bangles are black and are repeating the glossy Blue and Black Topaz Cubic Zirconia Crystals. They have a 14-carat Gunmetal Gold Rhodium plating with a 7⅞" inch inner circumference. These set of bracelets are $795. On the opposite hand, she's wearing a Blue Topaz ring, of the same tone as her choker. This stone centers on a ornate, Yellow Gold ring, detailed with glimmering Pavé crystals. It's $48."

"Thank you Shannon!" shouted Sarita. One more time for me ladies!"

" **Hello, Good morning…Let's go, let's work.**

 **Turn me up a little more. I don't think they can hear me…**

 **Non-stop. Let's rock. Let's work. Make you feel good too.**

 **Don't stop. I see you. Let's work. It's that Diddy Dirty Money!"**

JoJo, Maryse, Natalya, Nikki Bella, and Bayley all returned and once again strutted their stuff down the main runway before the left and right extenders, showcasing Sarita's looks for Summertime Daytime Chic for the audience one last time. After the other five women, Shannon followed suit with a second walk.

"Anyone wanna' see what the fellas are working with?" Sarita asked the crowd with a smirk, and the fans, particularly the women, squealed. "Okay, okay, okay, before I do that, I want to check in on Emmy-award winning host of " _Extra_ ," my cousin, and lead correspondent for today's show, Mario López! How are things going?"

The multiple LED screens showed the backstage and prep area for Sarita's event. Mario was standing by with an earpiece and a microphone in his hand. The event was live and streaming both on the WWE Network and E! Network. So feeling rather special, Mario took advantage of the moment to greet Sarita his own way first.

"Sarita, mi pequeño primo. Es tan bueno verte de nuevo. Te quiero. Estoy orgulloso de ti. Les deseo muchas bendiciones y éxito continuo."

What he said was, "Sarita, my little cousin. It's so good to see you again. I love you. I'm proud of you. I wish you many blessings and continued success."

Sarita was touched and quickly responded in Español with pride, igniting a smile and those very apparent dimples on her cousin, Mario.

"So I'm back here at Sarita's event, and things are looking great. Cameraman, why don't you take a walk with me?" asked Mario, who began moving as he talked, passing halls, and providing a tour to the viewers, showing seamstresses, tailors, make up artists, and other personnel on Sarita's team. As he kept walking a certain superstar caught his eye. "What's up man? I know you and the guys are getting ready. I don't want to take up too much of your time."

"First off, it's not what's up," Big Cass started. "It's 'How you doin'?" He corrected him.

"I'm good, man," said Mario with a grin.

"Ya' good?" Big Cass asked.

"Yes," Mario reassured him.

"Good," said Cass. "Anything _in_ New York, is a hit. Anyone _from_ New York, is a winner. So, I'm fantastic. This show is great. Badabing, badaboom!"

"Any category you looking forward to the most?" Mario questioned.

"Ahh, I'll enjoy them all," said Big Cass in a reflective tone. "But maybe Daytime. That's the one coming up right? I think that will be special. I'm sure the crowd will go nuts, for me at least."

"There you have it cousin," said Mario and his dimples erected again. "The guys are pumped. People are having fun. Back to you!"

* * *

On the center LED screen, the background visuals of Dawn used for the women remained on display. The far left and right LED screens however started showing highlights of all of the male participants in the fashion show in the ring. These weren't random spots of the superstars grappling, but specifically clips of them striking-whether it be punches, kicks, or clotheslines.

There was a reason why.

" **We're gonna' skate on one song and one song only."**

Pauly D started playing a beat with distorted sound effects, snare drums, and other synthesized sounds. It was produced by "Hit Boy," a signee to Kanye West's music label called G.O.O.D.

"I ball so hard muhfuckas wanna' fine me," rapped Jay-Z as he returned to the stage to a loud pop from the crowd. He and Kanye West were going to perform their smash hit, "N****s in Paris," from 2011 on the dual album entitled, "The Throne." The song won multiple awards in 2013. And this was what Sarita wanted to showcase in some of the men's fashion for the Daytime Chic category. The men hit hard, and with the clothes, they'd be "ballin' " so hard.

" **What's 50 grand to a muhfucka' like me? Can you please remind me?"**

Jay-Z moved to the far left side of the stage and John Cena made his way to the center, to surprisingly, a welcoming perception. Probably because he wasn't wrestling today.

"Approaching the runway is the leader of the Cenation, John Cena," said Sarita. "He's _not_ in jorts in my show. To the adulation of some fans I'm sure," she added.

" **Y'all don't know that don't shit phase me!**

 **The Nets could go 0-82.**

 **And I'd look at you like, 'this shit gravy'…"**

John Cena, milking some of the rub from Jay-Z being a local, threw his hands up in DDP's diamond pose. Jay-Z started using that symbol for his Rocafella Records company and clothing line apparel in the 2000s, but was sued for it by DDP himself. He was unaware that DDP not only invented the gesture, but owned all legal copyrights and patents to it. So he had to refrain from utilizing the hand gesture after reaching an undisclosed financial settlement with the wrestler-turned yoga instructor. Cena was either trying to be cute, or generate some heat for himself.

"I have John in a white, short-sleeve, Linen two piece outfit," she began. "The slacks feature four outside pockets, double pleats, a split waistband, and I'm generous with the fabric in case alterations need to be made in the future. Not that John would require that as he's in great shape."

"Tell me more about the material Rita," said Kim, who was relieved from her duties on shoes, because Sarita was providing them for the men.

Sarita had a women's shoe line as well. But there was a future, larger, fashion show weeks to come where she'd showcase those. This was a joint show in conjunction with her WWE family, and some of her celebrity friends. So she wanted to give them some love too, providing viewership for their products as well at her pre-launch.

"Kim, the high sheen material is incredibly soft and silky that it drapes smooth on his body and flows with his movements," Sarita explained. "A _huge_ reason why I think men will love this outfit is because it's made from wrinkle-free material. Which mens, fellas, you don't have to iron! It's stylish, but simple, and can be yours for $200."

"What's on his feet?" asked Kim.

"He's wearing a Navy Blue Croc Embossed Driving Shoe," she answered. "These are made with leather imported from Italy, surrounding the lining and sole. They're sleek. They're exotic. They're $695. What have you ladies got for me?"

"I've given John to pair with those driving shoes, a Navy Supersportivo, square, rubber strap watch," answered Mary Kate. "His outfit is simple. So I wanted him to have a head-turning watch. The three chronographic eyes and rotating date window do just that. It has a Sapphire Crystal face, with a stainless steel, blue ionic plate, and buckle closure. It's available for $596."

"And I've given him a pair of Navy 55 millimeter sunglasses," said Ashley. "They have 100% UV protection, a 17 millimeter bridge width, 135 millimeter length, are plastic, and available for $120."

" **Ball so hard, this shit weird. We ain't even supposed to be here!**

 **Ball so hard, since we here: It's only right that we be fair.**

 **Psycho: I'm liable to go Michael. Take your pick!**

 **Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, Game 6!"**

John made his exit and fittingly, out walked Jason Jordan.

"Ironically, John, the man who's infamous for shorts, left the runway while the next man approaching the stage has them _on_ ," said Sarita. "This is Jason Jordan, ladies and gentlemen. I have him in a Herringbone Silk and linen blazer in Ivory. This notch lapel blazer has sleeves with four button cuffs. The chest has a welt pocket and a front patch pocket on the left and right side."

"You said his blazer was silk?" Questioned Kim. "It looks very smooth."

"Yep," Sarita confirmed. "55% silk, 45% linen. From the position of the lapel button hole, down to the entire blazer, the combination of the silk and fresh linen makes it touchably soft. It's all about packing comfort with suave to give a guy a sharp look all season. Available for $150."

"Are you the 'American,' or the 'Alpha,'?" asked Ashley, curious about the tag-team with Chad Gable. Sarita was informing them about the talent, and they were jumbling things up.

"Um, _both_ ," Jason responded, finding that question both unexpected and confusing. "Together Chad and I make up AA. That's our tag-team." Gable was one of the talents at the Video Game release party.

"Under that blazer, Jason's wearing a black, original-fit, silk Camp Shirt," Sarita continued. "No pockets here: it's French placket, with brown buttons accentuating the Ivory color of the blazer. It's roomy and comfortable, but snug enough to give him a tight fit. This shirt is $110. I have it untucked because he's wearing shorts, not slacks."

"Let's hear about those," said Kim with a warm smile.

"He has on a beige pair of Cotton-linen, knee length, print pair of shorts with a button fly closure. These are also available in orange, Sky Blue, Navy Blue, Army Green, and Denim Blue," Sarita began. "The print isn't anything exotic like wild flowers or animal, but simply scattered arrows. This gives him the ability to sport print, but still be casually stylish and selective about it. These are $70. And finally for his shoes, Jason's rocking a black pair of Driving Shoes for $98. They have a quick, slip-on style with a matte-finish for a clean, versatile appeal, modernizing your typical driving shoe. Now what have you girls accessorized him with?"

"We've put a bold, black, leather Strap Watch on his wrist," said Mary Kate. "It's very cool: Cutout hands are the only adornments on the dial of this modern stainless steel watch, which has a glossy black finish. The black leather strap completes the dashing design with its mineral Crystal face. Available for $395."

"And on his face are a pair of shiny black Aviator sunglasses for $130," said Ashley. "They also come in Blue Sky mirror, and Havana Brown. Like Cena's shades, he has 100% UV protection, and the lightweight frames define what sleek, high-quality lenses should look like."

"Thanks J!" shouted Sarita as he made his exit and the next model approached.

" **Ball so hard! Got a broke clock. Rolleys that don't tick tock.**

 **Audemars that's losing time. Hidden behind all these big rocks.**

 **Ball so hard! I'm shocked too. I'm supposed to be locked up too…"**

Well he was never incarcerated, but he did go AWOL once.

" _Coiling_ and _slithering_ his way to the runway is Randy Orton," said Sarita with a giddy giggle. She had a crush on Randy for some years now. But was never sure if he was into her. She didn't even know if he was dating anyone since his second divorce. "He is wearing a Royal Blue/Navy Blue two piece, plaid long-sleeve set. Similar to the pants I had for Cena, these solid navy slacks have four outside pockets and double pleats. His plaid Royal and Navy Blue shirt creates a smooth, drape fit with its casual cut. For $250, this is ideal for a man wanting a sleek, prudent look, with a touch of class."

"What's on his feet?" Asked Kim.

"He's wearing a bluette, Driving Shoe with the leather imported from Italy," Sarita answered. "His shoe is different from Cena and Jordan's because while they both slip on, I've selected one for him that has a sleek, Gunmetal bit across the tip of the tongue of the shoe for some charming flair. These are $246 and also come in Ferrari Red, Mogano Brown, Nero Black, and Bianco White."

"On his wrist Mr. Orton has on a large, Chronograph Bracelet Watch in Gunmetal Blue," said Mary-Kate. "This watch has a Sapphire Crystal face, imported by the Swiss makers of Blueberry, a deployant clasp closure, and is an adjustable bracelet. Customers can go to MaryKateAndAshAccessories dot com if they don't live in New York to request link removals for their watches if need be. In addition to matching his eyes, I think with all its features-from the date window to the dial texture-really make this a handsome bracelet watch. It's available for $672."

"On his face are a pair of 54 millimeter sunglasses," said Ashley. "Once again you're getting 100% UV protection with these. What I like most about these are the versatility of the Italian-crafted shades, particularly with the keyhole bridge. It heightens the modern appeal with that sleek matte finish. These are $280."

"Thank you Randy," said Sarita warmly when he approached the end the runway and walked back up to exit.

He couldn't help himself. Before he went through the curtain, he extended his arms and twisted his obliques slightly, doing his pose, receiving many cheers. He'd been out of ring action since the spring due to a shoulder injury. This was when Paul called up Tyler to the main roster. So fans hadn't seen Randy in a while. Surgery was a success, and things were healing on schedule. He was on pace for an in-ring return in November.

" **Ball so hard! Let's get faded. Le Meurice for like 6 days.**

 **Gold bottles, scold models. Spillin' Ace on my sick J's.**

 **Ball so hard! Bitch behave! I just might let you meet Ye.**

 **Chi-town's D. Rose. I'm movin' the Nets to BK!"**

The crowd popped to the last line of Jay-Z's, because they were right here in New York, and the name spitting the line did exactly that-move the basketball franchise to his and Sarita's city.

Kofi Kingston of "The New Day" approached next.

"He's not Ja-making me crazy, but is trying to give us booty in the show," said Sarita, who grinned when Kofi-who never had the biggest hips to begin with-tried to wiggle his rear. "I have him in a Caribbean Teal, orange, and white two piece outfit. Kofi's eccentric, and I felt the teal would bring out the brightness of his personality. I'm giving him that subtle pop of color with the orange, and the slacks are white. Once again four pockets in these slacks like the previous gentlemen, and his fabric is made with 100% polyester. For $100, this casual outfit is great for a day out of town."

"Shoes honey," said Kim.

"On Kofi's feet are a pair of white, woven, leather Slip-on Sneakers," Sarita started. "He has elasticized gores, mesh lining, and a leather insole. The woven detail comes at the heel counter, and he has a slat rubber sole for traction. I also have these sneakers in black, and they are $710."

"To further accentuate the teal in Kofi's top, we gave him a really neat teal Wireless Activity and Heart Rate Tracker Watch," Mary-Kate stated. "Not only does it match his shirt, keeping up with the active lifestyle WWE Superstars have, it's quite fitting for him."

"I like it a lot," remarked Kofi rotating his wrist. "It's like I've got all my Fitbit data synchronized. I've still got the traditional watch. The battery life's great, and it encompasses a lot of smartphone functions."

"Yes sir," Mary Kate replied. "That's the idea. These are $150 and are also come in black, Midnight Blue, and Plum Purple."

"And topping off his outfit, we gave Kofi a white, straw Fedora dress hat," said Ashley. "As we know, Fedoras are hats whose crease descend down the crown, pinch in the front on both sides, and have stingy brims. Kofi's is made of straw felt, so his head doesn't sweat too much in the summer heat. It also has a feather inserted in the satin band, wrapped around the crown for flair. It's $100."

" **Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna' fine me.**

 **Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna' fine me.**

 **That shit cray. That shit cray. That shit cray."**

The hook repeated as Kofi exited. Then the crowd ignited once again when Jay-Z jogged to the far right section of the stage and his partner in crime entered, rapping on the left.

"She said 'Ye, can we get married at the mall?' " rapped Kanye West, husband of Sarita's co-host Kim Kardashian-West.

Roman Reigns made his way down the runway next while Kanye continued.

" **I said you need to crawl 'fore you ball.**

 **Come and meet me in the bathroom stall.**

 **And show me why you deserve to have it all.**

 **(Ball so hard!) That shit cray. (That shit cray).**

 **Ain't it Jay? (Ball so hard...)"**

"Thank you Kofi," said Sarita. "Next we have 'The Big Dog,' Roman Reigns. He's wearing a black, two piece linen outfit with metal spikes. The outfit is made with buttery soft, Irish linen fabric."

"Why linen?" asked Kim.

"Now here's what sets me apart from some designers, particularly celebrity ones who have lines _after_ reaching fame," Sarita answered quickly, loving that she was asked that question, while taking a dig on stars who had products or endorsements with things they had no prior expertise in before becoming famous. "I not only _care_ about my fabric. I _know_ about my fabric. Don't sleep on linen. Irish linen is considered one of the best and breathable linens in the world! It wrinkles less, it's thick, and offers a great look. This means it isn't transparent like other cheap linens out there, and blocks heat better. His slacks are dual pleated pants with four outside pockets. His shirt is short sleeved with French cuffs, and the spikes are studded completely around the collar, and on the shirt pockets just beneath the button closures. This outfit is $250."

"I see the shoes reflect his shirt," said Kim.

"Yes," Sarita responded. "He's wearing a black pair of studded Venetian Loafers. The upper lining and sole is in leather, with a rich, velvety suede topline. The material's imported from Spain, and it has an easy slip-on style. These are $310."

"On Roman's wrist we have a silver and black, 45 millimeter, Automatic Bracelet Watch from our 'Modern Mariner' collection," began Mary-Kate. "It's stainless steel, has a Sapphire Crystal face, and date function. Like Randy's watch, it has a fold over clasp closure and adjustable links. But _unlike_ Randy's watch-and this is why we call it 'Modern Mariner'- it's water resistant for up to 200 meters. This is $525."

"On his face is a pair of 63 millimeter polished black and silver sunglasses," said Ashley. "The front lens has a fun space-age shape. I guess we were inspired by Star Trek when designing these, huh, Mary-Kate?" Her sister nodded. "But that curve actually helps ensure excellent peripheral vision. 100% UV protection, and these are $150."

"Bougie girl, grab her hand," rapped Kanye.

"No stranger to looking dapper is 'The Miz,' who is gracing us with his presence in a dark beige blazer, and matching slacks accompanying it," Sarita started as Miz made his way to the stage and down the runway. Miz liked coming out to that part given that his wife was Maryse. "The blazer was created in a lined, slightly-stretchy, woven Cotton fabric with notched lapels and a decorative buttonhole. It has a chest pocket, front pockets with flaps, and two inner pockets. They're decorative buttons at the cuffs, and a vent in the back. This is $60. I'm a fan of a slim-fit suit, so that's the fit we have here with this blazer."

" **Fuck that bitch! She don't wanna' dance.**

 **Excuse my French, but I'm in France. (I'm just saying).**

 **Prince William ain't do it right if you ask me.**

' **Cause if I was him I would've married Kate and Ashley…"**

"Heeeey!" the Olsen twins shouted and rocked their shoulders in rhythm to the beat, appreciating the rub from Kanye referencing them in his rhyme. He pointed right at them as he said it.

"What's going on with his pants?" asked Kim.

"Same deal with the fabric and slim fit for his suit pants, which are also dark beige," She responded. "They have a concealed hook-and-eye fastener, side-seam pockets, welt back pockets, and creases. These are $40. Miz open up the jacket for me, so we can see what's under."

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Miz with a wink as he unfastened his blazer as requested.

"He's wearing a tan, summer leisure, slim, short sleeve tee shirt," said Sarita. "What gives Miz the suave pizazz with this outfit is that this tee shirt has a V-neck cut with a buttoned up collar that's red wine in color. Party with the tee, sexy on the collar. I like that balance here. The material is a mixture of Cotton and Polyester. They're $32."

"Let's talk shoes," said Kim.

"Miz is wearing a pair of deep, Red Wine leather Casual Sneakers with a gold alligator head," Sarita stated. "These particular shoes are made to order. We have them handmade by one of my contacts who's an outstanding Italian manufacturer that completely handcrafts and hand stitches them in Italy, before shipping them to my headquarters in the states. Shoutout to Mauri and Stingray!"

"Wow, incredible," said Kim. "I'd like to know more about the alligator detail."

"Well I'll talk about the overall shoe first Kim, then come back to the gator," Sarita clarified. "The inside is a butter soft, Lambskin leather for superior comfort, and the sole is handstitched in natural rubber for excellent traction. The insole is cushioned for added shock absorption, and due to the soft lambskin interior leather, these sneakers will fit a medium foot up to a size D. We don't use the 'paint-on' process like some manufacturers do to get color on the shoes. We instead use a special aniline process to dye the premium leather."

"And why is that done?" Asked Ashley.

"Great question," Sarita quickly said. "That's done so the selected color of your choice for the leather permeates the skin _thoroughly_. The skin will maintain its color for a lifetime this way, and becomes brighter and more beautiful as it ages. These sneakers have a gold alligator head on the black laces and another gold one on the tongue. These are available for $470."

"On his wrist we have a gold and white Mesh Strap watch," Mary Kate stated. "This Sapphire, Crystal-faced watch has Roman numerals, is stainless steel with a gold plating, and has a clasp closure. It's available for $315. Thank you Mike."

Miz made his exit and did a spin before he walked through the curtain. He did that because he knew who was next, following him. Kanye continued to rap.

" **What's that, Gucci my n***a?**

 **What's that, Louis my killa'?**

 **What's that jacket, Margiela?"**

Tyler Breeze made his way to the stage. Before he even began walking down the runway, he walked to the far left side of the stage extenders and pulled on the lapel of his jacket, enticing the fans. Of course, the women screamed. Then he walked to the far right side of the stage extenders and slowly pulled his hair tie from his head, freeing the bun, and letting the locks fall. Once again, women screamed. _Finally_ , he walked back to the center, and this time he removed the jacket, draping it across his right shoulder as he proceeded forward.

"Well from one confident man in Miz, to another, from 'Prettyland' all the way to New York City, Tyler Breeze loves to make an entrance!" Sarita remarked excitedly. "Before he removed it to the affection of the ladies, Tyler was donning a Navy Blue skinny-fit blazer in slightly Melange woven fabric. Like Miz's jacket, Tyler's has a chest pocket, front pockets at the bottom with flaps and two inner pockets in the interior of the blazer. The buttonhole on the lapel is decorative-as are the buttons on the cuffs. This blazer is available for $70."

"Well technically, sweetie, he _is_ wearing the blazer," Kim began. "It's just across his shoulder."

"Hahaha, you're right Kim, you're right," Sarita responded through a chuckle. "On the bottom he's wearing matching Navy Blue suit pants made from the same fabric as the blazer. These, like Miz's outfit, also are a skinny-fit with creases. They have an extended waistband tab at the front with concealed hook-and-eye fastener side pockets, and welt back pockets. These are $35."

"I like the shirt you chose for him," said Kim.

"Thank you," blubbered Sarita. "The pants and jacket are solid navy, so for the shirt, I spruced it up. He's wearing a dark blue, tie-dyed patterned, short-sleeved shirt, with royal and navy hues. It's made from a breathable, functional, polyester fabric, and has a regular fit. So a guy could comfortably tuck it in under the belt, or as Tyler has it, just pull it over your belt buckle. These are $15 and also come in solid navy, black, red, Light Grey Melange, Dark Grey Melange,and Grey-polygon patterned."

"Looking good, looking good," Kim noted.

"On his feet are a pair of Navy Blue, Italian leather, slip on style Driving Shoes," said Sarita. "They have rubber soles and the gunmetal buckle across his feet is in Yellow Gold. These also come in Bianco White, Ferrari Red, Mogano Brown, and Nero Black. $330 for them. Ladies, you hooked him up with accessories. Talk to me!"

"Well it's great working with an _actual_ model on the roster," began Mary-Kate who winked at Tyler, noting his gimmick. "Very professional and open to our creative vision. We gave him a blue casual pleated scarf around his neck, made of acrylic material. The color is a mixed patterned blue, playing off your shirt Sarita, and is available for $22."

"On his wrist is a Chronograph, Navy Blue leather strap 44 millimeter watch," said Ashley. "This watch has date function, a Sapphire-Crystal face, and is stainless steel with a Rose Gold ionic plating. It also has Greek motif details surrounding the dial, elevating the style of the watch, giving it both a sense of taste and luxury. This is $1,795."

"And finishing him off, on his face is a pair of Sky Blue mirror with matte gold, Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses with polarized flash lenses," explained Mary-Kate. "He's getting his 100% UV protection in style with adjustable nose pads, metal frames, and that patented double bridge aviator design. These are $210."

" **Doctors say I'm the illest.**

 **'Cause I'm suffering from realness.**

 **Got my n****s in Paris.**

 **And they going gorillas! Huh!"**

"Thank you Tyler!" shouted Sarita as he exited, but not before his signature quick turn and puckered pout.

Kanye and Jay-Z left the stage, and their track stopped. The fans weren't sure why it ended. They wanted answers because they knew there were more lyrics in the song. Sarita was aware of this, but there was a plan. Both Kanye and Jay-Z would be back later.

With the music suspended, Sarita took a moment to address the crowd. "Hey guys, you remember I said Enzo and Cass could join the party?" They cheered.

"You want to see them?" She asked, and they cheered again. "I try to keep my word. Come on out, boys."

" **Uh, uh, check it out (Yeah). Junior Mafia (Hehe, Mmm).**

 **Uh (I like this). Yeah, yeah. Nine-fo' (Keep bangin')."**

DJ Pauly D started scratching again, and Notorious B.I.G.'s music video of "Big Poppa" started playing on the LED monitors, while the track itself was being played by Pauly D. Notorious B.I.G was another New York rapper, and the fans were vibing out to his flow.

" **To all the ladies in the place with style and grace:**

 **Allow me to lace these lyrical douches, in your bushes…**

 **The back of the club, mackin' hoes, my crew's behind me…**

 **Mad questions askin,' blunt passin,' music blastin.'**

 **But I just can't quit.**

 **'Cause one of these honies Biggie gots ta' creep wit…"**

Big Cass walked out, but he was _not_ alone.

"I guess Tyler isn't the only one who likes to make his presence known," Sarita announced through a laugh as Big Cass came to the stage with the arm candy of Natalya, Bayley, and Jojo. Bayley was on the left, Natalya on the right. JoJo was first and raised her hands, pointing in the direction he, Bayley, and Natalya were going to enter from. When they came, he leaned down to JoJo, and she gave him a smooch on the cheek, since the other two were on his arm.

The ladies were still wearing their Daytime outfits, minus the jewelry accompanying them. Big Cass unlinked his arms from the ladies, and escorted them down the runway one by one before they left. Then he did his own walk. The chorus hit.

" **I love it when you call me 'Big Poppa!'**

 **Throw your hands in the air, if you'se a true player.**

 **I love it when you call me 'Big Poppa!'**

 **To all the honies gettin' money, playin' n****s like dummies!**

 **I love it when you call me 'Big Poppa!'**

 **If you got a gun in your waist, please don't shoot up the place. (Why?)**

' **Cause I see some ladies tonight that should be having' my baby, baby."**

"I have 'Big Poppa'-I mean Cass-in a Green Paisley design embroidery two piece linen outfit," Sarita began. "The shirt is short-sleeved with over 1,000 hand-stitches of embroidery designs from the chest down to the end of the hem of the shirt. The slacks are green plaid, dual-pleated, have four outside pockets, and French Cuffs. They're also wide legged, and the plaid pattern on the pants is repeated on the shoulder blades of the shirt. The material is made from the same, high quality Irish linen fabric, and is available for $250."

"How you doin'!" Big Cass yelled out to the crowd.

"On his feet are a pair of Bean Brown Ostrich and Leather casual sneakers," said Sarita. "Like a similar pair modeled by Miz, these are made to order. These have exotic skin. We don't paint on color. There's a special tanning process to glaze the premium grade Ostrich in the upper material. The inside has a butter soft calf leather for superior comfort, cushioned for shock absorption. These are $350."

"We like working with New Yorkers," said Mary-Kate. "On his wrist is a gold, Crystal Bezel, chronograph bracelet watch. This watch is stainless steel with a gold ionic plating, date function, and water resistant for up to 200 meters. The subdials are chronographic. The links to the bracelet-like a few other watches the gentlemen have modeled-are adjustable. The watch has a dual polish finish, and is available for $350."

"On Colin's face-may I call you Colin?" asked Ashley, referring to his original ring name of Colin Cassady.

"Go for it baby," he replied, and Ashley smiled.

"Colin's wearing a pair of Tortoise Brown, surf rider, 63 millimeter sunglasses," said Ashley. "These sporty wrap around nylon frames create a lightweight foundation, featuring trademarked 'Polarized Plus 2' lens technology. These are $230, and also come in grey. But perhaps the most enjoyable piece of Colin's outfit is his golden, Sienna Pearl with rhinestones, collar designer adjustable cane."

Ashley was not lying. When Cass was chatting with Mario López about different scenes in the show he was appearing in, this was one of the ones he was talking about. He was on cloud nine when he heard he'd get a pimp cane. Combine that with the fact that Sarita approved him walking out with three of the ladies _and_ to the "Big Poppa" song, showcasing his size, he was quite happy.

"This stunning walking cane features a blend of black and gold within its beautiful pearlescent handle, giving it an amazing marble-like finish," Ashley expounded. "It's lightweight, comes installed with a complimentary rubber tip, and adjustable shaft. There's a magnificent set of golden rhinestones between two golden collars. This is $70. Please refer to our website for sizing. Our general cane line is designed for users who weigh up to 180 pounds and are 6'1 in height. Obviously, 'Big Cass' is both bigger _and_ taller than that. So we do have heavy duty canes with comfort, style, and resiliency for larger men. And he's rocking one: Thanks Colin!"

Cass made his exit and the LED screen changed. A music video-just like one that displayed before Cass' entrance-appeared. But it wasn't "Big Poppa" repeating for a second time. It was a different song, and by a different artist.

" **You know I-thug 'em, fuck 'em, love 'em, leave 'em.**

' **Cause I don't fuckin' need 'em!**

 **Take 'em out the hood, keep 'em lookin' good.**

 **But I don't fuckin' feed 'em…**

' **Til I need a nut, 'til I need to beat the guts.**

 **Then it's beep, beep, and pickin 'em up…**

 **Me give my heart to woman? Not for nothin', never happen.**

 **I'll be forever mackin'. Heart cold. Ass-assassin. I got no passion…"**

DJ Pauly D started scratching a beat with Caribbean steel drums, standard snare percussion, and scattered chords from a Xylophone, as Jay-Z rapped another one of his hits, "Big Pimpin' "featuring UGK. The crowd erupted when he returned to the stage with a mic, and bobbed their heads for the performance.

"Hands up!" Jay-Z shouted. "NY make some noise, and vibe out wit' me on this part. Let's go!"

" **Now let's RI-I-I-I-I-DE! Check 'em out now.**

 **RI-I-I-I-I-DE! Yeah, yeah, yeah.**

 **Now let's RI-I-I-I-I-DE! Yeah."**

The final male participant in Sarita's fashion show made his entrance.

"The _realest_ _guy_ _in_ _the_ _room_ , or I should say on the stage rather," began Sarita. "Enzo Amorè, is coming down the runway with company as well."

"I guess he refused to be outdone," said Kim.

She was right. Big Cass came down the runway, not only with a pimp cane, but with Bayley, Natalya, and JoJo. Enzo felt he could top that. The crowd grinned when he was escorted by Maryse, Nikki Bella, and Shannon. He danced a couple of seconds with each one.

Like Cass, he came out to a different song than all the other men. But, _unlike_ Cass, his was performed _live_ by friends of the co-hosts.

"Well Enzo says he's a 'number one stunner,' and doesn't drive a jalopy. Therefore, it's only fitting that this 'certified G,' is all about the Benjamins," Sarita remarked and received a passionate nod from Enzo. "I have Enzo in a red, two piece short set with several $100 bills printed across them."

"Yessir!" Enzo said happily, patting the money on his garments while Sarita continued to explain the outfit.

"Both the shirt and shorts are made from a combination of Cotton and Irish linen. The shorts are a standard short, so they will come just an inch or two beyond the knee. These are not capri shorts men, if what you were interested in is something extending down to your shin. The bills are on both the front and back sides of these $110 shorts, and only on the front side of the $75 shirt. In addition to red, these are also available in Heather Grey."

" **We doin' big pimpin,' spending cheese. Check 'em out now.**

 **Big pimpin' on B.L.A.D's. We doin' big pimpin' up in NYC.**

 **It's just that Jiggaman, Pimp C, and B-U-N-B.**

 **Yo, yo, yo. Big pimpin,' spending cheese.**

 **We doin' big pimpin' on B.L.A.D's. We doin' big pimpin' up in NYC.**

 **It's just that Jiggaman, and Enzo, reppin' for that North Jersey!"**

Enzo lit up like a school child when Jay-Z revised the end of a lyric for him during the chorus. He didn't know Jay-Z would do that. He wanted to top Big Cass by also coming out with women, but getting his song performed _live_ by friends of the co-hosts too. Jay-Z actually tossing his name in a verse made it even sweeter. He once again, did his leg dance as he passed Jay-Z down the aisle.

"I definitely recognize the kicks," Kim remarked with a wink to Sarita.

"I know you do!" yelled Sarita. "Enzo is sporting a pair of your husband's shoes. That's right, I have him rocking a pair of Adidas, 'Yeezy Boost' 350 red sneakers by Kanye West. These sneakers are completely red on the top and bottom with the 'Yeezy' name and some infamous quotes by Kanye himself, scattered all around the shoe in black in a scribble-style font in small letters. The red and black pattern with text is repeated on the laces as well. The shoe is made of synthetic fabric with three impactful hues of yarn, giving you a snug, but incredibly comfortable fit all the way down to its semi-translucent rubber sole. They weigh two and half pounds. They're available in several colors: the red/black mix, which is what Enzo is wearing, full black, blue/grey, grey/white, and grey/pirate black. These strikingly-superior kicks can be yours for $1,478."

That was yet another reason Enzo was excited. Women joined him on the runway. Jay-Z performed for him. _And_ he had a pair of Yeezys.

"No disrespect to Colin," began Mary-Kate. "But not every pimp needs a cane or shades. Enzo certainly doesn't. The first thing we put on him was a black leather, empty top visor. He likes to show the hair. So we made sure we grabbed him a hat that had his head exposed, but was also _fly_ by his standards. This leather visor is solid-no printed pattern-and available for $45. On his wrist is a black, custom Pilot Watch. Most of the watches the men have modeled were created with Swiss quartz movement. This one is made with Japanese, ensuring it will last for years to come. This sport watch has chronographs, a black plated Alloy metal, and has a heavy feel with a large face. The Czech crystals set on the dial, bezel, and band of this $280 watch give it an amazing shine."

"Well just from spending the past few days interacting with some of the WWE Superstars, I learned that Enzo loves 'ice.' For those not in the know, I mean jewelry, and he loves chains specifically," explained Ashley. "So we gave the man what he wants! He's wearing three chains around his neck. The first one is a black gold finish, iced-out Miami Cuban chain. This 30" inch chain weighs 105 grams, has 6.50-carats of flawless simulated diamond stones in every link. It comes plated over brass with a triple-locking clasp. He's getting the same look and feel of a $9,000 chain for $150. The second chain is a solid steel, non-fading simulated diamond chain. This 34" inch Tennis Chain has the highest quality of black simulated diamonds and is made out of solid, stainless steel. It will never fade or tarnish like plated pendants and is _stronger_ than Silver or White gold. It's available for $215. His final chain is a black on black multi-row Tennis Chain. This 30" inch, three-tier chain is made from Czech crystals and black rhodium plated alloy metal. For $250, you'll definitely have the most _bling_ for your buck."

"But we didn't stop there!" yelled Mary Kate. "On his opposite wrist not donning the watch is a flawless, simulated diamond Stainless Steel Bracelet designed with cross-shaped pendants. This 8.5" inch long, 90 grams in weight, and 18-carat bracelet has Micropave' prong set stones with breathing holes. It's big. It's thick. It's fancy. It will never fade or tarnish. And for $180, you'll turn heads like Enzo did with Maryse, Shannon, and Nikki."

"Let's hear it one more time for the fellas in my Summer Daytime Chic collection," said Sarita.

The song that most of the models walked out to, "N****s in Paris," performed by Jay-Z and Kanye West, started playing again. Kanye returned, and Jay-Z was already on the stage, since he performed 'Big Pimpin' for Enzo. The rappers performed the last few lines of "N****s in Paris," as the men returned to the stage to showcase their looks again. Kanye was first.

" **You are now watching the throne. Don't let me get in my zone.**

 **These other n****s is lyin.' Actin' like the summer ain't mine!"**

Jay-Z was next.

" **I got that hot bitch in my home!"**

Obviously, he was referring to his wife Beyoncé Knowles. She was not in New York because her world tour was currently in Tokyo, Japan.

It was Kanye's turn again.

" **You know how many hot bitches, I own?**

 **The stars is in the building. They hands is to the ceiling.**

 **I know I'm 'bout to kill it. How you know? I got that feeling…"**

Then in unison.

" **You are now watching the throne.**

 **Don't let me into my zone. I'm definitely in my zone."**

* * *

"I want to check in again with my cousin backstage," said Sarita. "What's going on Mario?"

"Cuz, I'm standing by with the lovely Maryse," who clearly seems to be having a good time as well. "How are you, beautiful?"

"Fantastic!" Maryse yelled as she tightened her robe. "We're in New York. I'm with my husband. I'm getting back to my roots-modeling-which I love. We're doing this for a good cause. Couldn't be happier."

"Excellent, excellent," Mario remarked with a smile. "Really quickly, I know you're headed over to make up. But is there a category you're looking forward to?"

"Swimsuit!" shouted Maryse as she left the entertainment host.

"There you go Sarita," said Mario. "Like the guys, the girls are having a blast too. Kim, I've been chasing my son Nico in the back because I've seen a preview of some of the swimsuits; and I can totally understand why you kept North and Saint at home. Back to you ladies."

A familiar and catchy hook started.

" **Summer, summer, summertime!**

 **Time to sit back and unwind."**

DJ Pauly D played a Hip Hop classic from "The Fresh Prince" known to many by now as Academy Award nominated, summer-blockbuster actor, Will Smith. Will Smith, or "The Fresh Prince," during his rapping days with his longtime friend and partner DJ Jazzy Jeff, was a great, smooth lyricist, who like other Hip Hop acts who gained prominence in the 1980s such as Kid-N-Play, LL Cool J, or Run DMC, didn't have to use much swearing or vulgarity in his lines. It still didn't mean these artists did not include or implicate adult subject matters in their songs. They were just creative and clever enough to not make a regular habit of being overtly offensive or disrespectful.

" **Here it is: the groove slightly transformed.**

 **Just a bit of break from the norm.**

 **Just a little somethin' to break the monotony..."**

As the song continued to play, the LED screens displayed a slide show of various tropical locations that were tourist attractions for many people: Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and Puerto Rico. The text and flag representing each nation were on the bottom corner of the screens, providing a caption to accompany the slide. This was a decision made by Sarita in the event some spectators weren't familiar with certain iconic landmarks of each country. "Runners," or extra crew members not on Sarita's tailor team, but helping with the show, passed out plastic sunglasses for audience members for free. They were black with the red and white WWE logo on them.

"It's still August, which means, we've got a little over a month left in the season to show more skin in the Northeast BK!" shouted Sarita to the crowd, shortening her hometown city's name by their initials. "So if you all are down, let's check out pieces from my Beachwear line. Ladies?"

" **Give me a soft subtle mix. And if it ain't broke, then don't try to fix it!**

 **And think of the summers of the past. Adjust the bass, and let the Alpine blast!"**

"Well J may like all black everything, but this woman is in all _blue_ everything," said Sarita with a grin as Shannon made her way on the stage. "Shannon Storm is in a vibrant, and vivacious Royal Blue V-neck with Cobalt Blue sequined, sheer, ¾ sleeved, Romper Playsuit."

Shannon was carrying a foam seashell with her, and when she made it to the midpoint of the runway, tossed it over to the crowd, so she could strike a quick pose. Her left hand was down at her side, and her right hand was cupped at the base of her neck as she emphasized the V-neck line of the romper. Then she continued to walk.

"Shannon's romper has an elastic waist, and is partially lined," Sarita continued. "The sequined embellished fabric is made of 72% Polyester material, with 25% Sequin, and 3% Spandex. It's $55."

"Like Sarita said-all blue everything for Ms. Shannon-so I have her in a Royal Blue, Suede, lace-up, heeled sandal," noted Kim. "The suede is on the upper portion of the shoe. These are open-toe, and the lace up the ankle is once again with a tassel. But her tassel is embellished in blue leather. These are $160. Thanks girl!"

Kim had a break not showcasing shoes for the men. The twins got a break, enjoying the show for themselves as the ladies had no accessories in this category.

" **Pop in my CD, and let me run a rhyme.**

 **Put your car on cruise, and lay back.**

' **Cause this is summertime!"**

The hook repeated. Shannon exited and the next model made their way out.

"Keeping up with the V-neck of Shannon, welcome back Nikki!" Sarita exclaimed. "Nikki is wearing a black, deep V, strappy-back, embroidery, Wide-legged Jumpsuit. It has beautiful artistic doodles in white at the rear of the leg and against the lining of the V hem. "

"I like that," said Mary-Kate. "You're going longer here. Shannon had the romper. She has the jumper."

"She's also flipping the script too," Ashley added. "Shannon's romper had ¾ length sleeves. Nikki's jumpsuit has no sleeves at all."

" **School is out and it's a sort of a buzz.**

 **But back then I didn't really know what it was.**

 **But now I see what have of this.**

 **The way that people respond to summer madness."**

Nikki was carrying a plastic pail and mini shovel in her right hand as she walked. For a few seconds, she feigned digging up sand, before pivoting her hip striking a pose with her hand on her waist. Then she continued to walk.

"Good observations twins," said Sarita. "This jumpsuit is made of 100% Polyester, non- stretchable material. So please be sure to have an accurate measurement of your bust, waist, and leg length ladies when ordering. I want you to have a sexy-snug, but safe-fit if you pick this one up. These are available for $70."

"Paired with this jumpsuit, Nikki has on a pair of black/white Slip-on heel sandals from my collection," said Kim. "The upper portion of the sandal is leather and Polyurethane, with a Snake-Skin style finish. The high heels are 11 centimeters. These are $145. Thanks Nikki!"

Nikki Bella exited and the next model made their way to the stage.

" **The weather is hot and girls are dressin' less.**

 **And checkin' out the fellas to tell 'em who's best.**

 **Riding around in your jeep or your Benzos.**

 **Or in your Nissan sittin' on Lorenzos."**

"Returning to the stage is Natalya in a white-It's not Labor Day yet-cold shoulder romper," Sarita explicated. "This romper has a bit more volume than the V-neck Shannon modeled. This is made with Nylon material, has a V-neck neckline, but also spaghetti straps. Additionally, there's a strappy back, scalloped hem and bracelet sleeves. The volume comes from multiple layers of delicate lace in an overlay pattern on the romper. Yours for $320."

Natalya didn't have any props like Nikki or Shannon. She simply waved at the fans as she made it to the rear of the runway, and waited for the ladies to explain her outfit.

"Another favorite in my shoe collection. Ugh! So cute!" exclaimed Kim. "Nattie's wearing a pair of my sexy, solid gold, Chain Sandals. These chain sandals are made with a soft leather style, and rubber outsole material. They have a 3" inch skinny high heel, with a 3" centimeter platform, and buckle strap closure. These are available for $280. Nice seeing you again Nattie."

" **Back in Philly, we be out in the park.**

 **A place called the Plateau is where everybody goes.**

 **Guys out huntin' and girls doin' likewise.**

 **Honkin' at the honey in front of you with the light eyes."**

The next woman entered.

"Shannon was decked out in blue, Natalya in white, Nikki in a black and white mix," Sarita started. "So let's brighten up the scene with more color! I have JoJo in a Georgia Peach Orange, tie-front, open-belly, split-sleeve, Romper Playsuit."

"This is so cute!" exclaimed Ashley.

JoJo carried a medium sized umbrella which was open, and held down to sheer her face. Once Sarita began describing her attire, she lifted it from her face, and propped it against her shoulder as she strutted her stuff down the runway.

"Thanks love," said Sarita. "It's made of 100% Polyester woven fabric. It has a cute open belly. It's not overly done-just enough-like a tunic top. There's a long tie closure at both the front, and a short tie closure at the bottom of the sleeves. The neckline is plunge, and this is available for $55. I have to say ladies, this particular playsuit, like one of the rompers modeled earlier, is made of non-stretchable material with a regular fit. So please as a reminder, know your measurements before ordering."

"On JoJo's feet are a pair of platinum, gold leather, Crystal-embellished Sandals," said Kim.

"These sandals have a leather upper synthetic lining and leather sole with a back zip closure. The dazzling, sparkling, 4½" ankle cuff and barely visible toe strap set the standard. They're lifted by a slender, wrapped 3¾" inch stiletto, and in addition to the platinum gold leather that JoJo is wearing, are available in Pewter and black. For $175, a definite showstopper for sure."

JoJo pointed her left index finger at Kim with a bright smile before she turned for her exit. She did so for the "showstopping" comment. Not only was it relevant to the shoe, that was one of the "Heartbreak Kid," Shawn Michaels' nicknames.

" **She turn around to see what you beepin' at.**

 **It's like the summer's a natural aphrodisiac.**

 **And with a pen and pad I compose this rhyme.**

 **To hit you and get you equipped for the summertime."**

"Keeping it rolling with not only the vibrant color, but orange specifically, it's Bayley," said Sarita. "I have her in a multi-color, but Tangerine Orange is the dominant color, in this off-shoulder, folk floral print, Romper Playsuit."

"I'm a big fan of the off-shoulder cut," said "Mary Kate. Nice job Sarita."

"Thank you," Sarita remarked with gratitude. "This is made-once again like the other playsuit JoJo was in-from a 100%, non-stretchable Polyester fabric. Kim talked a lot about her shoes having tassel-ties at the ankles. Well, Bayley's playsuit has tasseled drawstring ties at the waist. This is $64."

Bayley extended her arms wide in glee like the wild, wacky inflatable tube men that accompanied her during her ring-entrance when she made it to the rear of the runway.

"To compensate with some of the color in the floral print of the playsuit, I've put Bayley in a pair of beige, leather, cutout, Ankle-tie Heeled Sandals. The height of their skinny heel is 11" centimeters, and I love the criss-cross lace up on the shoe as the cut-outs on the sandal curve. These are $115. Thanks Bayley!"

The hook repeated as Bayley exited before the last model made their way to the stage. When Shannon saw Bayley walking around in these backstage, she was jealous. She so wanted a pair.

" **It's late in the day, and I ain't been on the court yet.**

 **Hustle to the mall to get me a short set.**

 **Yeah, I got on sneaks, but I need a new pair.**

' **Cause basketball courts in the summer got girls there..."**

"Returning the the dark colors, and longer suits," Sarita started. "I have Maryse in a stunning black, Lace-flared Jumpsuit. This is the more sophisticated of my jumpsuits and rompers. Evening though she's modeling this for a Beachwear look, it could also be a flattering eveningwear alternative in the summer because of its pretty lace. This sleeveless, halter neckline jumpsuit is made of Italian Cotton, Rayon, and Polyamide lace. The legs are flared, the waist is seamed, and it has a concealed back zip. There's roughly 60" inches from the shoulder to the hem, with an inseam of about 30" inches. This item is $2,595."

"Whoah, big difference from the others, but worth every penny my dear," Kim said reassuringly. "To go with that divine piece, I have Maryse in a clear, back strap, High Heel Sandal. These are chunky heels with a 3" centimeter platform, while the heel itself is 4" inches. What makes them so sexy to me and like a novelty is the fact that the entire shoe is transparent. Something about a clear shoe just takes it over the top in my opinion. These are $110."

Maryse blew kisses out to fans as she made it to the rear of the stage.

"Give it up New York for my ladies reppin' the Beachwear looks!" shouted Sarita.

" **Everybody come lookin' real fine.**

 **Fresh from the barber shop, or fly from the beauty salon.**

 **Every moment frontin' and maxin'.**

 **Chillin' in the car they spent all day waxin.'**

 **Leanin' to the side, but you can't speed through.**

 **Two miles an hour so everybody sees you.**

 **There's an air of love and of happiness.**

 **And this is the 'Fresh Prince's' new defintion of summer madness."**

Maryse, Nikki, Shannon, Natalya, JoJo, and Bayley all returned in the order they appeared to showcase Sarita's looks again as the music played on.

" **If everybody had an ocean, across the U.S.A.**

 **Then everybody'd be surfin,' like Californi-a.**

 **You'd see them wearing their baggies.**

 **Huarache sandals too.**

 **A bushy, bushy, blonde hairdo. Surfin' USA!"**

As the hook of "Summertime" faded out and the Beach Boys' "Surfin' USA," began, more runners in dark clothing ran down the stage assembling more beach theme props that a few of the ladies brought with them down the runway. The stage-both the full runway and the the left and right extenders-were enormous. So having mini-sets midway through the runway wouldn't harm the aesthetics of the venue. It only enhanced the LED screen backgrounds that were displaying real-life images of tropical locations. The men would simply walk around around them as they proceeded further down the runway, or stop near them in time to pose for fans taking pictures with their electronic devices.

The ladies had a swimsuit category later on in the show to flaunt. So Sarita decided to combine both Beachwear and Swimwear for the men into one category.

"I'm not leaving the boys out," said Sarita. "This Wild Cat, not Mrs. Lesnar, but Kofi Kingston," Sarita continued with her wit, alluding to Sable, who was the former wife of Marc Mero, and current wife of Brock Lesnar. "Is coming out popping color the way Kim, the twins, and I like like to pop bottles! He's wearing a pair of Aquamarine Blue, 'Phantom,' block party boardshorts."

Kofi made his way down the runway.

" **You catch 'em surfin' at Del Mar.**

 **(Inside, outside, USA) Ventura County.**

 **(Inside, outside, USA) Santa Cruz and Trestle.**

 **(Inside, outside, USA) Australia's Narrabeen.**

 **(Inside, outside, USA) All over Manhattan."**

Ironically enough even though the crowd made noise at the mention of Manhattan, the Beach Boys were never talking about New York City when they made the record. They actually were referring to Manhattan Beach City, California where they grew up.

"Why are they called Phantom?" asked Ashley.

"I call them Phantom, Ash, because do you see the trio of orange stripes on his left leg, right above his knee?" Sarita asked and Ashley nodded. "Well, thinking about the Phantom of the Opera where a portion of his face is covered, that was my inspiration here. Just one side to give him a great look. These are made of 85% Polyester, and 15% Spandex. The spandex helps stretch the material and moves with your body. We know how heavy the weight of trunks feel when men exit the water, so that helps out there. There are scalloped hems, an easy-tie front drawstring closure along the contrasting orange waist band, and even a backflip pocket with hook and loop closures. These are $80 and also available in black."

" **(Inside, outside, USA) And down Doheny Way**

 **(Inside, outside) Everybody's gone surfin.' Surfin' USA!"**

"Covering the base of his trunks, on his sternum is a bright, sporty, Meridian Blue tank top," Sarita explained. "It's an upgrade to a traditional tank top, and is more pricey because of the Polyester I use. A lot of athletic apparel companies-be it Nike, Adidas, Under Armour-understand 100% polyester swipes away sweat easily and have taken advantage of that finding to further enhance the technology they put in their products. My tank tops are 2" inches wider at the shoulder, providing deep arm cut openings so guys can flaunt their gun show. These are $42."

"Those toes are cozy huh, Kofi?" Mary Kate asked the New Day member. He replied with a "Yep."

"On his feet are pair of Electric Blue Crocs. I dig it for him because it's an iconic, classic, unisex clog shoe," said Sarita. "Kofi likes to bounce around and he can do so freely with a simple slip on design, and secure heel strap around the ankle. These are available in several other colors: chocolate, khaki, Navy Blue, black, Neon Magenta Pink, Parrot Green, Bell Pepper Red, Lapis Purple, Lilac Purple, and Storm Grey. Their quirky. They're soft. And again, very vibrant in color. Your man won't be missed sporting this footwear, available for $40. Thanks Kofi."

Before Kofi exited the stage, he squatted down as close as he could to a fan for a selfie. Then rose up and headed through the curtain.

" **We'll all be planning that route. We're gonna' take real soon.**

 **We're waxing down our surfboards. We can't wait for June.**

 **We'll all be gone for the summer. We're on surfari to stay.**

 **Tell the teacher we're surfin'! Surfin' USA."**

"Our next model is Jason Jordan, who is in a pair of black and white 'Palms' swim trunks," said Sarita once Jason approached the stage. Playing to the lyrics on the song, he was carrying a surfboard with him under his armpit. He removed it from his armpit, rotated it vertically so it was standing up straight, and stood stoically for a pose while fans took pictures. After a few seconds, he started to walk down the runway.

"These trunks are made of 100% Polyester with an elastic, drawstring waistband, and mesh lining." she continued. "They also have pockets on the side seams, as well as a back flap pocket. I call them Palm trunks because these black trunks are completely decked out all over with white, bold, leaf prints. It doesn't matter if a guy's headed to a community pool or some other tropical paradise, he'll look hot when wet. These are $98."

Jordan, when he made it to the rear of the runway, placed his surfboard flat on the surface, and stood on it, pretending to ride a wave. He was enjoying himself.

"Paired with his shorts, Jason is wearing a white, Graphic Tank Top," said Sarita. "The patterned graphic on the tank is a repeat of the leaves in his shorts, just inverted in color. His shorts are black with white Palm tree leaves. His top is white with the leaves outlined in black. This top is made for a true, trim-fit through the armholes and chest. It's not intentionally made with extra coverage for men with larger sternums in its model form. So, if you are a bigger guy like Jason, just order the next size up from your normal tee shirt size. These are $26."

" **Haggerties and Swamis. (Inside, outside, USA).**

 **Pacific Palisades. (Inside, outside, USA).**

 **San Onofre and Sunset. (Inside, outside, USA).**

 **Redondo Beach, LA. (Inside, outside, USA).**

 **All over La Jolla. (Inside, outside, USA).**

 **At Waimea Bay. (Inside, Outside)."**

"Careful now," warned Sarita to Jordan. "I'm not sure those black, Gucci Flip Flops are the standard footwear you'd want to have on while riding a surfboard. The signature color straps and the metal band connecting them together define a no-frill design, making them a totally laid-black flip flop. These have a leather and rubber sole, and are also available with burgundy straps. $360."

"And we decided to throw a basic black sun visor hat on him to cap off the look," said Mary Kate. "The visor is made of cotton, and the lining under of the brim is white, to accentuate his trunks and top. These are also available in white, red, pink, Pewter Blue, tan, brown, purple, and grey. $12. Thanks J."

Jordan picked up his surfboard and headed back up the runway while the next model approached.

" **I got my windows down, and the radio up. Turn ya' radio up!"**

DJ Pauly D started playing the the "Cruise" Remix by Florida-Georgia Line featuring Nelly.

" **Yeah when I first saw that bikini top on her,**

 **she was poppin' right out of the South Georgia water.**

 **I thought, 'Oh good Lord! She's got them long, tanned legs.'**

 **I couldn't help myself. So I walked up and said:"**

"From surfin' to cruisin' Miz needs no accessory when his wife is on his arm," announced Sarita as Miz approached the runway with Maryse, who returned with her beachwear outfit still on. "He's wearing a pair of silver, 'Sparkle Stars' swim shorts. These shorts, which are made of 90% Nylon and 10% Spandex, come with a full mesh lining, zipper fly, and vertical mesh pockets on each side. All of those features will help the men keep it all in place as they make a splash in a crazy but colorful print design. These are $60, and also available in Silver Sparkle Fish, Sparkle Gems, and Turquoise Zig Zags."

Maryse and Miz engaged in playful pecks when they made to the end of the runway as Sarita continue to explain the outfit.

" **Baby, you're a song. You make me wanna' roll my windows down and cruise,**

 **down a back road, blowin' stop signs through the middle,**

 **of every little farm town with you. And this brand new Chevy with a lift kit,**

 **would look a hell of a lot better with you up in it! (Come on!)**

 **So baby you're a song. You make me wanna' roll my windows done and cruise!"**

"We have another tank top here," Sarita began. "But Miz's is different. He's wearing a long, Charcoal Grey, phone-pocket, Gym Tank Top. The fabric is made of 80% Cotton and 30% Polyester. It has a crew neck, deep cut out for arm openings, and a large 4" inch front pocket in the center of the chest, large enough to fit most smartphones. These are $30. On his feet are a black pair of Chaco Z/Cloud 2 sandals. The Polyester jacquard webbing strap wraps the foot and goes through the midsole for a custom fit. The toe loop helps secure the foot, and the molded ladder lock buckle at the ankle. Oh, another cool thing is that the antimicrobial technology a part of their construction helps combat odors. So fellas: No excuses on fighting off Athlete's Foot. These are $110. Thanks Miz!"

The track didn't stop. "Cruise" continued to play as Miz and Maryse made their exits, and the next model approached.

" **My window's down. My seat's back.**

 **My music's up, and we ride!**

 **Her legs are up on my dashboard.**

 **And it's just the way that I like!"**

"From the 'Midwest' to the 'Dirty South,' here comes 'The Viper,' Randy Orton," announced Sarita happily, referencing Miz, the Ohio native, coming from the Midwest, and Randy being a resident of the Dirty South. Depending on who you asked, some people grouped Missouri in the Midwest too.

Sarita knew exactly what she was doing. Nelly, a popular rapper who proudly represented "the Dirty South," was not only from Missouri, like Randy. But he was also from St. Louis specifically. She had a crush on Randy, and felt him walking out to Nelly's part would be cute.

"He's got on a pair of 'Poseidon Sparkle,' square cut, swim trunks," she continued. "The fabric is made of 90% Nylon and 10% Lycra. This is a shorter trunk, so it doesn't have pockets. Ideally, if you're a guy with great thighs, this is the trunk for you to accentuate them. I make up for the lack of pockets with a bold print design with leg trim. I call them Poseidon because he's the God of Water. Randy's trunks are a rich Royal Blue, with a metallic shine. Across the entire short are waves outlined in black, with solid black stripes across the leg trim. In addition to the colors available from Miz's trunks, Randy's specific design also comes in Sparkle Gems, Neon Palms, Multi Scribble, Camouflage, and Blue Starfish. $65."

Randy smirked when Sarita talked about guys having great thighs being a perfect fit for this kind of trunk. He rubbed his legs as he looked at her, before peering over at the raucous crowd.

" **Hey country girl!**

 **This country boy loves everything about you.**

 **Don't change a thing! Stay the same!**

 **Baby girl, I got you!"**

"Randy's also wearing a Royal Blue, mesh, sports tank top," announced Sarita. "The 12% of Spandex added to the 88% Polyester makes this top soft, breathable, and stretchy. It has a scoop neckline and because it has a silhouette fit, the shirt will snug the frame of your chest. I've put solid black rubber strips on the sides-the oblique areas of the muscle-as well as a strip across the upper back for a modern look. These are $50, and also come in white and burgundy."

" **I liked and saw all that!**

 **Head to toe? You 'all that!'**

 **Tell 'ol boy he can call back.**

 **Send a text that say, 'Fall back'..."**

"On his feet are a black pair of Vionic, Slip-on Sandals," Sarita continued. "These sandals are made of genuine leather and offer a wide dual, van straps, which are adjustable with hook and loop fasteners. I like to take care of my men-"

"You what?" asked Kim, quickly cutting Sarita off. She heard what the hell her best friend said. She wanted to make sure Sarita did too.

"Well, we gave Kofi the activity tracker watch because he's always bouncing around," Sarita defended herself, and saved face at the same time through a blush. "Miz is very active on social media, so I gave him the tank with the large front pocket for his smartphone. Randy is no different. The lightweight, flexible, medium-density of the midsole absorb shock to reduce stress on the feet, ankles, and knees. He's out on injury for his shoulder. I'm looking out for his lower half. These are $110, and also available in brown. Randy's reppin' the 'Show Me State' indeed!"

Randy made his exit from the runway, and the next model entered the stage. They clenched their fists, and feigned throwing punches a few times before beginning to make their way down the runway.

" **So just watchin' her long, blonde hair.**

 **Sunburn stare at them wack caps rolling over. Laid back!"**

"Surfin' USA" and "Cruise" weren't the only times DJ Pauly took a break from Hip Hop tracks.

He returned to the Country genre a second time. Soon after the initial acoustic guitar and handclaps of Jake Owen's "Beachin' " began, electric guitar and percussion accompanied it. Jake Owen, similar to Sam Hunt, and Florida-Georgia Line were a part of a new wave of male country artists, who would periodically play around with elements of rap in some of their tracks. In "Beachin' " specifically, Jake raps the verses, but sings the chorus.

" **In a thrift store beach chair, droppin' limes in her Corona.**

 **Well she looks back, yeah.**

 **She throws me a kiss like, 'Honey, I sure want ya'."**

"The champ is here!" yelled Sarita. "John Cena is back, and is wearing a black, mesh, 'King' boxing short. When most people look at John, he reads "ultimate jock, American boy" to them. These mesh shorts are constructed from an athletic mesh jersey. If you look closely as John makes a complete 360 turn for me, there is one back right pocket, a flat front with faux-fly stitching, but no liner! See, that's why I call them 'King.' These are ultra lightweight and breathable sports-lounge shorts. And on their own, ladies, you'll love them because there's not much coverage in the front or rear."

The women cheered.

" **And it's 103 between her and me. But only 92 in Daytona!"**

Cena did live Florida.

"I know, I know," Sarita agreed and nodded. "Hardly any. But, they're called King because they're versatile. I have Cena wearing this as a swimwear coverup. So underneath the mesh shorts, he's wearing a pair of gold, short, trunks-the same length as the ones Randy donned-who didn't have on a coverup. Men will definitely appreciate the mesh. And not just for the diverse look, but because of the maximum airflow and comfort to their package. These are $55."

" **And it's sunshine! Blue eyes! Tan lines! Slow tide!**

 **Rollin,' white sand! Cold can Koozie in my hand.**

 **Justa' summertime strolling.**

 **Chillin', breezin', sippin', singin', whoa-ooh-whoa,**

 **Just beachin'. "**

"Complementing the jock feel to Cena's look, he's in a black, mesh, football jersey top," Sarita noted through the chorus which hit seconds prior. "Like traditional football jerseys, it has a 'V' neckline, and 3¾" inch sleeves. For style and flair, I have metallic gold panels on the shoulders and upper black where the players' names would be. Rather than a player's name, my _S_. _Lo_ by Sarita López emblem is there. For some sexiness, while the top has a silhouette fit so will snugly adjust to your chest, I have intentionally designed the jersey's hem to stop just above the waist. Because Cena's a bigger guy, his hem actually stops even higher. It ends right above his navel, so there's that peek-a-boo effect, revealing his lower abs and belly-button. Men, don't turn your face up to that. Trust me, your lady will love it if you wear it. These are $75."

Cena raised the top he was wearing a few centimeters and contracted his abs to the affection of the females in the crowd.

"On those feet of his, he's wearing a pair of Metallic Gold and black, Medusa-head Sandals," said Sarita. "They're a slide sandal with the signature Medusa head, and accompanying Greek motifs on the gold rubber strap. These are $395. Thank you John."

Cena made his "A-Ok" hand gesture to the crowd before exiting, and the next model made their way out.

" **See the curtains hangin' in the window in the evening on a Friday night."**

Continuing to mix up the musical genres, DJ Pauly D abandoned country for Folk-Pop. Seals and Crofts' "Summer Breeze" started.

"Well we don't have _Summer_ _Rae_ in the show, but we have been graced by a nice breeze," said Sarita. "Tyler's making his way onto the stage in a pair of Teal Blue 'Mirage' Boardshorts. Made with 87% Polyester and 13% Polyamide, these shorts have a side zip pocket on the left leg-"

Taking advantage of the clever segway, Tyler unzipped the pocket on his left side, reached in it to retrieve a pair of sunglasses, and placed him on his face. To the disappointment of the women fans, his hair was no longer down, but back in a bun.

" **A little-light a-shinin through the window let's me know everything's alright."**

"And a zip fly with a lace up tie closure," Sarita continued. "I call them 'Mirage' shorts because the graphic stripes split and have an edgy print. The teal is at its brightest at Tyler's knees. At the base of the short the black is blending with the teal. And at the beginning of the shorts-his crotch to thigh-the teal is blending with the black. This creates an ombré effect. These are $60."

"All of this blue really brings out his eyes," said Kim.

"Right on girl, right on," Sarita agreed. "He's wearing a Teal, or you could call it Illumination Blue-depending on if you notice the pinch of a shade difference in how much brighter it is-Polo shirt. Made of 54% Cotton and 46% Polyester, this top has a relaxed fit, but not overly baggy and sloppy, ensuring sleek comfortability as you go about with your activities. This $75 Polo has split side seams at the hem, set-in short sleeves with forward shoulders, and a fold-down collar like a golf shirt. This is also available in a deep, Plum Purple."

" **Summer breeze! Makes me feel fine. Blowing through the Jasmine in my mind."**

Tyler unbuttoned the two buttons of his polo, teasing the beginning of his chest as Sarita talked more about the outfit.

"On his feet are a pair of Navy Blue and gold flip flops," she said. "These are completely man-made: from the lining, to the flexible, textured rubber upper sole, and lightly-cushioned footbed. They have a thong-style construction, and are $36. In addition to the pair Tyler is modeling for us, they also come in the following blends: black/Neon Orange, black/Dark Grey, Steel Grey/Dark Grey, and white/grey/red."

"Everyone saw him remove them from the pocket of his shorts earlier," began Mary Kate. "We topped off his beachwear look with a pair of Ray-Ban, round metal, polarized Matte gold/ Blue Mirror shades for $210. For his Daytime look we gave him some Aviator shaped ones. We mixed it up here: keeping the color the same, but switching the style of lens for the frames. The brow bar is curved and the the round Crystal lenses provide UV protection. Like the other pair he wore, these nose pads are adjustable. Oh, before I forget, another neat thing is that these are 'prescription friendly.' So for anyone that has glasses prescribed to them for vision or reading purposes, you could still wear these and they wouldn't tamper with the medication within the pair of glasses you wear in your daily lives. Thanks Ty!"

Tyler made his exit up the runway, and just as his arm touched the curtain to head to the back, the LED screens changed slightly. Tropical lands were still being displayed on the two far sides, but in the center and most largest one that showed the live action as the models entered, something different appeared. This would be the third time it happened. The first two times were when the music videos of "Big Poppa" and "Big Pimpin'" played for Cass and Enzo.

Now on the center screen were graphics of large felines: lions, tigers, cheetahs and leopards. Moments later a tune that took Shannon back to one of her former gimmicks began. That opening guitar riff and howl was unmistakeable. And the badass percussion followed it. It was one of the most-played songs on the Guitar Hero videogame franchise.

" **Welcome to the jungle! We've got fun and games.**

 **We've got everything you want, honey! We know the names."**

"Always 'going for it,' here comes Enzo Amorè in a pair of 'Transformer,' sequined, sparkle-shorts in a blend of Caribbean Gold and Dark Teal," began Sarita.

Enzo made his way to the stage. He threw his hands up and formed them in the rockstar symbol-the same one Edge used to do during his ring entrances-and headbanged for a few seconds.

"These shorts scream party to me, and with Enzo's personality, he's just the right person for them," she added. "These 100% Polyester shorts are fully lined, have diagonal pockets on each side, and have a wide ribbed elastic waist with outer drawstrings for an adjustable fit."

"They're very um…" Kim paused, as she looked for the right word. " _Loud_."

" **We are the people that can find you, whatever you might need.**

 **If you got the money, honey, we got your disease."**

"No kidding, right?" asked Sarita humorously. "That's why I call them Transformers, because that's exactly what they do. Show them what I'm talking about Enzo."

Enzo rubbed his hands over the the thigh portion of the shorts. When he did, the colors changed. The audience-including the co hosts-wooed in amazement.

"See how he started off with shiny gold on the front, and sequined teal on the other, but now they're switched?" Sarita asked rhetorically. "Yep, they change color with the brush of a hand. From the color scheme, to the _color_ _switch_ , these $150 trunks are certainly showy with the intent to razzle and dazzle."

The chorus hit just before Sarita got to the shoes.

" **In the jungle, welcome to the jungle! Watch it bring you to your:**

 **Knnn, knnn, knnn, knnn, knnn, knnn, knnn, knnn,**

 **Knees, knees, knees! Huh! I wanna' watch you bleed!"**

"He's rocking a pair of a of totally chromed out, all gold, hightop sneakers!" She exclaimed as Enzo squatted down and swiped his fingers across the toe of shoes, emphasizing how clean they were. It was a physical gesture to figuratively express his elation with how smooth they looked.

"These sneakers have gold shoe strings that lace all the way to the front," she continued. "The fashion specs don't stop there though. On both the back heel, as well as on one side of the foot, there is a zipper closure. At the top of the shoe's cotton tongue, is a square, gold, metal plate with my _S_. _Lo_ logo. Once the shoes are laced, wrapping around the ankle isn't your typical velcro strap you'd see on most athletic footwear. What I have instead are buckles and gold chains linked together. Enzo's flossin' for sure in these $500 sneaks."

"We finished him off with a white, faux leather, baseball cap with black trim," said Ashley. "The webbing back strap is black. It's made of 90% Polyurethane and 10% Cotton. Available for $50."

"Wait a minute," said Kim, who pointed in the direction of Enzo in confusion as he stood at the runway, once she just realized something. "Where's his shirt?"

Sarita chuckled. "I didn't give him one. I really wanted the kicks to stand out with as you put it, his 'loud' shorts."

Hearing the two women banter, caused Enzo to jump in, "Hey mama, when you're this fly, a shirt's not needed for this guy!"

"Well alright then," said Mary-Kate with a laugh of her own.

Enzo turned around and made his exit, jumping as he high-fived the next model.

" **Welcome to the jungle. We take it day by day.**

 **If you want it, you're gonna' bleed. But it's the price to pay."**

"His partner in crime, Big Cass, returns to the stage, wearing a pair of white boardshorts with Pirate Skull and Bones graphics in gold, outlined in black," remarked Sarita. "These 100%, quick-drying, Polyester shorts have a 22" inch outseam with a drawstring waist and Velcro fly. There's also a cargo pocket on the right side of the leg with velcro closure and drain grommets. For $65, Cass will look cool whether he's surfing or chilling in the sand."

"Well most of the guys had tank tops. Enzo had no shirt at all, so I went different with Cass," Sarita noted as Cass progressed down the runway. "I have him in a white, French Mesh hoodie."

Cass, who had the hood up when he walked down, reached up and pulled it down, letting it fall against the back of his neck. Then he put his hands in his pockets, and stood as they ladies spoke among themselves.

"John had a mesh short and shirt," remarked Kim. "You like that material huh?"

"Yeah I do," Sarita confessed. "I think the more fit the guy, the hotter the appeal. Cass' hoodie has a very deep 'V' neckline. It descends a few inches beneath the chest. His sleeves are long, going all the way to his wrist. This is an actual hoodie, not a hooded vest. I have a thick cotton ribbed trim across the hood, surrounding the 'V' neckline, and around the wrist. The rest of the hoodie is complete mesh. This is also available in black. Your choice dudes if you wear your favorite tee underneath. But I highly recommend just going bare with it, like Cass is, to impress the chicas, or other chicos. $45."

" **And if you're a very sexy girl that's hard to please.**

 **You can taste the bright lights. But you won't get there for free..."**

"On those big feet of his are a pair of black, 'Dark Shadow' flip flops," said Sarita. "These aren't your typical flimsy, thong flip flops. The midsole is made with an anatomical compression mold with a non-slip drop-in footbed for a personalized fit. There's a non-marking rubbing outsole with a Coral Reef rug design for added grip on the bottom. So no worries about gum slowing you down. The thong strap is gold in the center."

"And we gave him a pair of polished white/Fire Iridium XL sunglasses," said Ashley. "The XL series offers enhanced lens coverage and a specialized curvature that delivers protection against sun, wind, and impact. The nose pads stay in place even if you're sweating from an active day. And what's especially awesome about these shades specifically, is that in addition to having UV protection, the interchangeable lenses also block harmful blue light for up to 400 nm. Whether it's from first responders bright lights speeding past you on their way to save those in need, or those wacky lights from a rave party, you'll be alright. These are $140, and are available in the following additional colors: Polished Black with Black Iridium, and Polished Black with Prizm Road. Thank you Colin."

The chorus eventually made its way back around as Big Cass left. While it was beginning to fade out, a superstar through another pathway, reentered the stage and made themselves quite comfortable on the set. A new track started.

" **Mmmm. Go 'head Daddy."**

It began with a female's voice.

" **(It's a Queens thing, baby.)"**

Then a male echoed after.

" **Who do ya' love?"**

More women accompanied the first female.

" **(Uh! Track masters!)"**

The male's voice returned.

" **And he's 'doin' it well!' "**

The female voices reappeared and the previous line was a big clue on who the artist DJ Pauly D started playing. It was once again another rapper turned actor, also from the East Coast like Will Smith. But this man was not from Philadelphia. He was a proud New Yorker: LL Cool J.

" **Are you for sure? (The remix!)"**

As the beat of the "Loungin' " remix featuring R&B group Total settled in, the crowd grew hyped again. The center LED screen zoomed in on the person who joined the beach setup at the midpoint of the runway that many of the superstars walked around just minutes prior. It was Shannon sitting in a lounge chair. She was in her beachwear outfit from earlier, with an issue of People Magazine across her lap. The music was loud, so no one heard a beep, but the camera zoomed in on her picking up her phone and staring at the name on the screen. It said, "RR." There was a reason for that.

" **How you doin' Miss? My name is L. I'm from Queens.**

 **I heard about your man. He likes to lace you with things."**

The second she placed the phone to her ear, the largest LED screen which was showing the live action, showed the final model making their way to the stage very slowly. He and Shannon were pretending to engage in a conversation.

" **Dolce Gabbana. Moschino wit' Donna Jeans.**

 **But it slipped up, and gave his rock to a fiend…"**

Shannon flipped aimlessly through the magazine with one hand, and continued to hold on the phone with the other, smiling, and appearing giddy as the song continued. The rapper on the track was LL, as in LL Cool J. The 'RR' on her phone stood for Roman Reigns. He was cheered.

" **Neva' knowing that his woman was in need of love…"**

A few days ago when Shannon made her appearance on The Chew, she ran into Roman who was set to make an appearance on The View. She made a comment to herself about how corny he seemed. That bit her on the bottom. To Shannon's surprise, she was paired with the former World Champion for the Beachwear category. Sarita was serious about her show. She made it known to all the participants that people-if they were paired with anyone during a particular category-it was not going to be with their significant other the entire show. So people had to check their attitudes at the door, if that was on their minds. She wanted everyone to have fun, but be professional and cordial with one another.

Shannon never had scorching heat with Roman, or anyone else a part of the show for that matter. She just thought Karma hit her rather comically when she saw their names together for this segment. The same guy who she read as "lame," she had to pretend to drool all over at the show.

" **Makin' love? Dude is weak. Then he fallin' asleep!**

 **You on the phone wit' ya' peeps. Dyin' to creep, 'tween my sheets."**

"Here comes 'The Big Dog,' Roman Reigns," said Sarita. "He's wearing a pair of black with grey 'Phantom' boardshorts. These shorts are cut from 86% ultra-stretchy Polyester, with 14% Spandex, Black is the dominant color of these shorts, which have grey double stripes trimming the outer seams as well as his back-zip welt pocket for that phantom look. As I said earlier, I like taking care of my men; so the flexible waistband fastened by a lace-up, laser cut closure, will eliminate unnecessary bulk for Roman as he comes in and out of water. These are $60, and also come in a Rio Teal, inspired by the colors of the Brazilian national flag. And those are even brighter in person."

" **So what you got Chanel on your feet?**

 **Hot sex on a platter makes the mission complete, Uh!"**

"I know Roman loves his vests, so I've given him a black, 100% Nylon vest with a crew neckline," Sarita continued. "This lightweight vest has a straight line that connects right across the base of his boardshorts. The stretchy material not only creates an easy put-on and pull off ability, but the fabric also helps Roman's skin from chaffing or being harmed by ultraviolet A and B rays. For $55, he'll conquer the waves for sure."

Roman "hung up" the phone, and placed it in his pocket, as he made it down the runway passing Shannon at the midpoint, stopping when he made to the rear. In actuality, she knew he was going to continue to walk. For the performance rather, she pretended that the call was dropped, and she had no idea why the signal was lost. She stared at the phone, went through the contacts, then shook her head as the chorus hit, which repeated twice.

" **Who do ya' love?" (I wanna' lounge wit' you.)**

 **Are you for sure? (I'll do what I gotta' do!)"**

"On his feet are some Dark Grey and black 'Solarsoft' slides by Nike," said Sarita. "These black slides are composed of a one-piece synthetic grey strap with extra padding. There's a mesh underlay for comfort and durability. The 'Solarsoft' name comes from Nike's dual-density foam midsole and textured footbed for soft-cushioning and a massaging effect. The aggressive traction pattern and flex groove of these $30 shoes provide a natural range of motion."

Roman, as he turned to make his exit, rather than continue to walk straight ahead, stopped at the midpoint and interacted with Shannon. He squatted down, and mouthed the echoed words in parentheses of LL Cool J's response to what Total sang in the chorus in her ear. While doing this, he slowly guided a finger down one side of her cheek. Then he snatched Shannon's phone, and tossed it to the far right side of the crowd. He repeated the same thing to the left side with the magazine. The phones were fake, but well-painted replicas. Their real ones were in the back.

 _Ha, this fucker went in my purse, and stole the last piece of Winterfresh gum I had! I smell it on_ _his breath! I'll have to get him back somehow for the rib._

"Aaand, let's not forget about his black, wool 504 cap!" yelled Mary-Kate. "It's the iconic, original Kangol Cap, and a signature headpiece of LL Cool J! The 504 comes from the number assigned to the block shape it's made on. Wool is the fundamental raw material Kangol's built its name on; and was later innovated by the seamless, block construction. For $48, they're also available in the following colors: Atlantis, black/gold, claret, camel, dark blue, Dark Flannel, loden, moutarde, red, storm, tobacco, vine, and white."

" **...I keep it steamy. I make it burn when it's my turn.**

 **Teachin' shorty all the tools that you neva' learned!"**

Roman winked at Shannon as he removed his Kangol cap, and placed it on her head. He reached for her hand, and she accepted it as he guided her up, off the lounge chair. Roman grabbed her wrists and navigated Shannon's hands up and down over his vest. This was a fashion show. But it was also supposed to be entertaining and fun. Shannon wasn't going to let him out-do her as they played things up. So just as Roman released his hands from her wrist, she quickly raised the hem of the vest, pulling it up and off of him. The crowd popped in excitement as Shannon held it in one hand.

" **Don't get it twisted! Gettin' money ain't wrong.**

 **But she wanna' make love all night. I'm gone!"**

With a confident smile, Shannon took several steps ahead of Roman beckoning with an index finger behind her for him to follow her. He did. Just before he hit the curtain though, he backtracked a few steps, looking onto the crowd when the chorus returned. Relishing in the moment of the portrayal, Roman did LL Cool J's signature lip-lick and pucker. This did not go unnoticed by Shannon, who was literally two feet away on the other side of the curtain. She leaned forward, merely enough that her face and most of her body couldn't be visible. Shannon flicked her arms out, tossing the vest around Roman's neck, and yanked him backstage with her. She hoped the crowd and the people watching live on the E! and WWE Networks found it sexy. Her intent was for them to read the act like a woman in heat, rather than her being angry at him for stealing the spotlight.

* * *

"How's it going New York?" Sarita asked excitedly. "You feeling good? Enjoying the show?"

"Yes!" The audience yelled.

"Well I'm very glad to hear it," she replied. " I definitely have a few more looks from the models to show, and surprises along the way before the day is over," she said. "Mario, checking in with you on another update. What's going on?"

Mario López talked with John Cena and Nikki Bella about being involved with the show. He also showed the audience numerous racks of garments Sarita and her team went through, next to pictures of each superstar to get a feel of which piece she wanted to debut with certain people in mind.

"Thanks 'cuz, keep up the good work," said Sarita as the middle screen returned back to her in the live shot. While Mario was talking, runners were removing various items from the Beachwear set. It was now back to its very huge black and white checkerboard long runway, still with the far left and right extenders. "You know, I'm launching my line today. My cousin is here. My girls are here. We saw Jiggaman, and Yeezy. The WWE fam is here. It still doesn't quite feel like a party yet."

"No?" asked Kim.

"No," said Sarita shaking her head. "I wish I made time for an intermission or something."

"That would've been great," said Mary-Kate with a pout.

"I agree," said Ashley.

All four women sighed. Seconds later, a familiar tune with a harmonica started. Then a Latino man with a distinct demeanor in his voice walked through the crowd.

"From MIA to the NYC, Pit's here for you, ladies," said Cuban rapper and Miami native, Pitbull, with a microphone in his hand. He passed the screaming audience in the park, walked past the host and co-hosts, jogged up some stairs, and stepped on the stage.

" **It's going down. I'm yelling, 'Timber!'**

 **You better move. You better dance.**

 **Let's make the night you won't remember!**

 **I'll be the one, you won't forget.**

 **Whoa, oh, oh, oh. (Timber!) Oh, oh, oh, oh. (Timber!)**

 **Oh-whoa-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh."**

His 2014 smash hit "Timber" featuring Ke$ha started.

Pitbull was in town for a show in Madison Square Garden tonight. Sarita knew about his arrival to the city a few months ago, so reached out to him to see if he would make an appearance.

Pitbull loved a good party. The proceeds were also going to charity, and he was already going to be in town that day, several hours ahead of his show MSG. So he didn't mind swinging by earlier to come help Sarita in Central Park.

"But I ain't alone!" He shouted. Several of Pitbull's dancers joined the stage. Following them eight more recognizable people from the Emmy Award winning, Dancing With The Stars cast appeared. Two of them in particular helped to set this plan in motion. "Let's go! Dalí!"

Maksim and Valentin Chmerkovskiy, in addition to being internationally-renowned ballroom dancers, were also recurring cast members and past winners of the ABC dance competition series. Another interesting fact about the two handsome, fan-favorite, Russian-born brothers was that since coming to the United States as tweens, they considered the East Coast home. Their family settled in New York when migrating to the U.S. That worked in Sarita's favor.

Dancing With The Stars had two seasons in the year: one in the fall, and one in the spring. Winters and summers were each professional dancer's offseason. The dancers were free to take up any side projects or performances of their choosing in addition to a national tour with the top three finalists following the finale of a particular season. As the tour wrapped, pros usually went back to their dance studios to teach classes to their students until they were alerted on who the next celebrity they would be paired with for the upcoming season.

Val and Maks-as the brothers were commonly referred to-were in New York doing just that since they had no obligations just yet to return to Los Angeles, California for Dancing With The Stars. Once again with the power of networking, Sarita reached out to them. They got to talking about her upcoming fashion show launch, and wanting their involvement. She mentioned Pitbull was on on-board and from there, the deal was sealed. Val and Maks were very familiar with Pitbull. Not only did the cast choreograph numbers to some of his songs before, but he was a fan of the show, and even guest-judged on their "Latin Night" episode.

The icing on the cake for all parties involved were the previous involvement or acknowledgement of one another. Pitbull knew the Dancing With The Stars crew. Pitbull performed on an episode of Monday Night Raw in Miami in celebration of The Rock's birthday in 2012. So he wasn't exactly new to the WWE. And Chris Jericho competed as one of the celebrities on Dancing With The Stars in 2010. So they weren't strangers to the WWE family either. Everyone involved would benefit from the networking and publicity by participating.

" **The bigger they are, the harder they fall.**

 **These bigg-idy boys are dig-idy dogs.**

 **I have 'em like Miley Cyrus: clothes off.**

 **Twerking in they bras and thongs, timber!"**

Maks choreographed a sultry samba number for he and his fellow dancers to this particular track.

" **...Swing ya' partner, round and round.**

 **End of the night, it's going down!**

 **One more shot, another round.**

 **End of the night it's going down…"**

Pitbull, living by the lyrics to his bridge, as the chorus by Ke$ha repeated, walked over to DJ Pauly D's booth, and poured himself a shot of Crystal, a few feet away from his large turntables. Sarita, Kim Kardashian-West, and the Olsen twins were all dancing among themselves embracing the positive vibes and party atmosphere as the performance by Pitbull progressed.

The next song Pitbull performed was "Feel this moment," featuring soulful singer and Coach on NBC's "The Voice," Christina Aguilera. Multi-time winner and brother of dancer-turned-judge Julianne Hough, Derek Hough, choreographed a sizzling salsa to this track. He was one of the familiar faces Maks and Val brought on board for the event.

Following that performance, a smooth range of chords from acoustic guitar played. And Pitbull made his introductory remarks on the song.

" ' **Mr. Worldwide' to infinity.**

 **You know the roof on fire.**

 **We gon' boogie, oogie, oogie, jiggle, wiggle, and dance,**

 **like the roof on fire…"**

It was followed by maracas. And Pitbull making remarks in parenthesis.

" **I was born in a flame.**

 **Mama said that everyone would know my name.**

 **I'm the best (That's right) you've ever had (That's right).**

 **If you think I'm burning out, I never am.**

 **I'm on fire. I'm on fire.** "

"Hell naw, NYC!" shouted Pitbull as the audio of John Ryan aired, who performed the hook of the next track. "We ain't done yet! One last banger for the road! Work hard, party harder, baby!"

" **I'm on fiiiiiiiiire! (305) I'm on fiiiiiire (MIA), Fireball!"**

The Latin percussion and trumpets joined in. Together, the music was in a loud, strong, sensational groove, and the crowd erupted when the males removed the bottom half of their female partners' dresses. Pitbull removed his jacket and his red cumberbund of his black tuxedo matched the glittery shine of the ladies' shimmering dresses.

" **I came. I saw. I conquered.**

 **Or should I say, I saw, I conquered, I came?** **(Ha-ha-ha!)**

 **They say this chico, he 'on fire,' and he ain't no liar.**

 **While y'all slippin', he's runnin' the game…"**

Pitbull walked over to one of his own dancers and tapped her bottom.

" **I gave Suzie a little pat up on the booty.**

 **And she turned around and said, 'walk this way'..."**

Val choreographed a steamy cha-cha-cha to this track. When Pitbull started rapping his first verse and the final dance number began, high above the LED screens, flames shot out the poles. Safety was already pre-approved of course. Sarita and Pitbull's team used the pyrotechnics with flame that Kane had during his ring entrance.

" **We takin' it, We takin' it, We takin' it down.**

 **We takin' it, We takin' it, We takin' it down.**

 **We takin' it, We takin' it, We takin' it down.**

 **We takin' it, We takin' it, We takin' it down.**

 **We takin' it, We takin' it, We takin' it down.**

 **We takin' it, We takin' it, We takin' it down.**

 **We takin' it, We takin' it, We takin' it down."**

Pitbull, his dancers, and the Dancing With The Stars cast all joined each other at the hip and started a conga line, up and down the runway. The horns and percussion stopped as they did so, and only the guitar and maracas were present.

" **Now we're bringing it, we're bringing it, we're bringing back.**

 **Now we're bringing it, we're bringing it, we're bringing back.**

 **Now we're bringing it, we're bringing it, we're bringing back.**

 **Now we're bringing it, we're bringing it, we're bringing back.**

 **Now we're bringing it, we're bringing it, we're bringing back.**

 **Now we're bringing it, we're bringing it, we're bringing back.**

 **Now we're bringing it, we're bringing it, we're bringing back."**

As the conga line finished and each group of dancers returned to their respective spots to complete their numbers, a blimp flew over Central Park, and dropped hundreds of inflatable beach balls down on the audience. They cheered.

"Fireball!" The horns and percussion returned to the beat as did the pairings dancing, and Pitbull completed the performance.

* * *

"Thank you very much New York," said Pitbull, who bowed his head forward, while still holding a microphone. "It was a pleasure, and I am truly humbled."

Sarita loved that unlike some musicians who swung by on shows and only performed a three to five minute medley running through songs, Pitbull performed three songs, in complete entirety, start to finish. He ended up being on stage for roughly fifteen minutes. The fact that things worked out with members of Dancing With The Stars made it that much more special.

"Did you all enjoy that?" asked Sarita to her home crowd. They roared. "Awesome. Well you can catch Pitbull later tonight at 8:00 PM at Madison Square Garden, and the brand new season of Dancing With The Stars kicks off on ABC on Monday, September 18th!"

While Sarita promoted events for Pitbull, and Dancing With The Stars as they made their exits, runners returned to the stage bringing the props for the beachwear set back to the midpoint of the runway. The exterior LED screens on the far right and left that were displaying various tropical tourist attractions returned. But in the middle of the photos, quite strategically, every few seconds images of lavish pools, hot tubs, and jacuzzis appeared as well.

" **So hot in, hot in, So hot in herre!"**

The flames on the poles fired back up as a familiar tune started.

"You feelin' kinda warm up there Pauly?" asked Sarita to the DJ.

" **So hot in, hot in uh, oh!"**

"I mean, Pit heated it up _literally_ , and it is August," Pauly D answered as he lowered his head into the hand mic that was in a mini stand at clipped at his station, near his turntables. Then he chuckled. "But uh, it's about to get even more warm out here for your next theme. And I'm sure the dudes in the audience would agree with me in a matter of seconds."

" **I was like, 'Good gracious! Ass is bodacious!'**

 **Uh! Flirtatious: tryin' to show faces.**

 **I'm lookin' for the right time to shoot my steam. (You know,)**

 **Waiting for the right time to flash 'dem keys."**

The men whistled and howled as Pauly D played the 2002 smash hit from St. Louis rapper Nelly, called "Hot in Herre."

"It's time for the swimsuits fellas!" Screamed Sarita. "And starting us off with a bang is the lovely Nikki Bella. Nikki's wearing a black and white, zig-zag, Satin, Poncho Coverup. This coverup has an asymmetric hem, with a pullover style, and relaxed silhouette. The poncho is made of Rayon fabric with full, solid, satin trim along the short Kimono sleeves and V-neckline. This beauty is $1,080."

Nikki walked to the far right and left sections of the stage first before returning to the center and walking down the runway.

" **Then ah, I'm leavin'. Please believin'. (Oh!)**

 **Me and the rest of my heathens, Check it:**

 **got it locked up at the top, Four Seasons!"**

"On those pedicured feet, Nikki's rocking a pair of white pumps with a large, over-sized, black bow," said Kim. "This shoe has a 4" inch heel with a 'Betty Boop' pointy toe pump. It's eye- catching for a late night, or for someone showing of a sexy swimsuit. The bow has a wrap- around strap across your ankles for security. $75, ladies."

" **...No deceivin, nothin' up my sleeve, no teasin'...**

 **Give that man what he askin' for…"**

The men booed Nikki when she didn't remove her cover up, and she grinned. She wanted them to work for it.

"Louder, louder!" Nikki screamed as she cupped one of her ears with her hand. "Let me hear you!"

The volume from the men went up, and they got what the wanted. The kimono came off.

"Nothing wrong with that Nikki. Make them earn it," remarked Sarita. "She's wearing a black and white, faux-leather strappy, one-piece swimsuit. It has side cutouts, a full open back with clip, and a V-neckline. The suit is made of Nylon, and is available for $250."

"Fellas, sing it!" yelled DJ Pauly D to the crowd, encouraging the men to participate in the chorus as Nikki made her exit from the runway.

" **It's gettin' hot in herre (So hot!) So take off all your clothes!"**

"Ladies!" he screamed, like the men, encouraging the women to partake in the female vocals of the chorus. They obliged.

" **I am getting so hot. I wanna' take my clothes off!"**

The chorus repeated, so DJ Pauly D did it again before the next model came out, and the next verse started.

" **Why you at the bar if you ain't poppin' the bottles?**

 **What good is all the fame if you ain't fucking a model?"**

And just like that Shannon came out with Tyler. When he saw their names together, and for _this_ _song_ , for _this_ _category_ , he knew exactly which lyrics he wanted to escort her down the runway to. He was no dummy.

" **I see you drivin' a sportscar. Ain't hittin' a throttle.**

 **And I be down to do a hundred, top down, in goggles..."**

"Here comes Shannon to show off her sensational swimsuit," began Kim. "And she's brought arm candy named, 'Prince Pretty' with her. He's seemed to have lost his shirt, and she's even donning his shades in her hair."

"I wonder _why_ ," Sarita said with a laugh.

"You know something I don't?" asked Kim, raising an eyebrow.

"Other than the obvious?" Sarita replied sarcastically. "No I don't. _Anyway_ , Shannon's wearing a black, crocheted, mini-skirt coverup. It's made of Cotton, sits at the hips, and has a self tie waist on one side of the hip. The hem is scalloped, has full seat coverage of the booty, and it's $65."

" **I spit game 'cuz baby I can't talk it.**

 **Warm! Sweatin'! It's hot up in this joint!**

 **Vokal tanktop on at this point."**

Tyler made his made his way with Shannon to the left and right far sides of the stage.

"Shannon is absolutely crushing it with my Crystal-embellished, Royal Blue, Suede, Caged Sandals!" Kim shouted happily. "Shannon's fierce in the ring, and she's killing it here with these flirty sandals drenched in crystals and rendered in suede. They have a cushioned footbed, a back zip closure, and a 4½" inch heel with a ½" inch platform. So she definitely has that 'sky-high' feel. And I cannot let the 'Diamond Diva' leave the runway without giving her the proper send off: The Swarovski Crystals embellished around the sandal are done so along an intricate diamond cutout pattern all around the shoe. $1,795 ladies."

" **You with a winner, so baby you can't lose.**

 **I got secrets that can't leave Cancun."**

Tyler and Shannon had made it to the midpoint of the runway, and she knew in a matter of moments her coverup was coming off. They hadn't exactly decided what or how they were going to do it. They decided they would wing it. Shannon would trust his judgment, and roll with it.

" **So take it off like you're home alone.**

 **You know, dancing in front of the mirror, while you're on the phone.**

 **Checkin' your reflection, and tellin' your best friend like,**

' **Girl, I think my butt gettin' big!' (Oh!)"**

Tyler grabbed Shannon's hand, and twirled her around. As she did a full spin, he dipped her. Only he didn't slowly guide her back up after he dipped her; but jerked her rather aggressively, lust-like. Going with the flow of his bravado, she wrapped her left leg around his waist. The motion happened so quickly that he simultaneously cupped her ass, and tugged the string of her mini skirt, revealing the suit. It should have looked very hot on television.

"Enjoying yourself?" Shannon mumbled to Tyler, clenching his shoulders during the motion.

"Hell yeah," he mumbled back. "Have fun," he quickly added before leaving her at the midpoint of the runway, taking her skirt with him, as she finished her walk.

"Thanks Tyler, I'm sure she enjoyed the assistance, just as much as the men appreciate the extra exposure of skin," said Sarita as the chorus played on. "Shannon's modeling a black, 'Pucker' bikini with Royal Blue sequined rhinestones. It's a fully-lined, padded, sequined, triangular bikini top with a sliding halter tie top at the neck, and then a tie at the back. The bottoms are fully lined, match the top with the sequined rhinestones, and have ties on each hip. The 'Pucker' name comes from the back of her suit. It's very sexily shaped in the form of puckering lips. I'm sure any guy would kiss that rear of hers. But between Roman and Tyler, I'm not sure if it already happened in the back. This two piece is $146."

Sarita was fucking around, enjoying the chemistry the members selected for her fashion show had with one another. She knew Shannon was with Tyler. She knew Roman was married. She knew people would be talking on social media about the event, and she didn't mind doing her part enticing the discussion. Like her best friend Kim Kardashian-West, Sarita _thrived_ off social media.

" **Mix a little bit a, ah, ah, just a little bit a, ah, ah.**

 **Let it hang all out!**

 **With a little bit a, ah, ah, just a little bit a, ah, ah.**

 **Let it just fall out!**

 **With a little bit a, ah, ah, and a sprinkle bit a, ah, ah.**

 **Let it just fall out!**

 **I like it when ya' ah, ah. Girl, baby make it ah, ah."**

Shannon continued her walk down the runway as the bridge played. She twerked a little for the guys, to really illustrate the 'Pucker' design of Sarita's swimsuit bottoms. Then made her exit.

" **Oh! Stop pacin', time wastin'!**

 **I gotta' friend with a pole in the basement.** **(What?)**

 **I'm just kiddin' like Jason.** **(Oh.)**

 **Unless ya' gonna' do it!"**

"The marvelous Maryse is back," announced Sarita during Nelly's next verse. "And Miz is with her. She's wearing a black, embroidered-inset, Tunic Coverup. It's made of cotton, with semi sheer, and has a loose, relaxed fit. This coverup has a deep V-neckline, long sleeves with scalloped trim, and because it's a tunic, has a pullover style. Also available in black, this tunic is priced at $105."

" **Extra, extra! Yeah, spread the news!**

 **Nelly took a trip from the Lunar to Neptune."  
**

"I've given Maryse a pair of black, Suede, pointed toe High Heel Sandals with an amazing bowtie," said Kim. "This bow tie is slightly different from the one Nikki Bella had. Nikki's was an oversized traditional bow tie. This one that Maryse has is double looped the way you'd see a Christmas present wrapped. These stilettos have a velcro closure, 4" centimeter platform and a 5.5" inch heel. She's rocking them with the swimsuit, but really, she could wear them in the summer, spring, or fall. I also have these available in red, pink, and Lime Green. They are $316."

" **Came back with somethin' thicker than fittin' in sassoons.**

 **Say she like to think about cuttin' in restrooms (Oh!)"**

Like Tyler did with Shannon, Miz and Maryse stopped at the midpoint of the runway. He hugged her from behind and she leaned into his embrace. The men booed because he was ruining the moment for them. He was bullshitting on purpose though for cheap heat. After another fifteen seconds or so, Maryse raised her arms high, and Miz, painstakingly raised the bottom of her tunic higher and higher, until it was off and above her head. Then he left, and she continued her walk to the men's delight.

"Thank you Miz for the reveal," began Sarita. "Maryse is wearing a sexy, black Sequins, Rhinestone, monokini."

"I _so_ love this for her!" shouted Kim. "It _screams_ Glamour Girl!"

"Thanks love, and that's what I envisioned for her," Sarita responded as the hook played on "You have the _feel_ of a one piece, but the _look_ of a two piece. It has a sequins triangular top, padded cups, adjustable halter top, strappy bottoms with rhinestone detailing around the waist and lower abdomen. It's fitted and definitely ready to be flaunted by someone with a body like Maryse. $55, ladies!"

The hook of Nelly's "Hot in Herre" continued another time and Maryse did her patented squat, then hair flip when she made it to the end of the runway, posing for pictures.

As she made her exit a new track played. It was a throwback. The bass was deep, and it had a bit of a funk groove with slick guitar riffs in between. Some people liked to break out an "Electric Slide" dance to it. They did on The Best Man movie at least.

" **Yeah, yeah. Mmm, it's like candy!**

 **I can feel it when you walk.**

 **Even when you talk it takes over me."**

"Not bad, huh guys?" Sarita asked sarcastically and the men barked in the crowd. "I told you I had you covered. But we're not done. Three more ladies have suits to show, so let's get on with it."

Bayley made her way out to the stage, licking a gigantic, spiral, round, multi-colored lollipop. Fans cheered as "Candy" by Cameo played.

"It's Bayley!" yelled Sarita. "Wearing a multi-color, fringe, wrap-front, Coverup Tunic with blotchy patches. This is made with Rayon, and the fringe hangs from the bottom, just beneath the multi-color stripes. The bottom hem hits high on the thighs, and the necklace is surplice. It has bracelet sleeves. This is available for $1,125."

" **You're so dandy!**

 **I wanna' know: Can you feel it too, just like I do?** **Oooh**!"

"Bayley's wearing a transparent, strappy, buckle, High Heel Sandal," Kim said. "It has square, 3 ½" inch heel, 3" centimeter platform with a leather inner sole, and side cut-outs. These are $75."

A lot of the ladies stopped at the midpoint of the runway to reveal their bathing suit. Bayley stopped in the middle too, but not to remove her tunic. She stopped there to see who from the audience wanted her enormous lollipop. She ended up continuing to walk further down the runway anyway. What shocked the men was when she gave the piece of candy to a female fan instead.

"Ladies need love too," Sarita remarked with a laugh following Bayley's gesture. Remaining at the bottom of the runway, Bayley removed her own tunic. "Bayley, like Maryse is wearing a Sequin Monokini. However, hers is a 'Pucker' style and in coral. It's fully lined, and padded with a tie at the neck, halter top in the back, and at the hips on the sides. With such a thin strip from the crease to her bosom before joining the lower half of the monokini, you're getting a full view of her obliques on each side of her abdomen, as well as the upper half of the abdomen. Like Shannon, her bottoms are shaped like puckering lips. This is available for $120."

Bayley waved to the fans before exiting, and making way for the next model.

" **This stuff is starting now.**

 **It's the same feeling** **I always seem to get around you."**

"Bursting out with flair is Natalya," Sarita began. "She's walking fierce as she whips that sexy, Hart Pink, floral print, embroidered lace, long-sleeved, Fringe Cover Up. In addition to the embroidered floral lace pattern, there's fringe detailing both at the end of the long sleeves, and draping at the end of the robe. It's made of 93% Polyester, 7% Spandex, and has a semi-fitted feel. For $35, it's certainly a simple, but stylish statement piece!"

Sarita knew Natalya liked long coats. A few times she wore long jackets as part of her ring gear. So Sarita had a feeling she would love her choice of a cover-up.

" **There's no mistaking.**

 **I'm clearly taken.**

 **But the simple mere thought of you.** **Oh!"**

"On her feet are a pair of black, leather, Suede Sandals," said Kim. "They're step-in sandals. But what makes them hot is that there are intricate flame stripes arched from the bottom of the shoe, up to about 4" inches above the ankle, giving it a sandal feel, but peep-toe bootie look. These are $1,000."

Natalya's cover-up was lace; so her bikini was visible. But it still didn't mean she couldn't have fun and milk her reveal like the other women at the end of the runway. She shimmied side to side as she opened the robe further out, removed it from her body, and swung it over her head proudly while Sarita spoke.

"Nattie's sporting a Hart Pink and black two-tone, Strappy, Two-piece bikini," Sarita explained.

"This cute two-piece has a triangle halter top in pink with contrasting piping in black. In the back are adjustable ties, a strappy centered accent, and the bottoms-" She was interrupted.

"Don't tell me, they're puckered?" asked Mary Kate.

Sarita laughed. "Yep, like Shannon and Bayley, Nattie's bottoms are in a 'Pucker' style. The crotch and buttocks are pink, while the waistbands-her swim suit doesn't tie at the hip-are in black. $55."

" **...My eyes roll in my head. I toss and turn in my bed,**

 **In the morning when I think about you. Yes, I do!"**

Natalya exited and the final woman made her way through.

"Wooo!" Shouted JoJo as she clapped along to the beat before walking further down the stage. "What's up New York?"

"Kimberly, why don't you start it off for this last one since her piece is a combination?" asked Sarita.

"Alright, well on her feet are a pair of black, fringed, High Heeled Sandals with a lace up tassel," explained Kim. "The strings are completely criss-crossed at the base of the toe all the way to the ankle. At the end of the lace at the back of the shoe, there is a tassel tie. They have a 4" inch chunky heel, and are $79."

" **Simply put you're the reason why, even though I'm shy, (real shy)**

 **I attempt to look my best for you. Indeed I do, just for you!"**

"All the other ladies had separate coverups to go along with their bathing suits," began Sarita. "But JoJo is the _only_ woman I have modeling a full three piece set, including the coverup. I'll start with that first. She's wearing a 'Python print,' tie-front, Coverup Crop Top."

JoJo removed the top, and popped her right hip as she held it against her body, posing for the crowd.

"And as she loses the top, underneath the gorgeousness, she's wearing a matching Python-Print wrap, two-piece bikini set in the shade of butter. This bikini is made of a dual fabric of Nylon and Spandex with triangular cups. It has a halter neckline, that ties behind the neck, and the straps wrap under the bust and tie at the back. The matching bikini bottom is low-rise, has strappy sides, but only has _moderate_ coverage; so you'll want this girls if you're feeling particularly cheeky. The two-piece on its own is $213, and the cover-up is $312. Yours together for $525."

" **...It's like candy! You sure are sweet (sweet, sweet).**

 **You're so dandy (dandy)!**

 **You're taking my appetite, but it's alright."**

"Give it up one more time guys for my ladies in their swimsuits!" Sarita yelled.

All of the women: Shannon, Nikki, Natalya, Maryse, and Bayley all returned, joining JoJo for a second time to the stage for an additional walk. When they came back out, they were only in their bikinis, not their coverups that they removed either with assistance from men, or on their own.

" **It's like candy! Ooh vanilla, oh chocolate…**

 **Strawberry (strawberry), raspberry (raspberry).**

 **All those good things. Violets and gumdrops.**

 **That's what you're saying to me. Ow!"**

They weren't empty-handed either. When they came back down the runway, each of them threw individual pieces of candies-many flavors referenced in the song-to the crowd.

* * *

"Now that the ladies and gents have stripped down," Sarita said with a smirk, "Let's go to work! Up next is my Business line. The women kicked things off with my Daytime Chic, so I'll flip the script and have the men show us their looks first. You ready Pauly?"

"Let's roll," DJ Pauly D answered. He started a new track. It had a deep bass, violins, synthesizers, and percussion, with timed-in handclaps.

" **Flashing lights, lights, lights. Flashing lights, lights, lights."**

During Sarita and Pauly D's banter, the far left and right LED screens showed random still shots of strangers in work settings: some in offices, some commuting to work. The fans popped when in between the slideshow of unknown people, there were photos of WWE Superstars in clothes-not ring gear-on their way to arenas for shows. That was intentional. Sarita wanted to make sure she kept the audience's attention the entire time, and they were alert to spot the changes.

"She don't believe in shootin' stars," rapped Kanye, who returned to the stage to perform his song "Flashing Lights" featuring Dwele. This, in addition to Pitbull's appearance, was a surprise by Sarita. Most fans anticipated Kanye and Jay-Z left Central Park after they performed "N****s in Paris," or certainly after Jay-Z performed "Big Pimpin' " for Enzo. But no, they were still around.

" **But she believe in shoes and cars.**

 **Wood floors in the new apartment.**

 **Couture from the store's department…"**

Kanye performed the first set of bars on the stage, and down the runway. After these, he walked back up the runway at the head of the stage, then to the far left side to continue performing. This was because he needed to make room for the runners who were rolling out a huge gold carpet down the runway, and they were followed by photographers.

" **Order the h'orderves, views of the water.**

 **Straight from the page of your favorite author.**

 **And the weather so breezy."**

Tyler and Maryse made their way to the stage. She was wearing her swimsuit still, but her tunic top was back on.

"There's something about people who _perform_ _well_ , when they _look_ _good_ ," Sarita began as the photographers were at the far end of the runway snapping away. These people were actual photographers. They were not independent wrestlers, or soon to be main roster call-ups like many extras were during ring entrances for certain superstars during Wrestlemania.

"And that's true for these two," she went on. "Tyler, being escorted by Maryse, has reentered the runway wearing a Navy Blue and khaki, plaid, three piece suit. The suit is made from a high quality combination fabric of Polyester and Rayon. The _entire_ suit is blue, khaki, and plaid not just the jacket or slacks. The pants have single pleats and the jacket has a two-button style with flap style pockets. Underneath the suit, Tyler's wearing a solid, full color, khaki micro-suede vest, a white, French-cuffed shirt, and a solid Cobalt Blue tie. The suit is $1,200. The tie and shirt are available for $30, and $70 respectively."

"Very nice girl," said Kim as Maryse unbuttoned Tyler's jacket and played with his tie before making her way to his lapel. Then they posed for the photographers. "I like blue and khaki together. I haven't seen it paired with plaid, but _now_ I am a fan."

" **Man, why can't life be this easy?**

 **She in the mirror dancing so sleazy.**

 **I get a call like, 'Where are you Yeezy?'**

 **Try to hit you with a 'Oeur de Whopee'.**

' **Til I get flashed by the paparazzi…"**

"Thanks Kim," Sarita said with a smile. "Yeah, you've gotta' be bold sometimes. When I see "normal" suits, bankers come to mind. That's a boring visual for me, and my line is far from it! I went a little funky. Don't judge me, people! Tyler's suit is bold, sharp, and even has a '1920s gangster' feel to it. On his feet are a pair of Navy Blue, side buckle, pointy wingtip leather shoes. The Navy Blue leather is rich and what sets my shoes apart from other designers is that these have a unique, exaggerated pointed toe. That longer toe combined with the wingtip design make it special; and the man wearing them _will_ get noticed. These are $125."

"To accessorize Tyler, we have a set of gold, 'Tiger's Eye' cufflinks on his shirt," Mary Kate stated. "These cufflinks exude that beautiful, luminous golden color of tigers' pupils. And for a special touch, they're framed by a ring of Sterling Silver. These are $600. We also put a matte Brass tie clip on his Cobalt Blue tie. The scalloped edge adds a contemporary, refined touch to accentuate his ensemble. It's $30."

"And on his wrist is a Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel watch," said Ashley. "The watch has a round shape. Its face and dial is in Yellow Gold, while the wrist links are Sterling Silver, with an additional strip of Yellow Gold going right down the middle of the silver for a great look of symmetry. This watch is retailed at $37,585, but order before the official start of fall and it can be yours at the discounted price of $15,034."

Tyler creased his arm, so that it met his elbow, to reveal the cufflinks and watch the twins described. The audience could already see the tie-clip. He gave the photographers a few more looks before he and Maryse made their exit. Then the chorus hit as the next model was about to enter:

" **As I recall I know you love to show off.**

 **But I never thought that you would take it this far!**

 **What do I know? Flashing lights, lights.**

 **What do I know? Flashing lights, lights.**

 **Know, know, know, know, know, know."**

"He's _not_ the champ, but John is here," said Sarita. "And he's approaching us in a three piece Camel-colored plaid suit. This suit, which is made of dual combination of Polyester and Rayon, comes with pants that are pleated flat in the front, and a regular fit jacket with side vents. He's wearing a solid white shirt with French cuffs, and a solid black tie, which are available like Tyler's at $70 and $30, respectively. Unlike Tyler however, who had a solid vest, Cena's suit is entirely plaid. That's right: his vest is plaid as well; and unlike Tyler, his is double breasted, giving him a great hard-to-miss look. This is available for $1,150."

"That's nice," said Kim. "You said you went funky on their suits, and you're holding your word. All-plaid-everything for sure."

"Yep, I certainly did," Sarita agreed. "On his feet are a pair of black, scribe-leather, cap toe, Oxford shoes. It has a rubber sole, with a padded insole. The leather used for the shoes is Luxe calfskin. These are $950."

Cena grabbed his pleats, raising his pant legs and rotated his shin and ankles to show off the finesse of the shoes.

" **I know it's been a while, sweetheart. We hardly talk.**

 **I was doing my thing. I know I was foul bay…"**

"We've put a pair of goldtone, Brass cufflinks with our signature MK&A logo on them on his shirt," said Mary-Kate. These are $260. And he's also wearing a Barley Gold tie clip. The scalloped textures enhance this gold plated, $195 accessory."

"And on his wrist is an 18-carat Yellow Gold rolex," said Ashley. "The watch shape is round, the dial color is Champagne, with a Sapphire Crystal dial window. Its regular retail price is $50,113, but if your order is placed for this product before the start of Autumn-September 21st-it can be yours for $20,045."

Cena made his exit as the "Flashing Lights" chorus resumed before slowly fading out. Kanye followed him to the back. The next track changed both in artist and in genre before the next model entered.

" **I knew the minute that I picked you up,**

 **it was gonna' be a wild ride.**

 **You kissed me like you couldn't get enough.**

 **Barely made it out of your drive."**

It was country singer Jason Aldean's "Just Gettin' Started." He was a modern country artist, who could have upbeat songs that appealed to a Country-Pop fanbase like Florida-Georgia Line. But for the most part, his voice had a bit of sultry, soulful edge; and physically, he had more of a "ruggedly-handsome cowboy look," like Blake Shelton for example.

"Here comes Big Cass with Shannon, who seems to be making her way around all of the men I guess," said Sarita with a laugh.

Big Cass was 7'0. Shannon was only 5'3, and even with a 4½" inch heel was 5'7 ½. That still was a big dichotomy with Cass. But he didn't mind, and neither did she. He'd try to walk a little slower if necessary for her, so she would come _with_ him, rather than _follow_ him.

"Cass is wearing a three piece, Dolphin Grey, with a Tan Rust plaid suit," Sarita explained. "It's no shock to anyone that Cass is a big dude. That's why I went huge on the suit. His jacket is longer because it's a zoot suit. Made of Polyester and Rayon, his pants are single pleats with an expanding waist to keep him moving in comfort. There are pockets at the bottom, left, and right sides of the jacket. The vest that comes with this $1,350 suit matches with the rest of the suit, has a square bottom, and is made of Wool. He's wearing a solid white dress shirt, and a rust tie to bring out the blend of tan in the plaid."

" **Burn a little rubber at the red light.**

 **Got a little warnin' from the blue lights.**

 **It's only 9 o'clock. But it feels more like midnight!"**

"Did you say his vest is made of wool?" asked Kim. "I didn't even know plaid could be done with that fabric. Isn't it warm on him?"

"Yes to both questions, but Cass is gonna' tough it out for me because everyone else is enduring the same heat, right big man?" He nodded as Sarita addressed Kim's concern. "I went exotic with his feet. He's wearing Dolphin Grey shoes. The upper leather is crocodile, and the full leather sole has welt construction that will turn heads. It's a slick upgrade to the classic lace-up silhouette of an Oxford shoe. These are $450."

"To accommodate the suit, we gave Colin a pair of Barley Rhodium-plated cufflinks," said Mary-Kate. "These are sleek, silver polished cufflinks with our logo engraved in them, and they have T-backing. They're $260. He also has a Sterling Silver Barley tie clip. This 2½" inch tie clip is refined and Rhodium-plated with our logo engraved. They're $180."

"And finishing off Colin's look, he has a silver 'Yachtmaster' Rolex," said Ashley. "The watch has a silver dial, with a Sapphire-Crystal window. It's stainless steel, and has a water resistant depth of 100 meters. Our regular price is $16,180, but with our end of the summer sale, it's available for $6,472."

" **We ain't even turn up the radio!**

 **Ain't been two miles down the road.**

 **The way you look at me, baby I don't know,**

 **if we're even gonna' make it to the party.**

 **Yeah, we gotta whole lotta' moonlight left.**

 **Alright havin' the time of our lives.**

 **And we're just gettin' started tonight!"**

Moments before the chorus hit, Shannon stood behind Cass and slowly ran her hands up his jacket, taking her time unbuttoning it from behind him. It helped that he had a zoot suit. His jacket was long, and she wouldn't embarrass herself in the event it was a far reach from a jacket that just stopped at his hip, rather than going to his thighs.

"Just gettin' started is right!" exclaimed Sarita. "We have more men to come and the next one is Enzo Amorè, who to many of you fans' surprise I'm sure, _yes_ , _I_ _can_ get him to wear a suit." The audience along with Kim, and the twins laughed.

" **Girl you already got the window down.**

 **And you got your seat laid back.**

 **Ain't even made it halfway to town.**

 **And you're already talkin' bout a six pack."**

"It's Bayley joining him," Sarita continued. Like Maryse and Shannon, Bayley was wearing her swimsuit look with the cover up back on as she re-entered the stage with Enzo. "He's wearing a light Olive Green _four_ piece suit with a white dress shirt and Brass Gold tie."

"Did you just say _four_ piece suit Rita?" Kim asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Absolutely Kimberly," she answered. "If you're a guy who likes to have options when getting dressed up, this is the suit for you. I've assembled Enzo with the Olive Green pairing, but this suit comes with a second pair of pants in a solid cream for the the man to mix it up at his leisure. The suit is made of Polyester and Rayon, and the pants have a single pleat. The vest is made of a Houndstooth fabric. It's $1,449."

" **Already got your shoes off.**

 **And you're talkin' 'bout slippin' off.**

 **Nah, we ain't even found your friends.**

 **And you already wanna' get lost!"**

Bayley rubbed Enzo's back and left him at the midpoint of the catwalk before leaving. He continued to walk.

"That's awesome that they get a second pair of pants," Kim replied. "Great deal."

"Thanks," said Sarita. "He's wearing a pair of dark Olive Green shoes made of Lizard Leather. The tongue and collar are lightly padded with a smooth leather lining and cushioned insole. The toe cap features stitching and perforation accents, as well as six eyelet lace up fronts with metallic eyelets. These are quality shoes for $120."

"Enzo's wearing a pair of 14-carat Yellow Gold, third panel, 'Sheriff's Jury' cufflinks," said Mary-Kate. "They're ⅞" of an inch, have the justice bars and Bald Eagle-iconic American symbols-embedded on them, detailed with a medium tone of Olive Green inside. These are $4,198, but with our summer sale available for $1,679. He also has a burnished, crosshatch brass tie bar. This 2" inch tie clip is smoothly polished, and comes in four other colors: Gunmetal Grey, Gunmetal Black, Gunmetal Silver, Burnished Brass like Enzo's, which matches his tie, and Burnished Gold. $30, gentlemen."

"We finished Enzo off with a 5.5 carat weight Diamond Watch," said Ashley. "It's a round shaped watch that is stainless steel, and has a leather band in medium Olive Green. The color of the dial, which is surrounded by diamonds is light Olive Green and outlined in gold. At regular price, this watch is $9,500, but with our summer sale it is currently $3,900."

Enzo did not do his odd leg dance, but did kiss his watch as Ashley went into detail about the specifications. The chorus repeated and Enzo made his exit.

" **Ain't had a drink, and I'm tore up.**

 **Ain't had a taste of your love.**

 **But girl, the crazy thing is,**

 **we just gettin' warmed up!"**

Jason Jordan was the next man out, and he had Natalya on his arm while the bridge played.

"From one Jason to another," Sarita remarked with wit recognizing the country singer and Jordan having the same name. "Jason Jordan's wearing a classic three piece suit in khaki. I've paired the suit with a Powder Blue solid shirt, and Blue Lagoon/Pewter Blue striped tie. This suit is Italian cut, featuring notched lapels in a single-breasted three button style. It's made of a Polyester-Rayon fabric that feels like fine Wool. The jacket and vest have side vents and the pants are lined to the knee with double pleats. It's $750."

"I thought you were going funky with the suits?" Inquired Kim. "Jason's looks rather tame."

"Watch me work girl!" Sarita remarked passionately. "Check out those shoes. You see how incredibly bright they are? I didn't go safe with navy. I went bold, matching the vibrant mixed hues of the blue in his tie. He's wearing a pair of elegant, Blue Lagoon shoes, with Pewter Blue stripes. These Oxfords lace up, have the two-tones, and have a silver toe finish. $300."

Kim clutched her microphone in her armpit and bowed down to Sarita. "Slay Rita, slay! Get it girl."

The chorus repeated and Natalya left Jason to finish his walk.

"Jason's wearing a gunmetal and navy tie clip, providing a refined touch to Sarita's suit," began Mary-Kate. The navy design over the polished gunmetal is a handsome accent. These are $25. In addition to silver, these are also available in the standard gunmetal with colors, or in solid, striped, and checkered patterns. He's also in a pair of Sterling Silver cufflinks. These square designed cufflinks are Pewter Blue in the center, handcrafted, are engraved with our logos with enameled inlay, and have a T-backing. They're $220."

"On JJ's wrist is a blue dial, 31 millimeter, Roman numeral Rolex," said Ashley. "It's stainless steel, has a round shape, and is $7,450. No sale on this one guys, sorry."

Jason waved to the crowd before making his exit. Then a new track started. DJ Pauly D went back to Hip-Hop. It was up-beat.

" **Return of the mack, get up!**

 **What it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't.**

 **Looking for a better way to get up out of bed.**

 **Instead of getting on the internet and checking a new hit for me."**

It was "Can't Hold Us," by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. They were Seattle natives who were rapping and putting beats together for years until finally receiving mainstream success in 2013 with their single "Thrift Shop" and followed up with "Same Love," and the track currently playing a year later.

Roman Reigns made his way to the stage.

" 'The Guy' is next up, and he's greeting us in a three piece Gingham-Plaid suit," said Sarita. "His suit is black with purple plaid patterns. He's wearing a solid white shirt and solid black tie. To contrast the plaid of this suit made of Polyester and Rayon fabric, it comes with a solid Violet Purple vest. Poly-Rayon is a wrinkle-resistant fabric by the way. So fellas if you're having a really long day at work, and it's slower than usual, fear not. Your fashion at least, will be great if the workload isn't. This is available for $1,200."

" **Get up! Fresh out, pimp strut walking.**

 **Little bit of humble, little bit of cautious."**

Roman went solo for this category. He wasn't escorted by anyone. He stopped at midpoint of the runway, placed his hands in his pants pocket, and stared coldly at the crowd for about ten seconds or so, before he continued to walk.

"He looks a lot more serious than he did when he and Shannon were giving each other the 'hungry eyes,' Sarita joked. "On his feet are a pair of high grade metal, pointed toe dress shoes in purple Snakeskin. These don't lace. They're a slip-on shoe with a flat Oxford heel, have a rubber outsole, are bonded in leather, and have a rhinestone in the center of the metal buckle. $375 gents! They're also available in green and black."

" **...Nope, y'all can't copy. Yup.**

 **Bad moon walking. This here is our party.**

 **My posse's on Broadway, and we did it our way…"**

"Alright, to accessorize 'The Guy', we gave him a silver-tone and black enamel tie bar," said Mary-Kate. "It's a clash of classic and contemporary. It has a simple design, but that little blockade of black against the textured silver-tone metal moderns it up. These are $30, and also available in brown, black, grey, pearl, and a Tie-Dyed Blue. Clipped to end of his shirt are a pair of lavender and silver cufflinks. The lavender checkered pattern on the polished, silver-tone metal add a stylish touch to any French cuff shirt, or other piece of male formal wear for $195."

"And finally on his wrist, Roman's wearing a 17.18-carat weight, purple-plated Diamond Watch with purple diamonds," said Ashley. "The watch has a round shape with a Mother-Of-Pearl dial It's stainless steel, and has purple Sapphire crystals. Regular retail price is $18,815, but with our summer sale, yours at $7,526."

" **Let that stage light go and shine on down.**

 **Got that Bob Barker suit game and Plinko is my style…"**

No man removed their jacket in a while. Tyler did for his Daytime Chic appearance. But no one did thus far in the business category. So that's what Roman did. He unbuttoned the jacket and draped it across his shoulder, winking to the fans before he turned around and made his exit.

" **Trust me, On my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T shit, hustler!**

 **Chasing dreams since I was 14, with the four-track, bustling!**

 **Halfway 'cross the city with the backpack, fat cat, crush shit..."**

Kofi made his way on the stage with JoJo. For a few seconds, she unlinked her arm from him and they touched each other back to back and shook their behinds. The audience laughed.

" **Hey, can we go back? This is the moment.**

 **Tonight is the night. We'll fight 'til it's over.**

 **So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us.**

 **Like the ceiling can't hold us."**

When the chorus commenced, JoJo left Kofi at the midpoint, and he continued to walk.

"Thank you JoJo for reminding us that Kofi likes booty," said Sarita. "He's joining us in a Royal Blue three piece suit with a blend of Coffee Brown. His jacket and matching vest both have a notch style lapel. His slacks have a single pleat. This suit is $1,190. Taking a break away from the solid shirts, I have Kofi in a blue grid dress shirt. The shirt comes from a sophisticated, 100% double weaved, Cotton fabric. It has a a novelty French cuff, fly front, trim-fit, and is slimmer through the body."

"The collar's white," noted Kim. "That makes it stand out, this look."

"Yes darling," Sarita agreed. "Great designers have thoughtful engineering. We used one face for the body, which is the blue grid, and then use the reverse face of the fabric as the basis for the collar and cuffs, which are white. It's $130. His light blue and brown, diagonal plaid tie and handkerchief set is made with 100% silk, and costs $60."

"She can't hold us," Kofi remarked with a smirk using the lyrics of the song to his advantage. "The accentuation of the color scheme _does_ _not_ _stop_. Peep these shoes!" He pointed to his feet.

" **Nah, can I kick it? Thank you. Yeah, I'm so damn grateful…**

 **But that's what you get when Wu-Tang raised you.**

 **Y'all can't stop me! Go hard like I got an 808 in my heartbeat.**

 **And I'm eating at the beat, like you give a little speed**

 **to a Great White Shark in 'Shark Week.' Raaaah!"**

"Kofi's wearing a pair of two-tone Navy Blue and Camel Brown shoes," Sarita explained. "These are handmade of high quality with the leather imported straight from Italy. When designing this shoe and choosing a leather distributor, I wanted one that had delicate workmanship-artisans with a exceptional care for details. Kofi's shoes thrive on vibrant, colored leathers and my embracing of new trends, patterns, and schemes in an ever-evolving fashion industry. $500."

"We gave Mr. Kingston a total hook up with accessories with this outfit!" exclaimed Mary-Kate.

"First up is his tie clip. He's wearing cufflinks and a tie clip that come in a set-unique from the other men who had theirs separate. We gave him a hint of luxury with silver and gold-tone cufflinks and a tiebar adorned with sparkling inlay, and a swivel back. These are $40."

"On his left wrist, he's sporting a Stainless Steel and Yellow-Gold 'Submariner' Rolex," Ashley stated. "This is a round shape watch with a Navy Blue dial, and Yellow Gold band. Because it's in our 'Submariner' watch collection, it is water-resistant. A one of a kind men's rolex, that's just gleaming in absolute perfection for $9,068."

" **...Raise those hands. This is our country.**

 **We came here to live life like nobody was watching…"**

Kofi raised his right hand and playfully fluttered his fingers.

"But we didn't stop there!" Mary-Kate shouted. "He's wearing a round-shaped, 14-carat, two-tone, solid gold pinky ring. This pinky ring is crafted in a lustrous white and Yellow Gold, and the center features an adorable light brown diamond totaling 1.58 carats. For $6,843, I guarantee you'll get attention from bystanders! Thank you Kofi."

" **I'm so fly, so fly, so fly, so fly, so fly, so fly."**

Kofi left the runway, and DJ Pauly D switched genres again, leaving Hip Hop and transitioning over to contemporary R&B. He was playing "So fly," a one-hit wonder by an artist name "Slim." He had an association with New York's Sean "P. Diddy" Combs because he was a member and lead singer of Bad Boy Records' male foursome known as 112.

" **Just stopped out, fresh out the shower.**

 **Gotta' stay fresh, take about an hour.**

 **Gotta' get dressed: your boy's so clean…"**

The next model made his entrance.

"Up next, is Randy...um _excuse_ _me_ Mr. Orton, a tie was supposed to accompany that suit," said Sarita, both startled and smitten by Randy's decision to "change things up."

" **Fresh pair of shades.**

 **Ice on ma' wrist.**

 **Socks to the drawers.**

 **Ya' boy stay fit..."**

Randy muttered something, but she couldn't hear them.

"I can't make out what he's saying. The others I could hear better. The crowd's gotten even louder if that seems possible," said Sarita while squinting her eyes. It was a reflex thing. Vision wasn't the problem. She could see him _very_ well. "Can somebody hand him a mic?"

A runner quickly tossed Randy a microphone, and he caught it with one hand. He ran his opposite hand under his throat and stared at DJ Pauly D, figuratively requesting that he stop the music. He understood and complied. Then Randy looked on at Sarita, the Olsens, and Kim Kardashian-West.

During the Pitbull performance, Sarita, Kim, Mary-Kate and Ashley switched their microphones. They requested that the stage manager swap their traditional ones for ear pieces and head microphones that wrapped around a side of your face. The same ones musicians or Broadway actors had when performing when a lot of movement was involved. They never had intentions to dance and interact with anyone in the show, directly. This was an impromptu decision they made mid-way through the show as the volume with the audience grew intense at times. Sarita wasn't complaining about it. Not at all. She appreciated the love being reciprocated, and that the fans were enjoying themselves. It was a decision made for communication purposes.

"You would be correct Ms. López," Randy began, acknowledging he intentionally abandoned his tie. "But you see, I wasn't particularly feeling it. Not today at least. Triple H said that 'chicks dig a rebel.' While he's you and I's boss, I've known him a lot longer than you, and love him like a brother."

This was the second interruption of the day for Sarita's fashion show. The first with Cass and Enzo was planned. It was designed to work the crowd, and get them engaged. This stunt with Orton was _not_. Sarita had no idea where he was going, or what he was doing. But they were live.

"What does your little bromance have to do with me?" She questioned with a hand on her hip.

"Funny enough, it has _everything_ to do with you," he replied.

Randy wasn't lying. Sarita knew she had a crush on Randy for some time now. What she didn't know however, was that Randy liked her as well. He was on the fence about pursuing another relationship after two failed marriages. He wouldn't call himself happily single. He was more like a "satisfied single," content with things up until this point. Randy was also a bit apprehensive because he wasn't sure Sarita would be interested in dating a guy who had been divorced twice, and having a child from each marriage.

He decided to have a conversation with Paul about this subject. Paul viewed Sarita in a very positive light. The wrestling business may not have been her passion like him. Nor was it literally in her bloodline like Randy, Paul's wife, and in-laws. But her dedication to fashion projects and her celebrity connections were her ways of contributing significantly to the Pop-culture aspect of the WWE as a brand. He found that valuable. She also was willing to put work in at NXT when signed, additional time too, as needed. That didn't go unnoticed by Paul.

So he gave Randy his blessing, but not before being himself and leaving Randy with what he monikered his "3S Criteria." _Is she single? Is she sexy? Is she sane?_ That was his three prong test for Randy to ask himself in regards to pursuing Sarita. If Randy could answer yes to all three, especially the last one, Paul didn't see a problem. If there was a mutual attraction between the two of them, and they both were mature adults, why would there be? They could discuss and handle any pending drama, or "baggage" either two may experience as a result of being together, should things take off and blossom deeper. Who knew better than him, given who he was married to?

Randy affirmed Paul's inquiry, and he mentioned to Paul that he already committed to Sarita's show months ago. Paul thought that was perfect, and encouraged Randy to make his move there. Paul figured she would be in her element and wouldn't expect it. That way Randy would see her genuine emotions and decipher there if she was into him the way he hoped she would be. So that's what he was doing currently.

"See, we have a problem," Randy continued. "You want your show to resume, and I would much rather my accessory of choice to be a _beautiful_ _woman_ , than a piece of fabric. So I say, for the people of New York, the people of Brooklyn-your hometown fans-you step on this stage, and join me as I walk down this runway."

"Raaaaah!" The crowd cheered loudly, and Randy milked their reaction a few seconds by tugging his own ear and looking on at them. Sarita blushed like crazy throughout the cheers.

"I would say, 'don't look away,' but given that you've been staring at me this _entire_ time, which I absolutely adore by the way," he added. "Why don't you just give the people what they want?"

"You know you want to!" yelled Kim, finally interrupting Sarita and Randy's public display of courtship, or so it seemed.

"Don't let him hold the show hostage forever!" shouted Mary-Kate.

Seeing Sarita still blushing, silent, but not moving, Randy began to walk down the runway anyway, and the fans booed. They did so because Sarita wouldn't join Randy. But Randy had other thoughts on his mind. It was time for "Plan B." She wouldn't come when he asked nicely. So he stopped at the far end of the stage on the side she and her girls were standing, and held his hand out.

Sarita, after a deep sigh, placed her hand in his as she walked up some stairs, and he guided her to the front of the main stage. The crowd's cheers returned as they walked back up the runway heading towards the curtain.

"Hey DJ, I promise I won't be a problem from here on out," said Randy, still holding Sarita's hand seconds before reaching the curtain. "In a moment, you can hit _our_ music."

He dropped the microphone on the stage, and he and Sarita exited behind the curtain. While they waited for the track to restart, a runner raced across to retrieve the microphone he dropped.

DJ Pauly D restarted Slim's "So Fly." When they returned to the stage, Sarita was totally smitten.

"First tell us what you're wearing darling, then we can move on to your arm candy," remarked Kim, trying to reel her best friend back to reality. Kim clearly saw that her girl was still crushing, but wanted her to go back in designer mode.

Sarita explained her own outfit first, then moved on to Randy.

"Ahh, he's wearing a three piece Navy Blue, cuffed, striped suit," Sarita said, slowly getting herself together. "I said I don't like my suits boring, so he's sure to wake people up wearing this. The suit, which is made of Polyester and Rayon, features wide leg pants, fancy cuffs on the end, and a contrasting Dolphin Grey thick lapel, with a matching vest in color. He's wearing one of my standard, solid white, French cuff shirts under the suit. The tie that Randy's _not_ wearing…"

Orton smirked, before she continued. The twins noticed that she still hadn't unclenched herself from him.

"Was supposed to be Navy Blue and Smoke Grey-so I went even darker messing with the hue's checkered pattern-skinny necktie. The tie, which was made of 100% silk would create an instant-upgrade to his already fine look as the narrow width complimented the slim, modern finish. The tie, which you again fans can't see, was $30, and his suit is $1,390."

Randy unlinked her arm with his. But he wasn't going to let her go, not yet anyway. He wrapped his right arm around her waist, and looked on at her friends. She wasn't done talking about him, so in his view, he didn't need to release her.

"Keeping the trend going with the two-tones and patterns contrasting with shoes as I had with Kofi, Randy's wearing a pair of Navy Blue Aspide Pebble Grain and Python shoes," she explained. "A spectacular combination of pebble grain and genuine python lace up his derby-style dress shoes. They have a blue leather sole and python tasseled laces, which I'm sure Kim loves. These are $670. You know what? While I'm here, I might as well make myself useful."

The audience cheered again when Sarita broke away from Randy, stepping in front of him and unbuttoning his suit jacket.

"Please do," he nodded while smiling. "I don't mind at all."

"Randy's also wearing a matching belt with the shoes," Sarita clarified as she returned to his side so fans could get a better look at it with his jacket open. "This is optional, and sold separately. The belt is $215."

Randy grabbed Sarita's hand once again and walked with her to the far end, watching her take her time down the steps to rejoin her co-hosts, kissing her hand, before letting her go.

"Well you mentioned him not wearing his tie, so why not start there, huh?" asked Mary-Kate rhetorically. "We gave Randy a Navy Blue lapel pin and tiebar set. But, since there's no tie, there's no tie clip. He thankfully at least, wore the lapel pin. This lapel pin is a Navy Blue leather lapel, shaped like a rose of his left side. It provides a subtle and contemporary style featuring muted dark tones in a matte finish. These are $30, and also available in the following colors: silver, grey, burgundy, rust, green, and black."

"Pinned at the end of his shirt are silver and Mediterranean Blue, Crystal, interlock cufflinks," noted Ashley. "Swarovski Crystal in baguette and asscher cuts are inlaid as bricks within a convex square of sleek rhodium plating. These are cufflinks intended to shine, shimmer, and impress for $149."

"And finishing off this trouble maker is a 6.29-carat Diamond Watch from our 'King' collection," said Mary-Kate. "It's a round shape watch with a white dial whose window is made of Sapphire Crystal. It's stainless steel, water resistant, and its leather band has a full Navy Blue strap outlined in brown. Regular retail price for this watch is $15,685, but get it through our summer sale for $6,274."

" **I'm so fly, so fly. (Woo!) Feels like I'm taking off.**

 **I'm so high (on top of the world)!**

 **Looking for a shorty to break me off.**

 **I'm so fly, so fly. Feels like I'm taking off.**

 **I'm so high (on top of the world)!**

 **Looking for a shorty to break me off.**

 **Don't you hate on me! I said, don't you hate on me!"**

The final male model for this category appeared as Slim's song continued to the chorus.

"You alright woman?" Kim asked her friend while massaging her shoulders. "Got it, or _him_ , out of your system?"

"I'm good, I'm good," Sarita said quickly. "The Miz is back and this cat loves plaid! He's wearing an ivory, brown, and plaid three piece suit. Made of Polyester and Rayon, the slacks to the suit are solid ivory with single pleats. The jacket is plaid, and here I go with the versatility keeping my men happy: the vest is reversible!"

Miz unbuttoned his jacket to demonstrate what Sarita was about to elaborate on.

"You can wear it in solid ivory like The Miz, or flip it over on the plaid side depending on your mood, situation, or vibe," She expounded. "He's wearing a basic white French cuff shirt underneath with a Mahogany Brown striped tie for $30. The suit is $750."

" **Got my keys picked. My toy top drop down.**

 **Let the haters hear the noise.**

 **Hit the paddle, turn that wheel.**

 **Push that one, make it all disappear…"**

"To complement the brown in Miz's striped tie, I've put him in a Camel Brown, genuine Eel and Ostrich Shoe," said Sarita. "These once again come from my manufacturing partners, Belvedere. I gave them a shout out in a few of the shoes some of the men wore in the Daytime Chic looks. These folks are some of the finest exotic shoe manufacturers, who handcraft and handstitch the shoe start to finish. Miz's shoes have a butter soft Lambskin leather inside for superior comfort, and the insole is cushioned for added shock absorption. A special tanning process is used to glaze the premium eel and ostrich. These are $459."

"We're grateful that this man has decided to keep his _entire_ outfit in tact," Mary-Kate joked. "Miz is wearing a pair of 18-carat Yellow Gold cufflinks. Each one is set with eight beautiful carre-cut, Hunter Green colored, peridot stones. What's really cool about Miz's cufflinks versus the other guys' is that the center section swivels so that the stones are hidden and a satin finished panel of gold appears, giving you a casual look from a distance; but up close you're quite aware of the sophistication. These are $2,200."

One of the cameramen zoomed in on Miz's wrist as he raised his fists to his face, getting a closer shot of the detail Mary-Kate referenced earlier with the swiveling section of his cufflinks.

"Miz also has a Yellow Gold-tone, vintage tie clip with a rhinestone," said Ashley. "He has a square cut rhinestone in Hunter Green. This is $40."

"Not forgetting about the watch, Mike's rocking a 'GMT Master', two-tone men's watch," Mary Kate stated. "It's a round shaped watch with a gold dial whose window is made of Sapphire Crystal. This watch _is_ water-resistant by up to 100 meters. The two-tone comes from the silver bracelet links divided by a smaller gold strip in between. Priced at $18,190 but it's yours for $7,276 with our summer sale."

"Everybody give it up for the men in their Business looks!" yelled Kim. "One more time let's watch them 'go to work!' "

" **Made it to the club. Everybody know what's up.**

 **(I got that superstar status!)**

 **Through the door: VIP. All the ladies come with me.**

 **Want a drink? Come on in.**

 **Everybody, it's on me, showing love!**

 **Everybody showing me love, 'cuz I'm so fly…"**

All of the men reentered the stage as the the bridge of the song into the resuming chorus played. Because Miz was already out, he joined the rear of the line. Remaining defiant, when Randy returned, he still did not have on his tie.

* * *

Sticking with contemporary R&B, DJ Pauly D started playing a track that quickly became one of many women's empowerment songs of the millennium era. It was track by the spouse of a previous performer. A performer who performed this same song on this very stage for Good Morning America six years ago, allegedly three months pregnant.

The marching band snare drum, followed by blended bass and scattered noises couldn't be any more of a dead ringer. It was big give away.

" **Girls! We run this mutha (Yeah!)**

 **Girls! We run this mutha (Yeah!)**

 **Girls! We run this mutha (Yeah!)**

 **Girls! We run this mutha (Yeah!)"**

As "Run the World" by Beyoncé started, the two LED screens on the far left and right sides that were showing random citizens go to and about their work day for the men's introduction to business, changed. They were no longer so random. Sarita kept her idea of putting WWE Superstars traveling about in the middle of the slideshows. But the people who weren't WWE talent were specific: Serena Williams, Hilary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Eva Longoria, Sonia Sotomayór, Elena Kagan, Nancy Pelosi, Sharon Stone, Jamie-Lee Curtis, Mia Hamm, Loretta Lynch, Michelle Kwan, Queen Latifah, Linda and Stephanie McMahon, and a host of other famous women were displayed.

" **Who run the world? (Girls!)**

 **Who the run world? (Girls!)**

 **Who run this mutha? (Girls!)**

 **Who run this mutha?"**

"Oh it's only fair I keep you hyped NY!" announced Sarita happily. "The ladies are back, and will bring it too!"

" **Some of them men think they freak this, like we do.**

 **But no they don't. Make your check.**

 **Come at they neck.** **Disrespect us? No they won't."**

Nikki Bella made her way back on the stage with a look of pure, bold, tenacity on her face.

"Looking fierce and fabulous is Nikki Bella, who's wearing a white, long sleeve, mock-neck bodysuit. Made of Rayon and elite Polyester fabric imported from Italy, this bodysuit has a front, heart-shaped cutout at the chest. The suit is approximately 25½" inches down from the center of your back. $695."

"This is so sexy Sarita," said Kim. "And I don't mean that in a seductive way, but a _powerful_ way. Bodysuits and jumpsuits at large have been making a comeback for the past three, four years, or so. I like several things about this. One is the comfortably-tight fit. Nikki's snug, but doesn't look like she's losing circulation. Two, is the color. It's all-white. We're a few weeks before Labor Day, but as you know, the trend is to ignore trends. I could totally see a woman rocking this before or after September. And lastly, I really like the front cutout-heart, not 'V'. It's a cute touch. Very nice job."

Beyoncé's track was paused temporarily and DJ Pauly D played the sound effects of a glass ceiling being shattered. Seconds later on the live shot, Nikki and Brie Bella's cover of the October 2016 issue of Women's Muscle and Fitness was displayed on the huge LED screen in the center.

Keeping up with the empowerment theme of the song, Nikki asked if the magazine cover with her sister could go up. Nikki and Brie were the first sitting female twins to make the cover in a fitness magazine in over 50 years. It helped that Paul was the editorial advisor and a contributor to the overall Muscle and Fitness Magazine, while his idol, legendary bodybuilder and action film star Arnold Schwarzenegger, was the editor. So Paul was very active and informed in what was produced in each respective gender's publication. It was a feat the two women accomplished on their own, but having his support was something they valued. Paul supported Sarita too; so she didn't have a problem making the accommodation. It was a cool idea.

Nikki whipped the next piece of garment on her body around as Beyoncé's verse continued. Then resumed walking.

" **Boy don't even try to touch this…This is how they made me…**

 **This goes out to all my girls that's in the club rocking the latest.**

 **Who will buy it for themselves, and get money later."**

Sarita quickly hugged her friend. "Thank you so much for the kind words, love. If Nikki likes, she could just be on her way in the body suit. But I decided to put this optional piece on her: a soft, white, open-front, long vest for $1,895. Together as a two-piece, I think is where this outfit is at its absolute strongest! People talk about making a statement with their actions, This is a statement-making _outfit_."

Nikki took the vest off and draped it across her left shoulder, so the audience could see the look of the jumpsuit without it.

"I'm with you girl, I completely agree," said Kim. "To go with this rad outfit, I gave Nicole a pair of my black and white striped, leather pumps. It's my zebra-inspired stiletto. Not only is their symmetry among the stripes, I have a hot, high ponytail at the ankle, made of Goat Fur that's been dyed black. These pumps have an almond toe, printed snake on the insole, a 4" inch curved covered heel, and a Mary Jane ankle strap with an adorable pearl button on the side of it. These babies are $1,290."

"Well I think we all agree that this is one badass outfit and it's only fitting who the person is on audio saluting her from afar," said Mary-Kate. "Ash and I didn't want to overdo it with accessories because that bodysuit is the star, while those shoes and vest serve as strong supporting actors. So we just gave Nikki one thing: a pair of Pearl, Crossover drop earrings with diamonds. These are Sterling Silver earrings with white cultured freshwater pearls that are naturally hued. The 33 millimeter earrings have Pavé Diamonds with a .07 total carat weight. $750."

" **...My persuasion can build a nation.**

 **Endless power, with our love we can devour.**

 **You'll do anything for me.."**

The chorus followed, and Nikki made her exit in anticipation of the next model.

JoJo came on the stage with a clipboard clenched tightly as a prop.

"Hello to JoJo, who is looking radiant in a fuchsia, cap-sleeve, back drape dress," said Sarita. "Made of Triacetate and Polyester fabric, this dress has a shift silhouette, straight hem, side seam pockets, and hidden back zip. This woven dress is approximately 34" inches in length from collar to hem, and an asymmetric jewel neckline with gathered detail. $345."

" **It's hot up in here.**

 **DJ, don't be scared to run this, run this back.**

 **I'm reppin' for the girls who taking over the world.**

 **Help me raise a glass for all the college grads."**

"Very cute, very cute," remarked Kim. "I really like the hidden zipper and drapery in the back of the dress Rita. I'm pulling double duty with this one ladies. Not only am I bringing out the fuschia Sarita put on JoJo, I'm popping other colors as well. She's wearing a 105 millimeter, floral-print, multicolor, Fabric Pump. This slip-on style shoe has 4.2" covered heel, and pointed toe, with a leather lining and sole. They have a top-stitched collar with the fabric, as well as a crystal buckle detail. $865."

"We got a few things going on by the way of accessories of JoJo," Mary-Kate said. "We first put an Oestra Rhodolite Garnet dome ring on her middle finger. It's dome face has faceted round Rhodolite Garnet Stones matching the fuchsia of her dress. It's spiraled by a sterling silver shank. $650."

"Hanging beautifully from her neck is a Crystal link station necklace," said Ashley. "Approximately 42" centimeters in length, this necklace, which has a lobster clasp, is made of Golden Ruthenium-plated brass with black enamel. The mixed stations are in Pyrite, rough Iolite, crystal accent, and black Cubic Zirconia. Available for $375."

"Capping off this gorgeous gal is a pair of crystal spike drop earrings," Mary-Kate said warmly. "These earrings, which are approximately 2.7" inches in length, are made of ruthenium, and golden plate brass. The Pavé Crystal comes with pyrite doublet, Sapphire colored Corundum, and Black Cubic Zirconia, as seen in her necklace. These have wired backs, and are $255."

" **41 rollin' to let you know what time it is. Check!**

 **You can't hold me. (You can't hold me!)**

 **I work my 9 to 5. Better cut my check!"**

The clipboard that JoJo had clenched in her hand and resting comfortably on the side of her hip was now the focus of attention. Nikki had her moment with the magazine reminder, and now it was time for JoJo to do something cool. She held her clipboard up at eye-level and the live shot shown in the center screen zoomed in. The back side of the clipboard that was in the audience's line of vision (if they weren't staring at the screen) simply had a program line-up of the fashion show, with participants, sponsors, and categories. But what fans were looking at currently-thanks to the zoom-in of the front side of JoJo's clipboard from the LED screen-was a checklist.

There was an ink pen attached to the center loop of JoJo's clipboard, and she grabbed it. The list had four checkboxes, and JoJo was about to mark them. The first said, "Shutdown Manhattan." She marked it. The second one said, "Takeover Brooklyn." She marked it. The third said, "Fierce and Fabulous in Fuchsia." She smiled, and marked that one. The last one said "Mystery," and she left it unmarked. JoJo raised her hand that her ring was on, creating a partition over her forehead as though she was trying to block the sun. The sun wasn't bothering her. She was searching through the crowd. She spotted a male fan wearing a "Give Divas a Chance" tee shirt. JoJo walked over to him, passed him the clipboard, and instructed him to lift up the checklist.

When he pushed the 8½ X 11" inch piece of paper up, underneath of it was a white envelope. He pulled it out and read what the words said in black Sharpie marker on it: "Front Row Tix to the post Summerslam Monday Night Raw."

JoJo left, and headed up the runway while the cameras captured the fans' moments of elation.

DJ Pauly D switched tracks and genres, leaving contemporary R&B for Pop. Strong piano chords, handclaps, and percussion accompanied it.

" **You can be amazing.**

 **You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug.**

 **Or you can just start speaking up…**

 **Sometimes a shadow wins.**

 **But I wonder what would happen if you,"**

"Welcome back Nattie," said Sarita as Natalya walked out with a black briefcase. "Following suit with Nikki, these are pieces Nattie could wear as individual pieces, but I like them together. She's wearing a Caviar Black, pique, knit, Sailor Skirt to the knee. This pencil skirt with nautical-inspired styling is made of Wool and Rayon, and roughly 25" inches long. It has a banded waist with front button detail, and a concealed side zip closure. It's $480."

"I really like it," said Mary-Kate. "It's an appropriate length, where she's showing some leg looking classy, but not trashy. The detailing with the faux fastening buttons in gold is a nice touch."

" **Say what you wanna' say! And let the words fall out.**

 **Honestly, I wanna' see you be brave,**

 **with what you wanna' say. And let the words fall out.**

 **Honestly, I wanna' see you be brave!"**

"Thanks MK," Sarita remarked with gratitude as the chorus played. "Along with the sailor skirt, she's wearing an off-black mini dot Georgette blouse. This is a tie neck blouse made in 100% dotted Silk Georgette. It's about 30" inches from the shoulder to hem. But I have Nattie wearing it tucked inside the skirt to accentuate the high waist and show off the gold button detailing on the front of it. In addition to the tie neck, this blouse has a concealed back zip closure, and long sleeves with tie cuffs at the wrists as well. $695 chicas."

"I adore it," said Ashley. "It gives the blouse-on the sleeves at least-a little bit of a sheer look.

"Well Sarita went black on Nattie's skirt and top, so I decided to give her a pop of color on the shoes," Kim began. "She's wearing a pair of red, Suede, pointed-toe booties. These are also available in black, and brown. I love these for her because these are season-spanning booties. Fall, spring, winter, summer, it doesn't matter. She could could rock them. They have a leather lining and sole, with suede on the upper end and a side zipper. My favorite part about these other than their 4" inch lacquered heel, is that they feature a low-cut front for a flattering, leg-lengthening effect. $695 ladies."

"No accessories girls?" asked Sarita to the twins.

"Not this time for her," Ashley answered. "Her French manicure looks good though," she added and Natalya laughed while fanning herself playfully, showing her hands. "Sometimes doing too much to an outfit, can ruin it. This is a classic look of sophistication with your modern twist. It's great, and we didn't want to screw it up with too much bling."

" **...Everybody's been there.**

 **Everybody's been stared down by the enemy…**

 **Don't run. Just stop holding your tongue."**

Before Natalya made her turn to exit the runway, like JoJo, she spotted a fan and interacted with them. She handed the fan her briefcase, and when the fan opened it, it was a brand new, exclusive copy of WWE 2K18 on the Playstation 4 console. Also inside the briefcase wa 7" inch size card with codes to downloadable content for the videogame not available to the general public until November.

" **Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live.**

 **Maybe one of these days you can let the light in.**

 **Show me how big your brave is."**

"It's Bayley!" said Sarita excitedly, as the WWE Universe's favorite hugger reentered the stage. "She's wearing a Navy Blue, sleeveless, pointelle Knit Dress. This dress, which is made of Viscose and Polyester, has a round neckline with a semi sheer yoke. It's a pullover style with a gently ruffled hem, fit-and-flare silhouette, and nips in natural at the waist. Available for $298."

"This is nice," said Kim. "I like that tiny look of peek-a-boo mesh at the beginning of her chest and as she turned around, the upper back. Good work Sarita. Well for her shoes ladies, my tassel love has returned." The women laughed. "I've given her a neutral leather, fringe, 105 millimeter pump. These shoes have a slip-on style, pointed toe, and a 4.3" inch covered heel. I said my tassels are back: There's a bow at the back of the pump with fringe, nude in color, like the rest of the shoe. These also come in the pomegranate color, and are $569."

" **I just wanna' see you. I just wanna' see you.**

 **I just wanna' see you, see you be brave!"**

"Bayley will aspire to be brave, that's for sure," said Mary Kate. "I hear there's a big fight she's a part of later tonight. Anywho, kicking off her jewelry, on her finger is a Lapis cocktail ring. It's an 18-carat Yellow Gold ring with a hand-engraved finish. The face is round with a faceted lapis lazuli center. It can be yours for $2,540."

"Well the center of my sister's ring has a very dark shade of blue, like picturing a Lunar moon in a midnight sky," said Ashley. "So I went bright here, really wanting to give her navy dress a pop. Bayley's wearing a Blue Jasper cluster necklace. It has 22-carat gold-plated hardware, and is 19" inches in length with a 3" inch extender on the lobster clasp, which comes with our logo on a charm. Organic, variegated Blue Jasper beads are on a knotted cord. This necklace costs $395."

"That's hot Ash, that's hot," said Mary-Kate to her sister. "I've finished off Bayley with a pair of rock candy two-stone earrings in Taffeta. These earrings are hand-hammered in Sterling Silver, and have Omega backs for pierced ears. The stones are prong-set Clear Quartz and Pyrite in Frost, and Clear Quartz and Pyrite in Rosemary. Yours for $995."

" **Do the pretty girl rock, rock, rock.**

 **Do the pretty girl rock, rock, rock.**

 **Now what's your name?"**

DJ Pauly D left Pop and went back to R&B musically.

" **My name is Keri. I'm so very, fly.**

 **Oh my, it's a little bit scary.**

 **Boys wanna' marry, looking at me derriere.**

 **And you can stare, but if you touch it, I'mma' bury."**

It was Keri Hilson's "Pretty Girl Rock," a chart topper in 2010 on the musical charts in the world of contemporary R&B. For years Keri co-wrote hits for other artists. She wanted to pursue a solo career as a singer, and one of the most recognizable tracks she was heard on was Timbaland's "The Way I Are," from his album titled "Shock Value." The track was featured on the soundtrack of Step Up 2 in 2008.

" **Pretty as a picture. Sweeter than a swisher.**

 **Mad 'cause I'm cuter than the girl that's witcha'.**

 **I can talk about it 'cause I know that I'm pretty.**

 **And if you know it too, then ladies sing it with me."**

"Maryse is back and bringing it with my sleeveless, draped dress in Earth Green," said Sarita, loving the song she selected for the woman walking down the runway. "This stretch-woven dress is made Viscose and Spandex fabric that I've imported from Italy. It has a surplice neckline with a very lenient 'V' back. While it's sleeveless, it does have moderate shoulder coverage and pleated drape across the bodice. In this dress, Maryse has a fitted silhouette, straight hem, and silk lining, with a hidden back zipper. $1,495."

Maryse lifted her hands up and down before caressing her curves, in perfect time for the chorus to commence:

" **All eyes on me when I walk in.** **No question that this girl's a 10!**

 **Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful!** **Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful!**

 **My walk, my talk, the way I dress.** **It's not my fault, so please don't trip.**

 **Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful!** **Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful!**

 **Hey, now do the pretty girl rock!"**

"I hear you Maryse! _Loud_ _and_ _clear_ ," Kim remarked with praise. "I've put her in a pointed toe, Confetti Pump. This slip-on style shoe has a beige cork-like color, with a 4" inch heel and leather insole. They're $264."

"Ash gave Bayley's dress a pop brightening the blue's in her necklace," Mary-Kate reminded everyone. "I'm popping it with Maryse, giving her a 20 millimeter Oestra faceted Green Onyx pendant necklace. This 42" centimeter necklace is sterling silver with a darkened finish. It has a woven silk cord with a sliding toggle clasp and is available for $1,600."

" **If you're looking for me, you can catch me: (hot spot) Cameras flashing!**

 **Daddy turned his head just as soon as I passed him.**

 **Girls think I'm conceited 'cause I know I'm attractive.**

 **Don't worry 'bout what I think. Why don't you ask him? (Oh, whoa)"**

"Clearly we're twins-as if it weren't any more obvious-I've followed your lead with the Green Onyx," said Ashley following a chuckle. "She's wearing a pair of faceted Green Onyx hoop earrings. They have a slim, sterling silver rope frame with a polished and darkened finish. The Green onyxes trim the outer front and inner back of the hoop. The post backs are levered, and these cost $875."

"Finishing off her look with a ring like we did Bayley," began Mary-Kate, adoring Maryse completely in her element the longer the song went, relishing the lyrics. "Maryse's wearing a classic, chain silver, oval ring in Hunter Green. The ring is in sterling silver with a signature carved chained design. It has a split shank set with Pavé Tsavorite, and is $1,195."

DJ Pauly D went back to Hip Hop. The track began with a few chords of bass guitar, and had piped in finger snaps.

" **Who dat? Who dat? I-G-G-Y!**

 **I said, 'who dat? Who dat?' I-G-G-Y!"**

Then repeated echoed shouts of "Hey!" followed as timed applause instead of drums for percussion came in, in addition to the steady snapping fingers and guitar. He was playing Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's breakout hit in the United States from 2014, "Fancy" featuring Charli XCX.

" **Still stuntin', huh? You love that?**

 **Got the whole world asking how I does that."**

Shannon was approaching the stage, and she was not alone.

"Nice to you meet again," muttered Randy Orton to Shannon, seconds before they came from behind the curtain. "Heard quite a bit about you."

"All good I hope," Shannon mumbled back.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, no worries," Randy clarified. "Good job down there in NXT so far. I caught up with your dude in the back, and thanked him for filling in for me during house shows when I blew this shoulder out. It was H's call I know, but still, I appreciate Mattias stepping up. Maybe when I'm ready to come back, I can work a program with him at some point."

"That would be great," said Shannon. "It's out of my hands though."

They came through the curtain.

" **Hot girl, hands off, don't touch that! Look at it.**

 **I bet you wishing you could clutch that."**

"This woman is just making her damn rounds!" exclaimed Kim. "How many is this now?"

"Girl, I lost count," said Mary-Kate. "The men always seem to shed clothing too when they're with her. Most of them anyway. Roman's vest came off in Beachwear. Tyler's shirt got lost when she had her swimsuit on. Goodness!"

"Shannon Storm has returned to the catwalk with Randy," began Sarita. "Who has seem to _forgotten_ his jacket and vest, in addition to never even wearing the tie I selected for his Business attire."

"Hey Sarita, he just dropped the _tie_ for you," Shannon responded to the jab. "He left the jacket _and_ vest behind for _me_. I'm not complaining though. I'm all for a handsome man losing layers."

Shannon was just being her witty, snarky, smartass self. She had no prior knowledge of Sarita's crush for Randy. She learned about it live, with the rest of the world roughly thirty minutes ago. She had no idea if Sarita and Randy were about to be a thing, or were a thing already that no one knew about it until he decided to mess with her in public, today of all days. If Randy and Sarita were indeed an item, Shannon would have no problem clarifying that she had no intent to overstep a boundary with her comment. Shannon was just playing off chemistry, and it was harmless fun. She had Tyler. Girl Code would be recognized if Sarita went to the back demanding answers at the conclusion of the show.

" **That's just the way you like it, huh?**

 **So good, he's just wishing he could bite it, huh?"**

Randy left Shannon when she made it to the midpoint of the runway, so she could finish her walk, solo.

"Returning to coupling two badass pieces and making them a set like I did for Nattie and Nikki, I went there again with Shannon," Sarita started, getting back into her designer zone when Randy left. "She's wearing a pair of black, Velvet-trim, skinny Jogger Pants. These stretch-woven pants are made of two fabric blends: Viscose/Spandex, as well as Cotton/Spandex with a Polyester lining. They have an inseam of approximately 31" inches and 44" inch outseam. The rise sits at the natural waist. Shannon has vertical zip front pockets and a drawstring tie closure at the front. Very cute zip details are at the back of her ankles. You can see them as she turns for me. These are $2,195."

"These are great," said Kim. "Fitted like skinny jean, yet you bring out that suave femininity with the multiple fabrics and velvet trim. It's like an upgrade to what some would call the trend of 'Sporty-Chic.' "

"You got it Kim," said Sarita. "Going along with that is a black two-button Peplum jacket for $2,995."

" **Never turning down nothing. (Say what?)**

 **Slaying these hoes! Gold trigger on the gun like,"**

When "gold trigger" was mentioned, Shannon, trying to be clever hyping her match with Bayley, maneuvered her hands around her waist implicating her title victory before bending her arms like a rifle, and aiming it at the crowd.

"I've put a pair of my black, 100 millimeter, Rockstud Pumps on Shannon's feet," began Kim. "These are pebbled calf leather pumps with a rockstud and black cabochon stud trim. The pumps have a pointed toe, caged vamp, and smooth outsole. They have a 4" inch heel and cost $1,245."

" **I'm so fancy! You already know!"**

"Charlie XCX said it best, and we've definitely given Shannon some fancy pieces," Mary-Kate remarked. "Around her neck is a silver, Crystal, spike bib necklace. This 16" inch necklace with a 3" inch extender is made of Ruthenium-plated Brass with golden graduated collar has faceted Pavé Crystal and Pyrite doublets. Yours for $445."

" **I'm in the fastlane. From LA to Tokyo."**

"She's also donning a pair of Crystal, pyramid drop earrings," said Ashley. "They're made of Ruthenium and Golden-plated brass with Pyrite and Pavé Crystal doublet drop. These have wired backs, and are $275."

" **I'm so fancy! Can't you taste this gold?**

 **Remember my name!**

 **'Bout to blow-oh-whoa-ooh-oh-whoa-oh!"**

"Keeping with the Crystal, Shannon's topping off the look with a Pavé Crystal pyramid ring," said Mary-Kate. "It's a cocktail ring made of Ruthenium-plated brass with an asymmetric Pyrite/Crystal doublet in a Pavé setting. Priced at $255. Thanks Shannon."

When the "remember my name," lyric aired, she spotted a fan two rows behind the one that JoJo gave Monday Night Raw tickets to, who had on her Royal Blue and silver "Diamond Diva" tee shirt from WWE shop dot com that dropped a few months ago, following NXT Takeover: Passion. She pointed in his direction, said nothing, but nodded confidently. The cameras did not lose sight of the gesture of affirmation, catching it in the live shot.

DJ Pauly D slowly faded out the beat of "Fancy" as Shannon walked briskly back up the runway. Then he restarted the beat of a previous song that played, but narrowed in on a certain section.

" **This goes out to all the women getting it in.**

 **You're on your grind.**

 **To other men that respect what I do,**

 **please accept my shine…"**

"One more time for my 'Sexy Six!' " shouted Sarita as the women returned to remind the audience of their looks for the Business Chic category, proudly to Beyoncé's "Run the World."

" **How we're** _ **smart**_ **enough to make these millions.**

 _ **Strong**_ **enough to bare the children.**

 **Then get back to business…"**

That was a clever line to end the segment on Sarita's part as the ladies left.

* * *

"It's time my ladies show you how fly they are when they go out," said Sarita with a grin. "I call these next pieces Summer Chic: Nightlife."

The crowd grew quiet as they were not expecting to see what soon followed. On the huge, horizontal screen in the center of the stage was the logo image of the Fox Network's hit Hip Hop musical prime-time drama, "Empire." Even though the cast and crew filmed the television show in Chicago, Illinois, fictionally, "Empire" took place in New York City; there were also occasional flashbacks throughout the season in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the main characters grew up before relocating to "The Big Apple." The two vertical LED screens on the left and right showed a clip of a former episode in the show.

The fans screamed when they saw Sarita in the clip. A few years ago, in 2015, Creator and screenwriter for "Empire," Lee Daniels, pitched the idea to work with the WWE. His idea was for the WWE to have "Jamal and Hakeem Lyon," the two musical sons of singer-songwriter, rapper, father, and Empire Entertainment CEO "Lucious Lyon," create entrance music for Sarita López. In the WWE, most talents' music was created by composer Jim Johnston, or CFO$ for NXT talent. On the rare occasion, a few superstars had artists outside of the WWE's personnel create theme songs. With Sarita actually being from New York, and Empire Entertainment being a successful multi-generational, family-operated, publicly-traded, entertainment company, it shared similarities to the WWE.

The two sons feuded over not only who would represent the "Empire Records" wing of company, but who would perform, write, and produce the record for Sarita. The episode ended with Sarita making an appearance on Monday Night Raw with new theme music. However, it was not from any Lyon. Jamal and Hakeem were stunned that Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, who came way out of left field, wrote and performed "Roc Me Out," for Sarita.

Once the ten minute clip of the summarized version of the episode completed, Sarita's fashion line logo and theme title, "Nightlife" replaced it on the far left and right screens. Thirty seconds later, a familiar tune from the show, "You're So Beautiful," started.

" **Wow**! **Whoah** , **oh** , **whoah** , **oh** , **ooh** , **whoah** , **whoah** ," began Jussie Smollet, the California-native who played the homosexual, charismatic, and soulfully boisterous "Jamal Lyon" on the show. He sang these opening notes in a falsetto register.

"Brooklyn stand up," said Jussie, as he walked through the curtain, holding a gold microphone while the music played on. The screams of the fans grew louder as Jussie kept walking, snapping his fingers in time to the music with the hand not holding the microphone. "NYC, stand up! WWE Universe make some noise! Empire fans make some noise! You might remember this joint from season one. Sing it with me now."

 **"Sometimes you feel insecure.**

 **Trust** **me** **babe,** **I** **understand. (Straight up, for real!)**

 **Even** **with** **no manicure, know that I'd still hold** **your** **hand.**

 **(Haha, I'm just saying)."**

Jussie knelt down and reached for a fan's hand on one section of the runaway. Then he continued to travel down.

 **"You look so good while you walking by.**

 **Sexy comes in every size!** **Keep wearing that!**

 **You ain't playing. (Da-da-da-da-da!)"**

"What's up Rita?" Jussie said as he jogged down some stairs, found Sarita, and quickly greeted her before heading back on stage to continue singing.

Even though Sarita guest-starred on only one episode, she still remained friendly with the cast and crew. They wrapped up filming their upcoming fall season Summerslam weekend in Chicago, and she asked if Jussie and Bryshere Gray, whose real-life rap name was "Yazz" would mind flying by to perform. Not only would they be giving Jay-Z and Kanye West a break for a set, it would also be an opportunity for them to cross promote. "Empire" fans that didn't normally watch the WWE would perhaps give their product a chance. The same for the the WWE faithful. "Empire" and John Cena's reality show, "American Grit" were on the same network. So the WWE already had a good relationship with Fox.

" **You got yourself a new man. F Kanye's workout plan!**

 **I call that 'baby phat.' 'Cause ya' sure look good to me."**

Jussie stared at Kim at the previous couplet.

 **"I think..."**

"Here comes the chorus, y'all! Sing it Brooklyn!" Jussie screamed.

 **"You're so beautiful! (Shake it, shake it.)**

 **Give the world a show! (Move it, move it.)**

 **Go up-down, up-down, up-down.**

 **Go up-down, up-down, up-down.**

 **Shake it fast! (Hey, hey, hey!) It's yours!"**

Jussie was dancing all around in rhythmic hops, skips, and hip rolls on the left and right sides of the stage, while he sang the first half of the chorus. Jussie pointed out to the section of the crowd where Kim Kardashian-West was.

" **How** **much** **you** **paid** **for** **it?"** said Kim. It was Taraji P. Henson's line in the song. Taraji played the infamous "Cookie Lyon," mother of sons Jamal, Hakeem, and Andre. She was also the ex-wife of their father, Lucious Lyon.

As Kim delivered Taraji's line, Jussie made his way all the way back up to the front of the stage. He needed to escort someone out, and quickly buttoned the single-breasted jacket of his Midnight Blue suit.

"And here is the 'Diamond Diva' Shannon Storm, wearing a sheer and gilded detailed cocktail dress in Navy Blue with gold," began Sarita.

Jussie grabbed her hand, and walked her halfway down the long-run way. Before he let her hand go, he twirled her around twice. Then she headed down the rest of the runway herself.

 **"I said, you're so beautiful! (Hey, hey, shake it, shake it!)**

 **And I don't care who knows! (Hey, hey, move it, move it!)"**

"This Navy Blue sleeveless dress has Sheer fabric at the upper portion," Sarita continued. "Fine gilded gold detail accents the fitted bodice. The skirt is straight, and finishes with a mini hem. For $430, ladies I guarantee you will shine at the party!"

" **Go up-down up-down up-down. Go up down up down up down.**

 **Shake it fast! (Go 'head, go 'head!) 'Cause it sure look good to me!"**

"I wanted to bring out the gold accented in that dress," Kim started. "So I've given her a Caged Sandal in dark gold. These have curvy straps in a shimmery metallic finish, adding an eye-catching allure to a scene-stealing sandal. The sandals are lifted by an ultra-slender stiletto heel, and are $190."

Kim took a break from shoes with the male Beachwear. The Olsen twins were taking a break in the female Nightlife category with accessories.

After Shannon posed for a few seconds and walked back up the runway, she went straight to Jussie and danced with him. Neither party was shy. He leaned his neck downward and pressed his forehead against hers, allowing the feeling of the music guide them along. Before she went through the curtain, she winked at him and caressed his cheek with her thumb. Jussie, very much like his Jamal character, really was an actor, singer, and homosexual. But being gay didn't stop him from feeling the fun synergy at a party and dancing with either sex.

 **"Hakeem got a thing for the ladies.**

 **The ladies got a thing for the Hakeem."**

Bryshere, the Philadelphia-native rapper who played the young, brash, attitudinal, and entitled Hakeem Lyon, appeared on stage next. He walked through the curtain with Bayley linked in his right arm, and Nikki Bella on his left.

 **"What I'mma' do wit you?**

 **Damn, you're so beautiful!**

 **How do I getchu' on my team?"**

Bryshere, after appearing center stage, walked Nikki to the right side and she released herself from his arm to return center-stage, where she'd complete her full walk.

"Nikki's wearing a silver, sultry, asymmetrical cocktail dress," began Sarita. "This youthful and lively dress has a single illusion long sleeve, adorned with sparkling tonal jewels. Like Nikki, it will hug any woman's shape in the shimmering fabric with lavish floral embellishments winding down one side to the mid-thigh hemline. $400."

 **"You can be natural with a wig on.**

 **Chocolate, Caramel, or a Redbone."**

"Nicole's wearing a pair of black, Peep Toe Pumps," Kim started. "They have a slim, but tall 5½" inch heel, with a 2" inch platform. The shoe has both a leather lining and sole. $230."

" **So confident, so classy.**

 **I should kiss you for the hell of it, no chapstick!"**

Then Bryshere walked Bayley to the right and she released herself from his arm to return center-stage to begin her full walk. She took off when Nikki was soon approaching the end of the large runway.

"Bayley's looking glamorous in this glittering, iridescent cocktail dress," said Sarita. "The bright strapless bodice has a sweetheart neckline and sparkles with a stunning array of twinkling iridescent rhinestones for an exceptional and enticing style. This look will showcase your shape to the mini length hemline. Whether it's a date, or night out at the hottest club in town, this beautiful ensemble will dazzle any pair of eyes. It's $389."

"Paired with the glamorous dress, I have Bayley in a purple, pearl with silver Crystals, evening Party Shoe," said Kim. "This slip-on style pump is bonded by full grain soft leather with a rubber outsole. The 4½" pumps with a round toe have a 5" centimeter platform. Her shoes are purple with silver Crystals, but I also have these available in white. You can party with these in the summer or spring. $150."

 **"Can't help it! I love all women. (All women!)**

 **Big, small, medium, and tall women."**

And just like that, Bryshere, after interacting with his fictional brother, Jussie, as he danced and clapped along, returnedto the entrance of the stage to greet two more ladies, who linked their arms with his.

" **Ahh man! Everyone of ya' look good to me.**

 **Ain't gotta' be a beaver to get wood from me.**

 **Get it? (Ha-ha-ha!)"**

When he entered the venue with Bayley and Nikki, he escorted each woman to the far right and left side of the stage extenders respectively, before they returned to the center and did their walks alone. Changing things up a bit, Bryshere had Natalya and JoJo on his arm and with the stage being so large, walked them both down to the midpoint of the runway together.

"First up from these two women is Natalya, who I have in a pink, retro cutout cocktail dress," Sarita began. "The high neckline bodice features a daring sweetheart cutout with large Rhinestone Crystals to the 'empire' waist, wink wink," she added with a laugh. "This slim, fitting look has exciting feathery fringe to the mini hemline. Doing so creates that throwback style that not only I'm sure will impress, but make Nattie want to celebrate all night. Available for $380."

"I've got Nattie in a silver and white pair of Butterfly, Mirrored Sandals," said Kim. "These silver shoes are intricately cut out in a butterfly shape and punctuated with the contrasting white. They're a high-shine sandal made from silver and mirrored leather. The heel is 4" inches in height, and the shoe has a buckle fastening slingback strap. Yours for $595."

"Sarita has her in a cocktail dress, but I could even see her wearing something like a 'boyfriend jean' with these sandals," remarked Mary-Kate.

Once Kim wrapped up describing Natalya's shoes, JoJo took off from the midpoint of the runway, proceeding forward, and Natalya passed JoJo on her return back up.

" **Where the hell did you come from?**

 **Shot me with a bullet.**

 **Where did you get a gun from?"**

Bryshere cleverly threw up 'The Kliq's' Russian Wolf gesture, and got a pop from the crowd. He didn't keep up with the current storylines of the WWE, or any other professional wrestling product. But a few minutes before performing on stage, he asked members of talent what was "hot" in terms of popularity. Being in the know-for at least three minutes-was important to him. 'Bullet Club and Kliq' marks alike, would certainly appreciate it.

"And next, we have Joseanne, who I have in a Sandy Brown, luminary, short formal with Sheer sleeveless overlay," said Sarita. "The base layer has a strapless, sweetheart neckline and a curve-conforming silhouette. The bead-embellished overlay debuts a silver jewel neckline and sheer, sequin-studded yoke. Variegated beading sparkles from the bust to hips in a wash of tonal shimmer, drizzling to the short hemline with tendrils of dazzle. For $498, JoJo will illuminate any evening in this exquisite piece."

"Eloquently phrased love, eloquently phrased," remarked Kim. "I put JoJo in a bronze, Pointy Toe Pump. Or depending on who you're talking to, they might call it Light Mocha. Anyway, the black ombré glitter finish provides a showstopping update to the timeless classic of any woman's shoe collection: the pointy-toe pump. It's set on a polished stiletto 4" inch heel, has leather lining and soles, and is available for $675."

There was one woman left. Neither man forgot. They went to go get her together, so she'd have an "Empire sandwich," with Jussie on her left and Bryshere on the right.

 **"Landed on your planet in another dimension.**

 **Looking up at you, got me standing attention.**

 **You got me going,"**

"Get 'em J!" yelled Bryshere to Jussie to repeat the chorus. As Jussie did so, Bryshere repeated many of the last words in the background of Jussie's lines, just like a hype-man would at a rap concert.

"Last but not least is Maryse, being escorted by both guys wearing a black with silver, alluring, Sequined cocktail dress," began. This fashionable illusion bib bodice has a sweetheart neckline, and shines with twinkling sequined striped details, creating a daring and curve-enhancing style, especially with the charming fringe from the mid-thigh hem. It's form-fitting. It's chic. For $498, it's yours if you want to turn heads."

"This is by far one of my favorites from your Nightlife category!" exclaimed Ashley. "I love how the sequined details are patterned in such a way where it creates an 'Ace of spades' around her body."

"Same here Ash," Mary-Kate agreed. "Smart, sultry, and sexy design Sarita."

"Thank you girls," said Sarita. "I was inspired by Paris when putting this dress together. Maryse, may be Canadian, but she hails from the city of Quebec, where many people there are fluent in French. So who better than her, to debut this dress for me? I'm very proud of it."

"Bridge!" Bryshere yelled at Jussie, who started it.

 **"Shake it fast. Shake it, shake it, fast. You looking like a bag of money!"**

" **Bag** **of** **money** , **bag** **of** **money** ," Bryshere repeated in the background. Jussie repeated the lines of the bridge three more times before a final time.

"Maryse is wearing a pair of ivory, curvy, Satin Pumps," explained Kim. "The Crystal-kissed straps of these leather-lined shoes cross at the toe of the pump, and are balanced by a slender 4" inch heel. There's an adjustable ankle strap with a buckle closure, revamping Sarita's inspiration for the dress as I bring out a burst of opulent sparkle. Available for $272."

" **Shake** **it** **fast**. **Shake** **it** , **shake** **it** **fast**. **You** **looking** **like** **a** **bag** **of** **money**. **Ow**!" Jussie sang before starting the chorus for a third time.

"Hands up BK!" Bryshere yelled. "NY, let me see you move," he added, seconds before he and Jussie together repeated certain parts of the chorus.

 **"Go up-down, up-down, up-down. Go up-down, up-down, up-down.**

 **Go up-down, up-down, up-down. Go up-down, up-down, up-down.**

 **Go up-down, up down, up down. Go up-down, up down, up down.**

 **Shake it fast! 'Cause it sure good to me!"**

All six ladies returned to the stage to give the audience a second look of their outfits. However, rather than walking several seconds alone before being followed by the next model, they all danced in circles around Jussie and Bryshere.

The men shouted "Hey" a few times before the music faded out.

Bryshere spoke into the mic. "My name is Bryshere, and this is my bro, Jussie. Y'all enjoy Summerslam Weekend. And check us out in season four of 'Empire,' returning to Fox on Wednesday, September 20th. Thank you."

Both men waved, then bowed before exiting the stage.

* * *

" **I be on my suit and tie shit, tie shit.**

 **I be, I be, I be on my suit and tie shit, tie shit.**

 **Let me show you a few things, a few things. Little baby, cuz…"**

When the performers from the "Empire" cast left, DJ Pauly D played the introduction of Justin Timberlake's "Suit and Tie" featuring Jay-Z from the album, "20/20 Experience." Fans knew a hometown artist was on the track, so were excited. But Pauly D didn't continue the song. It was a swerve to promote the men's turn at showing what they were bringing to the table with their "Nightlife" looks.

The parallel LED screens showed downtown landmarks and evening hot spots in several major cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, and concluding with New York. A new track started. Snare drums commenced like a battalion leading soldiers to a battlefield, followed by horns.

 **"No one on the corner has swagger like us.**

 **Swagger like us, swagger, swagger like us.**

 **No one on the corner has swagger like us.**

 **Swagger like us, swagger, swagger, like us.**

 **No one the corner has swagger like us.**

 **Swagger like us, swagger, swagger, like us."**

"Mr West is the building. Swagger on a hundred, thousand, trillion!" rapped Kanye West who returned to the stage, and the crowd screamed. He was performing the the 2009 hit, "Swagger like Us," featuring himself, Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, and T.I.

 **"Ayo, I know I got it first** **.**

 **I'm Christopher Columbus.**

 **Y'all just the pilgrims!"**

He moved to another part of the stage while one of the men approached.

"Kicking off Nightlife for my guys is Roman Reigns," said Sarita. "I have him in a Smoke Grey, pony square quilt, Velvet trim blazer. This grey blazer with black pockets features a unique combination of pony hair-yes, you heard me-and leatherette combined into the square pattern design, black velvet lapels, and paneling on the sides and torso. Priced at $650, this is a fashion blazer that won't leave you ignored at the club or casino. Underneath it, Roman has on a basic, white French cuff shirt and solid, off-black tie.

" **Thanksgiving, do we even have to question?**

 **Hermes pastel. I pass the dressing.**

 **My attitude is tattooed. That mean's it's permanent."**

"I like that," said Kim as Roman walked further out. "Not every guy has to wear a full suit. Sometimes, you can put together an even better jaw-dropping outfit with a great blazer and pants. And with pony hair? Yeah, it's _definitely_ going to be noticed."

"Yep," Sarita agreed. "Along with the blazer he's in a black pair of Tuxedo Pants with Besom pockets for $300. Kimberly, you'll love his shoes. He's wearing a pair of black Tasseled Loafers. These slip-on style shoes made from pure leather imported from Spain, feature a cross-hatched patent emboss, which deliver an edgy touch to an eye-catching loafer. It's finished with sharp tassels for a classic look. Also available in brown, these are $325."

" **So I guess we should address it, huh?**

 **My swagger is like Mick Jagger.**

 **Every time I breathe on a track, I just asthma attack it!"**

Kim smiled when tassels were mentioned, and the twins explained their additions.

"We first gave Roman a Sterling Silver braided tie clip," said Mary-Kate. "The sterling silver would woo you alone, but as you can see-thank you cameraman number two for the live shot zoom-in-there's detailing in the knotted braids that are linked together in the tie clip. This is $85. Moving on, he's wearing a pair of 14-carat, solid White Gold Diamond Cufflinks with Black Diamonds. These diamonds, with a total carat weight of 8.95, are in a Princess Shape. The White Gold and Black Diamonds give his cufflinks that checkerboard look, which is mirrored with respect to how Sarita's given him a patterned blazer. Regular price for these are $15,938, but they can be yours for $6,375 with our summer sale."

"Roman's wearing a round Diamond Watch with a 5.54 total carat weight," said Ashley. "This Stainless Steel watch, which has Japanese Quartz movement, has a black dial made of Carbon Fiber. Yours for $11,298, but with the summer sale, $4,519."

"And finishing Roman off, we have him in a grey Fedora with black Satin lining and trim," said Mary-Kate. There's a brown feather on one side between the lining and trim. It's $75."

" ' **Why he so mad for?' 'Why he got have it?'**

 **'Cause I slaved my whole life! Now I'm the master!"**

Roman stroked one of his fingers across the brim of his hat and winked at the hosts before turning for his exit. Then the next model made his way through.

"He never backs down. He never quits, and he's not holding back the swagger in this two piece black, Sky Blue, and cream plaid wool suit," said Sarita when John Cena returned to the stage. "The suit, which is made from 100% Super 120s fine Merino Wool is, single-breasted with a three button style, and peak lapel. The jacket and pants both have hand-pick stitching on the borders. The jacket is fully lined with 50% Bemberg, and 50% Rayon, with two flapped, besom waist pockets, four button cuffs and inverted pleats in the back. There are deep pleats in the wide leg styled pants and thick belt loops. This is $1,750."

"I like this a lot," said Kim. "It's the second plaid suit you've given John today, but this one is even more sophisticated. And longer."

"There's even more reason why you should like it," Sarita remarked with a chuckle. "I was inspired by NBA great, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson when creating this suit. It's just a coincidence that Cena likes basketball," she added when Cena threw an air basketball. "Everyone knows Kim is a Cali-girl. One day when I was in LA, she talked me into going to Dodgers game with me having no knowledge at the time 'Magic' owned the baseball team. We got to talking about fashion when I met him, and he mentioned liking extra fine Italian Wool, but also wrinkle-free material. I came back to New York, running things through my head and added a few touches like a ticket pocket, eyeglass pocket, and writing pen pocket in the interior of the suit coat. And this was the final product."

"Hahaha, it's nice when we have an outing and make something out of it," remarked Kim.

"I mean, we still partied," noted Sarita. "But yeah, there were business benefits to our excursions. That day at least."

" **Naaaa-na-naaaaa. How it feel to wake up and be the shit and the urine?**

 **Naaaa-na-naaaaa. Tryin' to get that Kobe number: one over Jordan!"**

"He has a pair of black, split Alligator Belly Shoes on his feet," she continued. "These are hand-made, and feature a split toe style using the belly skin, which has larger scales on it than other parts of an alligator. $800."

"We kept it simple with John, letting the suit be the star here," began Mary-Kate. "I gave him some cufflinks that complement the gold, wide, neck tie that Sarita put on John with the Sky Blue shirt. He's got a pair of twisted plaque, square cufflinks. These brass cufflinks catch the light on the wavy surface, hence the 'twisted' name. $190."

"And on his wrist is an 18-carat Yellow Gold, Day-Date Watch," said Ashley. "This round watch with a Sapphire Crystal dial window, is champagne in color and water resistant by 100 meters. While our original retail price is $28,635, with our sale, you can purchase it for $11,454."

The hook repeated before Kanye grunted at the stage, bobbing head as another man walked out.

"No one on the corner got a bop like this," rapped Jay-Z as he returned to perform his verse on the track, to another ovation from the crowd.

" **Can't wear skinny jeans 'cause my knots don't fit.**

 **No one on the corner got a pocket like this.**

 **So I rock Roc' jeans 'cause the knots so thick."**

He was wearing black jeans from his "Rocawear" clothing line, along with a white tee shirt, sneakers, and a Navy Blue cardigan with the sleeves rolled up.

"Now approaching the runway, is 'Prince Pretty," Sarita said as Tyler entered. "I have him in an Indigo plaid three piece suit of Italian Wool. Under the suit, he's in a white French cuffed shirt and a silk, Butterfly-shaped bowtie with a crosshatch woven style. The tie, available at $48, has a blend of varying blue and purple hues which evolve as your viewing angle changes. Tyler's suit though is made of the same Super 150s of Italian Wool as Cena's suit, and is in Indigo blue. It has a two-button style jacket with side vents, a matching vest and pleated pants. It's $2,000."

"Changing things up with the bowtie?" asked Kim. "Nice touch though."

"Yeah, all the other men have neckties. So I went different here," Sarita answered. "Tyler likes bowties, and just in general, over the past year or so they've become a trend where more men are wearing them out in places that aren't balls or galas. A trend I'm surprised by, but happy to see."

" **You can learn how to dress just by checkin' my fresh.**

 **Checkin', Checkin,' my fresh."**

Pauly D scratched three times taking things back as Jay-Z repeated himself.

" **Follow my steps is the road to success.**

 **Where the n****s know you're thorough.**

 **When the girls say, 'yes' (Yes!)"**

"On his feet are a pair of purple, gold toe loafers with Crystals," explained Sarita. "These slip-on style shoes-from the heel, all the way around the loafer until you get to the toe-are completed studded in gold Rhinestones. The toes are solid gold. I also have these in red, and they're 300."

"Well, we've got a lot going on with Tyler, so I guess we should start from the top and work our way down," Mary-Kate began. "On his head, Tyler's wearing a Graphite, which is a distinctive shade of grey, Stetson Saxon fur felt Fedora. This classic dress hat with a pinch front crown and 2" inch brim has a purple band under-welt to the brim. This means the brim is turned down and sewn-in, giving it a nice look. It's $175."

Tyler took his hat off for a few seconds and analyzed it himself, pretending to give it a studious examination before putting it back on.

"Working our way down, he has a bowtie, so there's no clip needed," said Ashley. "But we did give him a signature pair of Black Diamond, Snowflake Cufflinks on his shirt. These feature 130 diamonds set in Palladium in 18-carat Yellow Gold with a noir-Satin finish. They're $12,000. We've given all the men watches. Some have have had chains, some rings. But we haven't given any of them two rings, until now. On Tyler's left hand he's wearing a 10-carat gold, Black Rhodium ring. This ring has round Pavé diamonds with a total carat weight of 2.68. Priced at $3,783, but yours with the summer sale for $1,513. No sale on the cufflinks though."

"On his right hand, Tyler's wearing a 10-carat, solid gold, Black Rhodium-plated, Diamond pinky ring," said Mary-Kate. "There are round diamonds in channel, pavé, and cluster settings, with a total carat weight of 14.89. Available for $16,208, but $6,483 with our summer sale."

" **You can pay for school, but you can't buy class!**

 **School of Hard Knocks: I'm a grad!**

 **And that all-blue Yankee is my graduation cap!"**

Jay-Z removed his Navy Blue, fitted, officially licensed MLB New York Yankees baseball hat, and tossed it to the crowd to an ovation. He really was prideful about the team, and you could easily make the case that he wore the cap more than players on the team between award shows and music videos.

"Sometimes you've gotta' go big or go home right?" asked Ashley rhetorically, and Tyler opened suit jacket, knowing where she was going with the comment. Suddenly an object hanged from the pants of his suit. "We feel like Tyler's a man who can appreciate and pull off a fusion of classic and contemporary. With that in mind, we gave him a pocket watch. But not just _any_ pocket watch. Our interpretation of the Breguet Marie Antoinette, valued at $8,000,000."

"Woo!" shouted Kim.

"Jesus, for a _pocket_ watch?"exclaimed Sarita.

"Yep, yep, we do our research too," said Mary-Kate. "As the story goes, this watch was allegedly designed by Breguet himself, and was a design he and Marie Antoinette had forty four years in the making. Sadly, they both died before it was completely finished."

"That's right, and Breguet received offers of eight figures for rights to the production and sale of the watch, but he refused to sell," Ashley elaborated. "The original-or the progress of the original these designers collaborated on-disappeared, never to be seen again. But notes of elements designed in this 823 part watch, such as a minute repeater, equation of time, bimetallic thermometer, perpetual calendar, and power reserve indicator-just to name a few-were left behind. For the 21st century, our team's made a wonderful version that has the engineering, finesse, and sophistication, minus the eight million dollar price tag. Ours is expensive too at $750,000. If anyone's watching who may want to rent it out on the red carpet for...what's coming up in September, the Emmy Awards? You can do so for $50,000."

" **It's Hoooooovaaaah! Dippin' different Rovers, whippin' with the soda.**

 **Hoooooovaaaah! Did you even have any doubt? After** _ **doubt**_ **it was over!"**

Jay-Z saluted the crowd. He and Kanye were finished with their performances for the day, and would be leaving the stage for the final time. The hook repeated as Tyler also made his exit.

" **Yo, put the kids to bed,"** was heard blasting through the speakers. In a minute or so, they would hear more lyrics to give them clarity.

" **We tearin' the club up like them boys in the Roxy.**

 **Million dollar thug, like I'm Ted Dibiase…**

 **Boo, I do what I can do, and do it when I can do it.**

 **It ain't algebra, baby! Big pimpin' in my fluid!"**

It was Nick Cannon's "Feeling Freaky" featuring R&B foursome B2K. No model made their way out on the stage yet. Nor did Nick Cannon show up. Yet, more Nick Cannon music played. This time, the bridge of a different track.

" **No, I'm** _ **not**_ **tryna' be ya' man. Pimp bones in my body...**

 **Me and Kels on Ducati's wanna' see you drop it shawty!**

 **Oooh weee! Tryna' leave the club wit' a groupie, wit' a groupie."**

Finally, another male returned to the stage, and was joined by three "groupies."

"Ever Enzo Amorè to be fashionably late in the name of having escorts," remarked Sarita as Nick Cannon's "Gigolo," featuring R-Kelly, continued. During Jay-Z's performance of "Big Pimpin' "Enzo was joined by Nikki Bella, Shannon, and Maryse. Big Cass was escorted by JoJo, Bayley, and Natalya during the intro of "Big Poppa." The ladies were switched this time around. "Enzo's wearing a three piece Royal-Cerulean Blue single breasted suit. The pants are single pleated and in a solid color matching the suit coat. The suit coat, which is a tad longer, descending about 2½ " inches beneath your traditional blazer hem, has two Violet Purple buttons, side vents and a trimmed Navy Blue lapel with blue and white polka dots. The accompanying vest mirrors the lapel of the jacket. I have Enzo in a solid white French cuff shirt and solid Royal Blue tie. Enjoy this gentlemen for $1,850."

" **Shorty, I only got one night in town. Tell me baby, are you down?**

 **Bushes we won't beat around. Bushes we just eat 'em now…"**

"On his feet are a pair of blue, Moc-toe bit, Slip-ons," said Sarita. "It's a classic shoe reimagined in crocodile print leather. These slip-ons have synthetic uppers and leather linings, flexible rubber soles, and fully cushioned insoles with memory foam. Finished with an elegant silhouette, fine craftsmanship, and a clean metal bit detail, these will be stunners for any dude. $70, and available in burgundy, cognac, brown, black."

" **Ma, I'm busy on tour, ma, you busy on the floor.**

 **Ma, I'm feeling yo' heels. Dem Christian Dìor's.**

 **I'm like David Beckham, baby. I keep a mean shoe game.**

 **But like my favorite records, keep spinning new thangs…"**

Enzo gave Natalya, Bayley, and JoJo each a pat on the bottom when they reached the midpoint of the runway, before "sending them off," as the song alluded to with the rapper not being committed long-term to any of them. Then he continued to walk.

"Enzo's wearing a Blue Baguette and Diamond Tiepin," said Mary-Kate. "It has a timeless, classic style and gunmetal finish for $190. He's also wearing a pair of 18-carat white, solid gold cufflinks. These diamonds, which have a Princess shape in a Channel setting, have a total carat weight of 0.64. Regular price for these is $5,458, but yours for $2,183 with the summer sale."

" **I'm a Gigolo, spending lots of dough.**

 **You tell by the way my body sittin' on fours.**

 **And how I'm shining wit the fresh, fresh, clothes.**

 **Always surrounded by so many HOES!"**

Enzo turned his body and pointed his arms backwards in the direction of the ladies exiting as R. Kelly sang the first part of the chorus.

"On the finger of his left hand is a 14-carat White Gold pinky ring with Blue Diamonds," said Ashley. "The diamonds on his ring are in an enhanced blue hue with a round, Pavé bezel setting, and have a total carat weight of 7.04. This ring is available for $53,690, but with our summer sale, you can snag one for $21,476. And we complete Sarita's look by putting on his right wrist a blue, plated steel, diamond watch with Blue Diamonds. The round shaped watch has a Mother-of-Pearl dial in Sapphire Crystal. Its Blue Diamonds surrounding the bezel have a total carat weight of 4.37. Original retail price: $7,663, but $3,065 with the summer sale."

"This is the best I've seen Enzo look _all_ _day_ ," exclaimed Kim. "I know you ladies catered to some of his interests but this one is _superb_. I'm married, but it kind of makes me want to look at him differently now."

" **I'm a gigolo, always on the go.**

 **Everytime I turn around, I got another show.**

 **In the club, hit about three in a row.**

 **Drop in the six, 'cause I love them HOES!"**

Enzo did his leg dance before blowing kisses in Kim Kardashian-West's direction.

DJ Pauly D faded out the beat of "Gigilo" before a new beat with tenor Steel drums and cymbals commenced.

" **Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee, gee, gee, G-Unit!**

 **F-I-F-T-Y-C-E-N-T and S-N-double O-P, D-O double G.**

 **We internationally known, and locally respected.**

 **(Yeah, we know you're just a P-I-M-P!)**

 **Now whatchu' know about me?"**

It was was New York rapper 50 Cent's P.I.M.P. Remix from 2003, featuring California rapper Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent's rap posse, "G-Unit." 50 was at least cordial with the WWE. Paul promoted one of the issues of Muscle and Fitness 50 Cent made the cover of a few summers ago on social media.

" **I don't know whatchu' heard about me.**

 **But a bitch can't get a blunt up outta' me.**

 **I drive a Cadillac with a perm 'cause I'm a G.**

 **And I'm a muthafucking C-R-I-P!**

 **I don't whatchu' heard about me.**

 **But a bitch can't get a crumb up outta' me...**

 **And I'm a muthafucking P-I-M-P!"**

A large hand was shown in the live shot backstage moving forward, as though to suggest someone or something proceed. Seconds later back onstage in the live shot as the camera angle changed, Shannon, Maryse, and Nikki Bella each walked out, still wearing their outfits during the presentation of their Nightlife looks. They all placed their hands on their hips, and made a quarter turn. When they did, out-walked Big Cass, and they grabbed hold of him, as they walked. Maryse and Nikki were on each of his arms. Shannon was rubbing his back.

"These two are something else!" Sarita said in elation, in regards to Cass, Enzo and their respective "Hoe Trains." If WWE Hall of Famer, "The Godfather" were there, he would enjoy it. "Welcome back Big Cass. He's wearing an Eggplant Purple, two piece suit. Made of a fabric blend of 65% Superfine Polyester and 35% Rayon, it's well-rounded for any time of the year. The slightly extended silhouette of the single-breasted jacket is fully lined with inside pockets and buttons that match the fabric in color. His pants are fully pleated dress slacks constructed with four pockets, a split waistband for easy alterations if you need any, suspender buttons, and seven belt loops,. He's wearing a striped Periwinkle and Light Blue dress shirt, and a geometric silk tie with a mix of Eggplant, Grape, and Lavender Purples. Cass' suit is $1,780."

" **Yeah bitch, I got my Now and Later gators on…"**

"Love how committed this _pimp_ , I mean Cass is," Sarita commented, smiling that he complied with her hair and makeup crew to not only have his hair out, and not in a bun for this category. But as Snoop Dogg referenced in the song with his perm, Cass' hair was hanging to his shoulders and curled. "On his feet are a pair of Eggplant Purple and black two-tone, full alligator shoes. They're full Italian style: lined in leather and a handmade leather sole and heel. If you look closely, you'll notice his gators appear a little light. That's because they were dipped in a Eggplant and Lavender mixture to get this precise blend to accompany the black. This makes them fine, sleek, and hard to stop staring at. $750."

Cass wrapped his long arms around all three women and posed for a picture for the crowd before they left his side. Then he kept walking.

" **I'm down with that n***a Fifty, like I'm down with blue.**

 **(We love you Snoop Dogg!) Yeah, boo, I love you too."**

"Like Tyler, we have a lot going on with Colin," said Mary-Kate. "We put a pair of rose-cut, Moonstone Stud set cufflinks on his shirt. These cufflinks are faceted with blue moonstone fronts and are 9-carat gold-plated in Sterling Silver. They're $775. No tieclip, but we have something better, given our realization that Colin loved having a cane in a previous look. So he has an upgrade here! This one is a 24-carat Gold-plated Swarovski Crystal encrusted cane. It has an elongated knob with a black Beechwood shaft. It's $560."

Cass raised his cane high with pride.

" **N****s in New York know how Doggy get down.**

 **I got my n****s in Queens. I got my bitches Uptown.**

 **I got my business in Manhattan. I ain't fucking around!**

 **I got some Butter Pecan, Puerto Ricans from the Boogie down…"**

"Glad you like Colin," Ashley remarked. "On his wrist is a 38 millimeter Crystal bezel chronographic, Bracelet Watch. This adjustable bracelet watch has three-hand quartz movement, a brilliant ring of Crystals that trace the bezel, as well as date function. The stainless steel watch has a Rose-Gold ionic plating with fold-over clasp closure, and is water resistant up to 200 meters. Yours for $525. Topping off his look, he's wearing a smooth, black Fedora with a Plum Purple band. The hat is 100% crushable wool, with satin lining inside, as well as our logo. His silk band around the Fedora is triple-pleated with a feathered brim. $60."

" **You need to switch over and ride with a star.**

 **It'll get you far. I'm a P-I-M-P-G-A-N-G-S-T-E-R!"**

The previous couplet, beginning with G-Unit member, Lloyd Banks' verse, was the poignant line DJ Pauly D decided to end with Cass as he faded out the beat of the song and the superstar made his exit.

Staying in tune with remixes for the moment, Pauly D started the "Lights, Camera, Action" remix by "Mr. Cheeks" featuring Missy Elliott, P. Diddy, and Petey Pablo.

" **It's time for some action.**

 **Cameras flashin': Everywhere, main attraction!"**

"Here comes Randy Orton, who promised to behave since we last saw him," began Sarita as P. Diddy's verse began. "He's wearing a Violet Purple, three piece suit in a unique, and fancy windowpane style. The jacket-as you may have noticed with Enzo's- is a fashion length jacket, not suit length. That means it's slightly longer. The single-breasted, two button jacket has its windowpane pattern in Eggplant and Plum Purple, while the notch lapel is in solid Violet, like his pants."

"You played with competing blues with some of the men's other looks," noted Kim. "I like how you're doing it here with the range purple has."

"Thank you," Sarita replied in gratitude. "His pockets, like the pants and lapel, are also in that solid shade, while his five-button vest matches the windowpane pattern. Besom pockets on the pleated pants, and the entire suit is made of Poly-Rayon fabric with a wool feel. $2,100. for the suit. Paired with it on his feet are some Violet and Eggplant Purple mixed Ostrich and Eel shoes. The two colors are uniquely split across the toe like the material of the shoe itself. They're $380. "

" **They react like I'm one of the Jacksons.**

 **I guess it's my name that attracts them."**

"I love what Sarita is doing with the purples and since Randy _wore_ his Lavender tie with his white French Cuff shirt-" Mary-Kate was interrupted.

"I said I would be a good boy this time around," said Randy tightening his tie. "I kept my word."

"You did and you have," she replied "Which is why we've put a Guitar Pick style tie clip with skulls and crossbones on it. It's a Silver-plated tiebar, with a Zinc Alloy material in the construction of the skull. Inside the nose of the skull are Clear diamonds, and the crossbones are black, outlined in purple. These are $3,200."

"Why skulls MK?" asked Kim.

"Well Sarita tells me a lot of the male WWE Superstars love skulls, and Randy was no different," Mary-Kate answered. "His cufflinks also reflect it as he's wearing a pair of Diamond Skull Cufflinks. Unlike the tieclip, we didn't stop at the nose. The entire skull head on this 18-carat White Gold and White Diamond set has diamonds on it, for a total carat weight of 8.20. They have an oval flip back closure and are available for $28,800."

"Completing his look, firstly is his black band, Skull Diamond watch," said Ashley. "It's a round, unisex timepiece powered by a quartz movement. The watch also has 5.00-carat black and white diamonds on the dial, with a Sapphire Crystal face and five time zones. Regular retail price is $32,200, but it's on sale for $16,091 for the duration of the summer.

"And lastly on Randy is a 14-carat, white, solid gold, custom diamond Magenta Purple pinky ring," said Mary-Kate. "This round shaped ring comes designed in a Channel Pavé setting, with the total carat weight of 5.88 for the Magenta stones around the band, and 8.50 for the diamonds in its center. Our original retail price is $35,793, but with our summer sale, $15,317 for you."

Randy smiled at the hosts, then at the fans, before making his exit before the next model came.

" **Remix! World famous, PD.**

 **I moved in. I live on TV. Remix!"**

"From _Miz-TV_ to everyone watching on whatever device at their disposal, returning to the runway is Miz being escorted by his wife, Maryse," Sarita began. "I have him in a white suit with black piping. He has a solid black shirt and thick white neck tie. This high fashion suit features a classic black/white look made of Sharkskin. The lapels and pockets on the white jacket have black piping and a silky finish. For a suave guy that's demanding to feel 'better than the best,' _this_ is the suit for you. $2,400."

" _Love_ that the wifey came out with him for this outfit," said Kim with glee. "This gorgeous dress you gave her with the silver and black shimmer matches his Black-tie affair style very well. I love it so much. They look like stars. They are stars. Eat your heart out Versace!"

"I appreciate that," said Sarita. "On his feet are a black pair of genuine patent leather Oxford Dress Shoes with contrast laces. Made with quality leather imported from Italy and exotic skin from Spain, these are completely handstitched, and crafted. The laces on the shoes are tan, and they cost $340."

" **And I stay on your radio stations.**

 **'Cause I'm placed in heavy rotation."**

"Nice job Sarita. We enjoyed working with him as well," Mary-Kate began. "We have Mike in a gorgeous pair of Pavé spinel cufflinks. These Sterling Silver cufflinks have a black Pavé center, and an intricate Grecian design etched on the back closure. Available for purchase at $695."

"We decided to take a break from the tiebar with Mike, opting instead to give him some shades," said Ashley. "I have him a black pair of square sunglasses. These shades acetate thick frames and have a metal-injected transparent temple with check detail. They have 100% UV protection, and are $200."

"Finally, he has a silver 45 millimeter Chronograph Watch," Mary-Kate said. "This gunmetal Ion-plated, Stainless Steel link bracelet with a push-button deployment clasp, also has a black sunray subdial, and a luminescent date window. It's $2,995."

" **Now let's shake to this.**

 **How much noise can you make to this?**

 **'Woooooohoooo**!' **I like sound of that.**

 **Tell the bartender to send another round to that."**

The Miz and Maryse turned to make their exit, but didn't leave just yet. Taking the music literally, they made a U Turn, and grabbed the remains of the bottle of bubbly Pitbull left behind near DJ Pauly D's mixing station from the intermission. Everyone laughed.

" **They call me Big L'y, Big Silly, Big Money, Big Billy.**

 **When I'm sliding in the mall, can ya' hear me?"**

DJ Pauly D played a second track by New Yorker, LL Cool J. This one, called "Headsprung," had a booming bass with kazoo-sounding noises spliced in. On paper, it may have appeared to be an odd combination, but the producer made it work; and the beat sounded much better through your ears than it did textually reading its composition.

There were two more males left to show off their attire for this category, but neither of them showed. Nikki Bella did instead and was dancing, enjoying the music. The crowd didn't seem to care. It was a cool surprise. Maybe the last two were still changing.

" **I be sexing wit' these bars so ya' feel me.**

 **Let me grip it. Get a buzz in ya' hat.**

 **I'mma' tell ya' how to cause an attack."**

Jason Jordan came out during these lines and started dancing up on Nikki from behind. The superstars knew about this, as did Sarita and her co-hosts. It could get a little boring with people coming out single file or even with a person in the same fashion. That's why Sarita had the talent interacting with one another all-show. That still was the case. And besides, this category was "Nightlife." Everyone was talking so much about how certain outfits called for "showstopping club moments." Sarita, via Nikki and Jason, were given the fans that. The audience popped, happily surprised by the unique swerve with how he entered.

" **Timbaland, 'Ladies Love' on the track…**

 **Don't forget I used ride on the train.**

 **When I bump it right, call my name…"**

"Ladies Love Cool James _and_ Jason Jordan apparently," Sarita remarked with a chuckle as Nikki left after jamming with Jordan, and he began his walk. "I've got no problem turning the runway into a dance floor! "He's wearing a Steel Grey, three piece suit, with a long jacket and pink pin stripes. This suit, which is made of Wool touch and Poly/Rayon fabric, includes a vest also in the solid Steel Grey color. The pants have a no pleat, flat-front style, and the overall suit has a modern fit. I had Steve Harvey in-mind when designing this suit. Not only is he a fan of three-piece suits. He's a taller, thicker guy, who doesn't like his backside exposed, and prefers longer jackets. Jason's suit coat has a longer hem, ending at the beginning of the thigh, rather than stopping at the hip. Yours for $1,750."

"I can't get over JJ bustin' a move with Nikki!" yelled Kim. "So live! Hot show! This is fun."

"Well, if you've got a banging DJ keeping the music hyped and the crowd pumped," Sarita said nodding her head to the beat, while extending her arm pointing to Pauly D's direction. He pounded his chest to show his appreciation for her words. "Then it's hard for either sex-who likes to party-from one another. Pretty tough to meet a man or woman who'd resist a dance with this atmosphere. Anyway, Jason's wearing a pair of grey, Fashion Cap toe, two-tone shoes. I've had some guys in Ostrich shoes, some in Eel, and some in Lamb. Jason's come from Deer, and are completely handcrafted and stitched. The deer skin is smoothed across the toe and heel of the shoe, while the calfskin leather is on the body of the shoe. These can be yours for $450."

" **Dump that, not ill like me.**

 **Bring the women in to chill for free.**

 **Let me tell ya' girl, 'don't try me!'**

 **You better have ID!"**

"To complement the Jasmine Pink in his striped tie and handkerchief, we gave him a pair of Platinum and Pink Sapphire floral cufflinks," said Mary-Kate. "These are round and in a prong-set to get the Pink Sapphire in a floral shape. They have a total carat weight of 4.48, and cost $12,500. No tiebar with Jason; like Miz, his cufflinks are fancier in this outfit. We also have these in Blue Sapphire and Ruby."

"On his left hand is a lava, smoky quartz signet ring," said Ashley. It's Sterling Silver with a signature carved chain design, set to a Pavé smoky quartz face. This is $750. And on the opposite hand, on his wrist, is a grey, Stainless Steel 41 millimeter watch. This watch, made of anti-reflective, scratch-resistant Crystal, has an octagonal-faceted crown with Black Onyx. It has a secure deployment buckle, date window on the face, and is water resistant up to 30 meters. $1,595."

" **When we be up in the club, we be posting the back.**

 **When we be up in the club, girls always come to the back.**

 **And we 'bout to get our headsprung! And we 'bout to get our headsprung!**

 **And we 'bout to get our headsprung! And we 'bout to get our headsprung!"**

Following suit of Jason Jordan who exited, Kofi Kingston entered the stage dancing. He was coming solo, but in a groove, doing a little bankhead bounce as the chorus above played.

"Kofi's greeting us in a three piece rust suit," said Sarita. "The jacket is 35" inches along, like Jordan's, with wide lapels stretching upward, and side vents in the back. The pants are pleated, and made of Poly-Poplin, like the jacket. As a bonus, I've thrown in a tie that comes along with the vest in a set which is made of a contrasting fabric: silk. So I guess that makes this $1,790" suit three-and-a-half pieces. I thought this would look good with his skin tone."

"Was that shade Rita?" asked Kim. "Chocolate is in. My boo is-" She was interrupted.

"Girl, don't even trip!" yelled Sarita. "I'm a Boriqua. I'm from BK. I'm down with the brothers, _and_ everyone else too. Getting back to business, Kofi's in a pair of Chocolate Brown Alligator-Ostrich cap toe shoes. Like the others, handmade and handstitched. Yours for $800."

" **Lord, have Mercy! If this broad is thirsty,**

 **I'll have her man reimburse me.**

 **The part that hurts me is when they try to work me.**

 **But I could never let ya' jerk me..."**

"Well 'last but not least' has been a phrase thrown out for a lot of people, and I have the ultimate Vegas lucky charm for Mr. Kingston: a pair of Cognac and Canary Diamond Dice cufflinks," began Mary-Kate. "He's rocking a rust suit, so these were painstakingly crafted with 5.41 total carats of orange diamonds and 1.29 carats of yellow diamonds, set in 18-carat Yellow Gold with a oval flip back closure. Available for $17,350. Up top, Kofi's wearing a handcrafted, bronze fern impression tieclip for $50."

"Kofi's wearing on his right hand a 14-carat solid Yellow Gold diamond pinky ring," explained Ashley. "This ring, which has a round diamond in a prong, Pavé, Channel setting, has a total carat weight of 15.90. The regular price is $20,308, but on sale for the remaining of summer for $8,123. And finally, on his left wrist is a Yellow Diamond Watch. It has a _square_ shape with a champagne-colored Sapphire Crystal dial. It is water resistant by three meters and can be yours normally for $34,623, but at $13,849 with our sale."

The audience, without having to get coached by Pauly D, participated in LL Cool J's bridge as Kofi made his exit:

" **Hey ladies. (Yeah?)**

 **No need to get your hair done. Imma' get your headsprung!**

 **Yo fella's. (Yo!)**

 **No need to go down on ones. Imma' get your headsprung!"**

* * *

Winding things down into the final category, the LED screens showed pictures of changing seasons beginning with winter transitioning into spring, then spring into summer, and lastly summer into autumn. In the center of the runway, similar to the props during Beachwear, was a set of fall-themed things: Pumpkins, squash, Sweet potatoes, plush squirrels and chipmunks, acorns, various birds, and lawn rakes. That was a clue.

"This last lineup ladies and gentlemen is a little preview of my autumn collection," said Sarita with a smile. "I call it, 'Fall into It.' "

It had been a while since Pauly D played anything from the Rock genre. So, he went in the direction of Metal for the first couple of models. Tommy Lee was just being absolutely sick on the drums for several seconds before the rest of Mötley Crüe joined in on the track.

" **Friday night and I need a fight. My motorcycle and a switchblade knife."**

The LED screen showed a Harley Davidson motorcycle club driving down a road with leaves blowing past their tires.

" **Handful of grease in my hair feels right. But what I need to make me tight are:"**

"Here comes Nattie, looking glorious in grey with this cardigan and dress I've put together," Sarita began. "The dress is a criss cross, Cap sleeve Knit Dress. Made of 60% Rayon, 35% Polyamide, and 5% Spandex, this piece has corded trim that elegantly defines the 'V' neckline and empire waist of the cap-sleeve sheath, which has been crafted from grey and white yarns in a tactile and bold graphic knit. There's a hidden back-zip closure. This is available for $1,295."

" **Girls, girls, girls! Long legs, and burgundy lips.**

 **Girls, girls, girls! Dancin' on the Sunset Strip.**

 **Girls, girls, girls! Red lips, and fingertips."**

"Her matching criss-cross Knit Cardigan has grey and white yarn, creating a tactile and graphic checkered pattern on a fitted, cropped, and stylishly balanced ¾ length sleeved top," Sarita expounded. "This cardigan has handcrafted dome front buttons, which detail the ribbed placket for a signature finishing touch. This is available for $1,195."

"Very nice," said Kim. "You've put sets together with jumpsuits and vests, slacks and jackets, skirts and tops for the women. And now, we see a dress with a cardigan for them. I like it. Paired with this I've given Nattie a grey, peep-toe, Extended Lace-up Bootie. The shoe is a suede bootie extending about 3½" inches above the ankle-what men would recognize length wise to a hightop sneaker-and the heel itself is 4" inches. There are two closure parts: a side zip which eases the process, but for that snug feel, you'd also want to lace-up the front. These are $598."

" **Trick or treat: sweet to eat.**

 **On Halloween and New Year's Eve.**

 **Yankee girls ya' just can't beat.**

 **But they're the best when they're off their feet."**

"Kicking off Nattie's jewelry, since some skin is showing from the neckline of her outfit, we put her in a silver, Graduated Necklace," Mary-Kate began. "This 18½" inch necklace is in antiquated Silver-plated brass with Pavé Crystal trim rays. There's also a bezel-set pearly glass bead at the station centers. Yours for $425. To compliment the necklace, she's wearing a pair of Crystal _clip-on_ earrings. I know we've given the ladies pierced ones all day; but some people like clip-ons. For whatever reason maybe their ears aren't pierced. Maybe they've closed up. Or maybe they just want a new style. So we're showing love to you folks. Nattie's earrings are made in the same shape, form, and material of the necklace, and are available for $225."

"We finished her off with something on her wrist and something on her hand," said Ashley. "First up is a Crystal Origami Cuff Bracelet. This slip-on style bracelet is made of Ruthenium-tone plating with golden and Crystal Pyrite accents. It gets it's 'origami' name because of its jagged ends with mixed Pavé Crystals which look a lot like the paper crane. This is available for $345. On her finger is a Pavé Crystal pyramid diamond ring constructed from the same brass and Pavé Crystals for $255."

" **Girls, girls, girls! At the Dollhouse in Ft. Lauderdale.**

 **Girls, girls, girls! Rocking in Atlanta at Tattletails.**

 **Girls, girls, girls! Raising Hell at the 7th Veil."**

Natalya made her exit, and the next model made their way back to the stage.

"It's Bayley coming down the runway in black, Leather Capri Overalls," Sarita began. "These classic style overalls are updated in sleek fashion with a combination of leather and Polyurethane/Polyester fabrics. They have a square neckline with adjustable straps at the bib. There's detail at the fly, it has side buttons, back patch, and slash pockets. All I have her wearing underneath it is a white tank top. This can be yours for $1,945."

"You know, overalls were never really my thing, much like the sporty-chic trend," began Kim. "But I'm really opening my eyes up to them more in recent years. With pieces like yours, I've become a fan. To go along with this look for Bayley, I've given hear a pair of buckle leather, 60 millimeter Hiking Boots in a Scarlet Red/black combination. This multi-tone Vitello leather hiking boot has a 2¼ " inch platform heel, and a thick, lugged rubber outsole. It also has a padded collar at the ankle, multi-color lace front with buckle straps, and a round cap toe with gold metal plates at the front. These are $1,450."

" **Have you read the news in the** _ **Soho**_ _ **Tribune**_ **?**

 **Ya' know she did me. Well then she broke my heart…"**

"Our goal here accessory wise was to bring out the red more from the two tone boot," said Mary-Kate. "The first thing I put on her was a red, leather Massai Necklace, which has an exposed back closure. It's a collared necklace, which I like because it elevates something as basic as overalls to new heights. This is $595. The next thing I put on her was a pair of red, Arrowhead earrings. These pierced earrings have a textured setting in plated brass. In addition to red, they're also available in lapis, and Natural Grey Granite. $65."

"I gave Bayley a giant, wide, leather bracelet with studs in red," Ashley began. "It's a lamb leather bracelet with two rows of signature brass studs with an adjustable buckle. It's $285. I cap it off with a midnight, criss cross diamond ring. This midnight oxidized Sterling Silver ring contains Pavé Diamonds in a champagne shade with a total carat weight of 0.20. It's $690."

Whether it Pauly D's laziness, savvy, or dumb luck, going back to Hip Hop, the next song he played shared the same title as Mötley Crüe's.

" **I love girls, girls, girls, girls. Girls, I do adore!**

 **Yo, put your' number on the this paper.**

' **Cause I would love to date ya'.**

 **Holla' atcha' when I come off tour."**

It was Jay-Z's "Girls, girls, girls" featuring Biz Markie, Slick Rick, and Q-Tip. Jay-Z left so he wasn't performing it live for the women.

" **I got this Spanish Chica. She don't like to roam."**

JoJo approached the stage and began her walk. To be fair, JoJo wasn't Spanish, but of Mexican and Dominican descent.

"I've got JoJo in several pieces. She's in a black pair of Roxanna Suede Pants," Sarita began. "These skinny leg pants have a pull-on style with a banded waist and a mid-rise. They're $998, and also come in brown. The next article of clothing she's wearing is a black Turtleneck Sweater. Made of Viscose/Polyester, this turtleneck has a fitted silhouette with ribbed-knit lines along the bias, and a ribbed-knitted back. It's $198. And finally, my favorite piece of 'wow' for her, is a two-tone fox fur vest in black and Indigo. This vest, made of Polyester, Wool, and Rayon has Chinese Fox Fur dyed in two colors. It has a stand collar with a hidden front closure, loose silhouette, and a hem that hits just below your rear. Yours for $925."

" **So she calls me 'Cabron' plus 'Marricon.' "**

"My glitter and Crystal-embellished, Peep-toe, Ankle Boots enhance the black and indigo from her vest," Kim noted. "These are crafted from black suede with pink, purple, and blue glitter crystals in an abstract pattern. The heels are 4 ¾" inches high with a 15 millimeter platform. Yours for $1,970 ladies."

"I went in wanting to bring out the pink and purple from Kim's shoes," explained Mary-Kate. "So I gave JoJo a Lilac, long Pendant Necklace. This necklace is made of Gunmetal-plated Brass with a prong-set Amethyst or Amazonite pendant. It's 30" inches with a lobster clasp closure, and has a multi-chain fringe drop. These are $190, and also come in brown, lapis, blue, and green. Her statement drop earrings are made of 14-carat Gold-plated Brass and you choose from an Amazonite or Amethyst center. Yours for $165."

" **Said she 'likes to cook rice,' So she likes me home.**

 **I'm like, 'Un momento.' Mami, slow up your tempo."**

"And on my end, I wanted to give her a couple of firsts," Ashley started, winking at JoJo. "She's the first and _only_ lady in our show wearing a watch!"

JoJo elevated her shoulders and wrists doing a little "Raise the Roof" dance, and cheered, in regards to Ashley's comment.

"Right on girl," said Ashley. This is a women's Victorian Diamond watch. This rectangular, Stainless Steel watch has a Mother-Of-Pearl type of dial with an Indigo leather band. It's dial is Lilac, and the total carat weight of the diamonds is 2.68. It's available for $3,155, but on sale for $1,262. I'm making history as well because JoJo thus far has the most expensive ring among the ladies! She's wearing an 18-carat solid White Gold cocktail ring. This ring's diamonds are round, in a Micropavé setting, and have a total carat weight of 2.05. $7,585 is the regular price, but it's on sale for $3,034."

" **I got this French chick that love to French kiss."**

JoJo made her exit and Maryse approached.

"Mrs. Mizanin is back and I've got her in two piece set," said Sarita. "Up top is a Metallic Brocade Velvet Blazer. Made of Cotton, Rayon, and Spandex, it has a solid, black shawl collar with a single-button crossover front. This blazer has a slim, tailored fit with front flap and chest welt pockets. It's $425. On the bottom, she's wearing a pair of skinny ankle, Metallic Brocade Velvet Jeans. Made of Cotton and Spandex, these jeans are fitted through skinny legs and cropped at the ankle. They have a button, belt loops, a zip fly, five-pocket style, and the rise sits below the natural waist. They're $199."

" **She thinks I'm Bo Derek, wear her hair in a twist."**

"That set is hot," said Kim. "The metallic brocade gives it a gold look. The shoes I've given her bring out the pattern from your outfit, Sarita. Maryse is wearing a pair of black, beaded, leather Ankle Boot. These boots have a 4⅓" inch covered heel with a sawtooth platform, and a pointed toe. They also have a snug-fitting shaft, back zipper, rubber outsole, and tonal beads and droplets on the vamp sewn in. Yours for $2,253."

" **My cherie amor t£est belle: Mercì, you fine as fuck. But you givin' me hell!"**

"We've got Maryse in a 14-carat Yellow Gold plated brass necklace," said Mary-Kate. "This double-strand woven chain necklace has a black hexagonal pendant in the center with chain tassel. The lobster clasp and chain extender has a charm with our MK&A logo. Available at 180."

"Then we gave her a pair of 14-carat, Yellow Gold plated brass earrings," said Ashley. "They have a faceted black pentagon pendant in Opaque Glass, with French wire backs for pierced ears. $175. And we wrapped up the look with a flawless midnight and 18-carat Yellow Gold, open scalloped ring with diamonds. The bracelet has been oxidized in a ring of Sterling Silver, scalloped in Yellow Gold trim and 0.62 total carat weight of White Pavé Diamonds. It costs $3,390."

" **I got this model chick that don't cook or clean."**

"Here's Nikki embracing the fast-approaching season in style in a black, long-sleeve, Cashmere Turtleneck," said Sarita after Maryse made her exit. "The cashmere used was imported from France, and this is $445. On the bottom she's wearing a pair of a black, tapered Ankle Pants. Made of Viscose Rayon/Spandex, these pants have a pull-on style with a faux-fly and creased front. The tapered legs have banded cuffs, front and back welt zip pockets. These are $268. And finally, if you guys remember Nikki's Business outfit, maybe you saw this one coming: I have her in a new vest. This one, is a brown and black mix made of Chinese rabbit fur. Lined in Polyester with a relaxed fit, the vest has full shoulder coverage, and a shawl collar. Yours for $985."

" **But she dress her ass off, and her walk is mean."**

"I'm a fan of the vests as well," said Kim. "I know I'll be ordering a few. Anywho, from me, Nikki's wearing a black pair of Pearly Lattice Booties with a red sole. These open toe, sheer mesh booties have a studded and pearly embellished vamp and trim with a 4⅞" inch heel. They'll upgrade any slacks for $1,195."

" **Only thing wrong with ma' is that she's always on the scene.**

 **God damn, she's fine! But she parties all the time."**

"We went Mother-Of-Pearl on her jewelry beginning with Nicole's 14-carat Yellow Gold flat link chain," explained Mary-Kate. "This 17" inch chain has rectangular stations with Mother-of-Pearl inserts. $1,495 and it's yours. Her pierced earrings are made of the same construction of material and are $1,075."

"And on her hand is an 18-carat gold, rock candy, large diamond Mother-Of-Pearl ring," said Ashley. "It has a slim double band, with a 0.45 carat weight halo, and 32.0 total doublet carat weight, costing $3,595."

Nikki made her exit as the Jay-Z track faded and a new one began. The new song began with piano chords played slow and methodically in minor keys. Seconds later the piano was accompanied by percussion.

" **Yo, it's the real shit. Shit to make you feel shit!**

 **Thump 'em in the club shit.**

 **Have you wildin' out when you bump this.**

 **Drugs to your eardrum: the raw, uncut!**

 **Have a n***a OD, 'cause it's never enough!"**

DJ Pauly D played the chorus to the "Quiet Storm" remix by Mobb Deep featuring Lil' Kim and Havoc. It was intentionally fitting given who the final woman for this category was.

" **...Lyte as a rock, bitch! Hard as a cock, bitch!**

 **This shit knock for blocks through hardtops,**

 **in the parkin' lots, where my n***a Rock like to spark-a-lot.**

 **My Brooklyn style speak for itself.**

 **Like a wrestler: another notch under my belt."**

Shannon approached the stage throwing the diamond symbol hand gesture DDP gave his blessing for her to use months ago. Then she began her walk.

"Shannon Storm is stunting down the catwalk!" exclaimed Sarita. "From the song to the outfit, she's feeling it, and in the zone! She's wearing a very long, black, flocked faux, leather coat. Velvety flocked flowers cover the glossy surface of this 44" inch double-breasted faux-leather coat cut with a sweet spread collar and femme, nipped-in waistline. Fully lined, this coat is made of 100% Polyurethane faux leather with 100% Polyester contrast. It features a hidden placket, spread collar, and front slit pockets. It's available to purchase for $1,188."

When Shannon made it to the midpoint of the runway she started to unbutton her jacket. Once unbuttoned, she grabbed hold of the far end of each side and whipped them a around, with grace, but confidence. Smooth, but sassy.

"Va-voom!"shouted Sarita as Shannon continued downward while she was about to elaborate on her outfit. "That's what I'm talking about girl, work it! 'The All-American American Badass', or the 'Diamond Diva' most recently, in stunning fashion is showing us what's underneath the coat, which is a an all black, mesh back, Leather Jumpsuit. This curve-hugging catsuit is fully lined with Lambskin leather, 84% Polyester, and 16% Elastane mesh. It's sleeveless, has a crew neck, and exposed back-zip closure. $1,295 chicas."

Shannon removed the jacket and draped it over her shoulder with a firm grip as her left arm raised. She was showing off the tight form of the back bodice and flexible stretch mesh.

"Me-ow," said Kim who arched the fingers of her hand and feigned clawing Shannon. "I could see her wearing this to work, out to party, or in the bedroom to unleash that inner dominatrix. But let stop there before I give anybody ideas. Shannon's wearing a black pair of my Caged, High Heeled Booties. The boot itself is 10½" inches in height, and has a pointed toe with an upper strappy cage. There's an interior side zip, side button-loop details, and my KK signature logo in glitter on the outer sole. The heel itself is 4½" inches and the bootie has Swarovski Crystals across the entire shoe. These are $2,124."

" **The embezzler, chrome treasurer.**

 **The U-N-O competitor. I'm 10 steps ahead of ya'."**

"You know what?" Mary-Kate asked rhetorically. "I don't believe we've given Shannon shades all day. The ones of Tyler's that she ended up with during the swimsuit showcase don't count. So I'll start there. On Shannon's face is a pair of decadent mirrored Cat-eye Sunglasses in Ice-Crystal. These silver mirrored lenses have accentuated frames through the Swarovski Crystal detail through the brow bridge. Like the shades for the men, these have 100% UV protection and can be fitted with prescription glasses. These are available for purchase at the cost of $1,815."

"Next up are her Baguette Crystal drop earrings," said Ashley. "These are in antiquated Silver-plated Brass, and have 3D post and drop with round and Baguette Crystals. They're $295. Her statement necklace also has an antiquated silvertone plating, with round and baguette-cut crystals in geometric shapes that dangle around her neck. It's $488."

"To top off Shannon's Crystal fest, we've given her a Pavé Crystal cuff bracelet," said Mary-Kate. This is a slip-on style bracelet with a split back. It's made of faceted Rhodium-plated brass, with Pavé Crystal inserts and costs $195."

" **I'm a leader. Y'all on some followin' shit!**

 **Comin' in this game on some modelin' shit!**

 **Bitches suck cock just to get to the top.**

 **I put 100% in every line that I drop…"**

* * *

" **Everybody, get up!"**

Distorted percussion, synthesizer bass, and keyboards commenced as Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" featuring Pharell, and T.I. played. A few years ago the male R&B singer, along with producer Pharell Williams, were sued for the production of the song's composition by members of Marvin Gaye's family. Legendary Motown artist, Marvin Gaye, was one of Thicke's favorite singers, and he loved his soul. Gaye's 1977 track "Got to Give it Up," was used by Pharell as inspiration to form a beat for Thicke's track. While each song had different lyrics, musically according to the courts, Pharell's track was not; therefore he and Robin Thicke reached a financial settlement to the Gaye's for using the composition without prior authorization for the sampling rights. Still, fans young and old, adored both tunes.

" **If you can't hear what I'm trying to say,**

 **if you can't read from the same page,**

 **maybe I'm going deaf. Maybe I'm going blind.**

 **Maybe I'm out of my mind."**

"Can't wait for my guys to show you their final looks," said Sarita with a smile. "Up first is Jason Jordan of 'American Alpha.' Whether it's to hop on a chopper or take in the autumn wind looking suave, he's doing no wrong in this black, leather band, Collared Biker Jacket. It's lining is 100% Viscose, has two full slant pockets that zip on each side, a full front zipper, and snap buttons at the collar. It's $5,395."

When Jason made it to the midpoint of the runway, he grabbed one of the rakes and pretended to sweep the leaves, which were already in a pile.

"I like it," said Kim. "It's a tight fit, snuggles right at his waist, and won't hang down bothering him in the event he really is a motorcycle guy."

"As for his bottoms, he's wearing a pair of green and navy Wool Tartan Trousers," Sarita continued. "They're 100% Wool, featuring a lining of 65% Viscose and 35% Polyester. His trousers have a button and zip fly, a waistband, side slit pockets, a Silver-tone logo plaque, and a regular, slim fit. These are $835."

Trying to make quick work as he was a big guy wearing wool pants in August, Jason, who already had the collar unsnapped, unzipped the slant of his jacket.

"Thanks boo," remarked Sarita who recognized Jason's gesture of wanting no time wasted with the rest of his outfit by opening the top layer once he reached the end of the runway. "Underneath the jacket he's wearing a black, Rollneck Jumper, composed of a Wool blend of 20% traditional Wool, 20% Virgin Wool, 30% Viscose, and 30% Nylon. It's $372."

"This is sexy Rita!" exclaimed Kim. "With a quick glance, it looks like a turtleneck, but it's not. The neck is very short, coming very close to the beginning of the chest. The sleeves are a lot longer than a turtleneck, and the shirt itself looks like it has the feel of a fitted sweater. You can really flaunt a guy's physique with this one."

" **Okay, now he was close, tried to domesticate ya'.**

 **But you're an animal! Baby, it's in your nature."**

"Thanks love. That was the plan," She confirmed while the hook started. "On his feet are a pair of Navy Blue leather Brogues. These have a an embossed tongue, brogue detailing, a lace-up front fastening, a round toe, and a ridged black rubber sole. Available for $550."

"We just gave Jason a watch for this look, as the jacket's the big star with this outfit," began Mary-Kate. "He's wearing a black, Quartz Analog Watch. It has a square face, rubber strap, a small second hand, an Arabic and stick dial, and is water resistant. His watch will cost you $2,139, and comes in a ceramic case."

" **Just let me liberate ya'. You don't need no papers.**

 **That man is not your maker. And that's why I'm gon' take a,"**

Jason exited and the next model made their entrance to the stage. It was Roman Reigns.

"This man likes to call himself 'The Big Dog,' so I decided to give him lace, snakeskin, velvet, and leather all at once," remarked Sarita. "Kicking off his look, Roman's wearing a black, Velvet, Single-breasted Blazer. Constructed with 100% Cotton and Silk in its lining and 65% Viscose, and 35% cupro in its outer composition, this blazer is $1,654. It features peaked lapels, a front button fastening, a chest pocket, front flap pockets, long sleeves, button cuffs, a rear central vent, a full lining, and a straight hem."

" **Good girl! I know you want it...You're a good girl!**

 **Can't let it get past me. You're far from plastic.**

 **Talk about getting blasted."**

"Roman came down here with the blazer opened because underneath it he's wearing a Malibu Blue Snakeskin effect vest," she added as the chorus began. "Composed of 100% Cotton with a 100% Viscose lining, this $372 vest features a front button fastening and front pockets."

"Velvet and Snakeskin have been covered, so lace I presume is on deck?" asked Kim.

"Indeed Kimberly," Sarita affirmed. "Under his vest is a sheer, embroidered-lace Malibu Blue long sleeve shirt."

Roman, with the blazer already open, unfastened his vest, then slowly caressed his upper body across his tattoos, which could be seen from his shoulder and pectoral area since the shirt was sheer. Some of the crowd-a section of women and a few gay men-who were fans of Roman's cheered.

"You're welcome everybody," Sarita replied with a wink before continuing on. "This top, made of Viscose, Cotton, and Nylon has a point collar, button front, and long shirttail hem. The $1,194 shirt also has a slim fit with barrel cuffs."

" **I hate these blurred lines!**

 **I know you want it...but you're a good girl!**

 **The way you grab me, must wanna' get nasty.**

 **Go 'head get at me. Everybody, get up!"**

"So that was velvet, snakeskin, lace, and here comes the leather." Sarita began. "Stealing the show for him as I go punk-rock with Roman are a pair of black, leather pants with silver Pyramid Studs around the waist, and satin lace on the front of the legs from the knees down. These are $899."

Roman turned around and tucked his hands in the pockets of his blazer as the audience got a closer look of the studs on his pants that wrapped entirely across the waist as Sarita noted. The camera shot then zoomed in on the exaggerated length of lace on the front of the pants.

"Also in leather, are his studded Chelsea Boots, which have a 1⅓" inch stacked heel and 5" inch shaft," she finished. "These slip-on boots have a leather lining and insole, with a rubber outsole, and are studded at the midsole. With gored insets and an almond toe, these boots can be yours for $1,150."

" **What do they make dreams for?**

 **When you got them jeans on,**

 **you're the hottest bitch in this place!"**

"Just like we went simple with JJ since the jacket was the star with his outfit," Mary-Kate began. "you gave Roman a lot here with fours different materials of fabric in separate pieces. So we went small with him as well. He's wearing a light blue Mother-Of-Pearl Diamond watch. It's a round, Stainless Steel watch with a dial made of mineral material and Japanese Quartz movement. It has a a total carat weight of 5.35 diamonds circulating the bezel. It's available for $19,515, but with our summer sale $7,806."

" **I feel so lucky. Hey, hey, hey!**

 **You wanna' hug me? Hey, hey, hey!**

 **What rhymes with 'hug me?' Hey, hey, hey!"**

"Well with Roman, we took a break on leather jackets, but I'm bringing them back with Kofi," Sarita began, following the bridge and hook repeating, and Roman's departure. "His jacket differs greatly from Jason's. Composed of 100% black, Lambskin and Python skin, this jacket features a band collar, a snap button closure, horizontal zip pockets, front flat pockets, and zipped cuffs. Lined in 60% Cupro and 40% Cotton, it's available for $5,390."

" **...One thing I ask of you: Lemme be the one you back that ass up to.**

 **From Malibu to Paris, boo. Had a bitch, but she ain't as bad as you…"**

"On the bottom, Kofi's in a pair of Indigo Blue, stretch tapered ," she went on while rapper T.I.'s verse started after Robin wrapped up his singing for the time being. "These are created with 98% Cotton with 2% of a Spandex/Elastane combination. You can snag some for $658."

Kofi, as he passed the midpoint of the runway snatched an apple, and took a bite from it as he continued to walk. Hopefully, he wouldn't pull a Carlito and "spit it in the face of people who didn't want to be cool."

"Ha, oh snap!" Kofi shouted with a laugh. "I didn't know it was real. Mmm, Granny Smith. I guess I have to keep it now. It would be messed up trying to put it back in the pile with the other ones on the sneak tip."

Sarita's co-hosts chuckled while she pressed on. "You better finish up that apple because I don't want you stuffing it in the pockets of that jacket!" He complied and even unbuttoned the jacket humorously to let her know he didn't shove the apple in the pockets or anywhere else. "Good, glad you opened it. Underneath it, he's wearing a black, Longline Sweatshirt made of 100% Cotton for $384.

"The 4" inch extension beyond the natural waist gives men an option to wear it in or out their trousers," noted Kim. "Good call. "

" **So hit me up when you pass through.**

 **I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two.**

 **Swag on 'em even when you dress casual."**

"I'm really proud to showcase his shoes. My team did a cool job with these," Sarita remarked. "He has a pair of black, calf-leather 'Punk Studded' shoes. These derby shoes feature a round toe, a lace-up front fastening, punch hole detailing, and a ridged rubber sole, with rounded stud embellishments in blue. Yours for $777."

" **I mean it's almost unbearable.**

 **In a hundred years not dare would I,**

 **pull a Pharcyde, let you pass me by…"**

"We went big a little bit on Kofi," said Mary-Kate. "I've got him in a Rhodium-plated, White Diamond Cuban chain around his neck. This 36" inch chain has a total carat weight of 25 diamonds in a round Pavé setting. The regular retail price is $6,775, but it's on sale through the rest of summer for $2,710."

"And I've put a White Gold rolex on his wrist," said Ashley. "This round shape with a white dial's regular retail price is $110,245, but available for purchase at $44,098 with our sale.

" **Shake your rump! Get down! Get up-ah!**

 **Do it like it hurt, like it hurt!**

 **What, you don't like work? Hey!"**

Kofi made his exit during Robin's breakdown of the song. Just before Kofi hit the curtain though, he did indeed shake his rump for the fans a second time. He did it earlier with Jojo.

The tempo of the music changed again. Pauly D left R&B for Pop. But it was retro Dance-Pop. The voice was singing in acapella and doing so almost into a type of autotuned microphone.

" **I'm too sexy for my love, too sexy for my love. Love's going to leave me."**

The bassline and engineering from the rest of the beat kicked in on the 1991 single "Too Sexy" by British group, Right Said Fred. This song made them a one-hit-wonder in the U.S. But they had numerous successful singles in their native United Kingdom. What was more important to Sarita however, was the content: a song about a narcissistic male model. That was spot on for the next person about to approach.

" **I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt.**

 **Too sexy, it hurts!"**

"Too sexy for this _jacket_ , is Tyler Breeze who is looking dashing in this double-breasted, classic lapel coat," said Sarita as Tyler entered. The jacket was completely fastened, not unbuttoned. "He's wearing a Seafoam Blue Wool and Fur coat with 100% Cupro lining. It has a three-button closure, side vent pockets, as well as buttons at the wrist of the coat. It's available for $6,046."

"You continue to 'take care of your men' huh, Rita?" Kim asked with a smirk. "Roman had snakeskin, lace, and velvet in layers. You've given Tyler 100% Wool and 100% Lamb fur all in the same coat!"

" **And I'm too sexy for Milan.**

 **Too sexy for Milan, New York and Japan!"**

Tyler was booed about being too attractive for the home crowd and he contorted his mouth as he continued to walk, like he would for any other ring entrance. Other superstars played around with items from the set from Jason to Kofi. In character, Tyler continued to arrogantly walk by, focused on two things: himself and the catwalk.

"His bottoms are black, panelled Biker Trousers," Sarita said. "These pants made of 100% leather and Viscose, have side zipper pockets on each hip, standard back pockets on each side of the buttocks without zippers, and have a front zip and button closure. They're $1,755."

"These are awesome!" exclaimed Kim. "Nice work on the side paneling, beginning at the hip and stopping at the thigh. And you do it again in the form of a shield at the knees, almost like protective padding at the kneecap. It's a fashionable touch to a biker trouser. But for the real bikers out there, I'm sure they appreciate that security if they fall off so they don't skid their legs up. It's cute and tight. Protective, but not bulky. Great job."

" **And I'm too sexy for your party, too sexy for your party!**

 **No way I'm disco-dancing!"**

"Thanks again. There's a zip closure at the bottom of the pant legs to ease access of putting on and removing boots," remarked Sarita. "There should be a top under his coat, but I don't know if we'll see it since 'he's too sexy for a shirt' apparently."

Tyler raised one hand to his face and rubbed his jaw, before speaking to the women. "I think I require a bit of assistance for a viewing."

" **I'm a model. You know what I mean?**

 **And I do my little turn on the catwalk.**

 **Yeah on the catwalk, on the catwalk, yeah!**

 **I do my little turn on the catwalk."**

A few moments later when the chorus began, JoJo and Maryse came on the stage and greeted Tyler three quarters of the way down the runway. Maryse rubbed his back and massaged his shoulders. JoJo stroked her fingers across his jacket, tugged at his grey lapel collar, breathed sexily against one side of his neck, before coming back to his black buttons and opening them. Once the ladies were "relieved from their duties," they exited, and he made it to the end of the runway, yes, doing a "little turn" as he proceeded.

"Ahem, thank you girls," said Sarita to the women leaving. "He's wearing one of my 'Gallery' tee shirts. I call them gallery because like art directors who collect, study, and analyze various masterpieces in galleries, I have various fabrics in the construction of this shirt. With an outer composition of 100% Cotton, 6% Polyester, 34% Viscose, and 60% Polyurethane, this short-sleeved shirt features a round neck, a grey and black horizontal striped pattern, straight hem, and a long length, which I've chosen to have Tyler tuck it in. $448."

" **I'm too sexy for my car, too sexy for my car.**

 **Too sexy by far!**

 **And I'm too sexy for my hat, too sexy for my hat.**

 **Whatcha' think about that?"**

"On his feet are a pair of a Bicolor Brogue Shoes," Sarita said. "These black and blue suede and leather shoes feature a round toe, a lace-up front fastening, punch hole detailing, a branded insole, and a stacked heel. They're $995."

" **I'm a model. You know what I mean?**

 **And I do my little turn on the catwalk.**

 **Yeah, on the catwalk, on the catwalk, yeah!**

 **I shake my little tush on the catwalk."**

"And it's a very nice tush Mr. Breeze," said Mary-Kate following a laugh. "Tyler's unique, and we love how he's pulling this outfit off. Ashley and I were really digging the two-tone shoes, as well as the mixing of patterns with suede shoes and a wool coat. We started off giving him a black, zipped, ring scarf for $219, made of a Cotton-Angora blend of fabric. On top of the scarf, we've placed a Medusa 'V' shaped broach on it. This $322 Silver-tone and Blue Resin features a pin fastening."

"And we finished his look with a wrist watch," said Ashley. "Just like his shoes are two-toned, so is this Submariner Rolex. This stainless watch with Swiss Quartz movement, is round with a silvertone. Its dial window made of Sapphire Crystal is Navy Blue, further accented in gold. There's a gold strip in between the silver bracelet links going all the way around. Because it's in our 'Submariner Series,' you know it's water resistant. But unlike most which are only water resistant by a few meters, Tyler's watch is water resistant by 1,000 feet. Regular retail price is $32,215, but with our summer sale, it's yours for $12,866."

" **I'm too sexy for my cat, too sexy for my cat.**

 **Too sexy for my pu, pu, poor pussy cat…**

 **And I'm too sexy for** _ **this**_ _ **song**_ **!"**

When Tyler turned away from the co-hosts to make his exit walk, every few seconds Right Said Fred told the audience what they were too sexy for, he'd remove a layer, tossing articles of clothing on the runway. By the time he made it to the curtain and the song ended, he was only wearing his watch and pants. He teased removing those too, as he walked over to a female fan, unbuttoned and unzipped them a few inches, before leaving her. He was "too sexy" to give her all the goods.

Transitioning from Dance-Pop into the Electronica-Disco genre, DJ Pauly D started a song that began in the F-minor key, featuring bass and rhythmic guitar, synthesizer, and keyboards. Then the upbeat tempo eventually progressed to sharp keys.

" **Like the legend of the Phoenix:**

 **all ends with beginnings.**

 **What keeps the planet spinning (uh!):**

 **the force from the beginning."**

It was the 2014 Grammy-awarding winning song, "Get Lucky" by French duo Daft Punk, featuring Nile Rodgers from the band "Chic" on guitar, and Pharell Williams on vocals.

" **Look, we've come too far to give up who we are!**

 **So let's raise the bar and our cups to the stars!"**

"Getting lucky is Enzo Amorè, who's wearing a white, distressed denim, Sleeveless Biker Jacket," began Sarita, plugging in the track he came out to. "This Cotton jacket with black lining of 100% Tencel and Silk, has a long silver zip front, two slant zip pockets and a corner snap pocket all on the left side, and one slant zip pocket on right side. There's 18" inches of fringe hanging on the left and right of the bottom hem, with a belt on the waist. $1,200."

"No ladies with you as you show us more lavish streetwear Enzo?" asked Kim.

"Nah, I figured I'd let 'em rest up," responded Enzo while walking down the runway. "You can't overwork your girls. The customers won't pay well if you leave them unsatisfied."

" **She's up all night to the sun.**

 **I'm up all night to get some.**

 **She's up all night for good fun.**

 **I'm up all night to get lucky."**

Everyone laughed and Sarita continued on. "He's also wearing a faded black pair of jeans made of 98% Cotton and 2% of a combination of Spandex and Elastane. They have rugged cutoff patterns against the entire kneecap area, and a thinner strip of cutoff pattern on the upper thigh of each leg. These are boot-cut length, and have front and back pockets. Yours for $1,040.

Enzo pounded his chest on his shirt as his vest was opened.

"Under his vest is a long-sleeved, Photo-printed Sweatshirt in black and white," said Sarita. "He's especially excited because it isn't just _anybody_ on this multi blend Polyester, Polyamide, Silk, and Cotton shirt. Enzo's sweatshirt features a photo of Tony Montana, the notorious mobster from Scarface. This $995 sweatshirt has a crew neck and long hem."

" **We're up all night to the sun.**

 **We're up all night to get some.**

 **We're up all night for good fun.**

 **We're up all night to get lucky."**

"I'm gonna' take over with his kicks if you don't mind Rita," said Kim.

"Not at all," Sarita replied with a shake of the head. "You're the one married to a man with a sneaker line. Go for it!"

"Enzo's wearing a pair of 'Oreo' Air Jordans: Retro Style VI," she began. "These shoes have a large tongue on the back of the collar, and the visible 'Air Jordan' logo on the heel of the midsole. On the colorway, the upper is a simple combination of white leather and black suede, while the outsole is partially translucent. These $380 sneakers also feature some unique white speckles on the black midsole and spoiler, hence the Oreo name describing the style of these specific Air Jordans."

" **We're up all night to get lucky! We're up all night to get lucky!**

 **We're up all night to get lucky! We're up all night to get lucky!"**

Enzo didn't do his leg dance this time around, but he did do a shoulder shrug and clapped his hands in time to the tune.

"We gave Enzo a Sterling Silver, Rhodium-plated, Cuban Chain with Black Diamonds," began Mary-Kate. "This 36" inch necklace has round Black Diamonds in a Pavé setting with a total carat weight of 25. It can be purchased for $6,775, but is on sale for $2,710 through summer."

"Then we gave him a Calf leather, Diamond, Stainless Steel Watch," Ashley elaborated. "This unisex watch has a strap with leather made of crocodile, Swiss movement in a Pave' set of 4.1 carats of clear diamonds on the face. $5,350, but no sale on this one."

"Saying hello to us once more is Big Cass, and he's rocking my textured short coat in black," Sarita began following Enzo's departure, and his partner's entry. "It's a coat made with 100% Black Lamb fur with a classic collar, a concealed front fastening, long sleeves, and a straight hem. It's big, it's puffy, and for $8,990, you can own this shaggy beauty."

" **The present has no ribbon. Your gift keeps on giving."**

"Cass also has on a Navy Blue pair of Slim-fit Tailored Trousers," she continued as the second verse of "Get Lucky" was underway. "These tailored trousers made of 100% Wool and lined in 100% Cupro have belt loops and two rear pockets. They're available for $350."

" **What is this I'm feeling? If you wanna' leave, I'm with it. (Ahh!)"**

"I gave Enzo a printed top for fall and did the same for Cass," Sarita noted. "However, rather than printing a person on it, Cass is wearing an abstract print shirt. Cass' black and white Cotton shirt with 50% Modal in its outer composition, has various undefined shapes and objects on it, and runs about 4-7" inches beyond the waist if you're wearing it out, instead of tucked in. It costs $262."

When the hook repeated with the man reminding the woman they've come too far to deny their sexual chemistry, Cass walked back to the midpoint of the runway where the autumn set was. He grabbed a medium-sized pumpkin, reached in one of the pockets of his jacket for a sharpie, and signed it. Then he carried it with him to the end of the runway, reached over and handed it to a fan in the audience with open arms. Sarita nodded and greeted Cass with a smile in recognition of his impromptu, but gracious gesture.

"On his feet are a pair of black and gunmetal leather slippers," Sarita explained. "They have a round toe, camouflage print, a brand embossed rubber insole, and a stacked sole. These are $325, and come in Blue Camo as well."

" **...We're up all night to get (together)**

 **We're up all night to get (Let's get funked again.)**

 **We're up all night to get lucky..."**

"On Colin's wrist is a 'Dom' watch. Dom because it's dominated by Black Diamonds on the face," Mary-Kate said. "It features a black, calf leather crocodile embossed effect strap, Swiss movement, a Stainless Steel body, and 4.1 carats of Black Diamonds in a Pavé setting. For $35,983, it's yours."

"And we can't leave Enzo's boy out when it comes to chains," Ashley said with a grin. "He's got on a 14-carat White Gold Diamond Tennis Chain. This 32½" inch chain has round diamonds in a Bezel setting with a total carat weight of 15. $55,310 for this gents, but on sale for $22,124."

The chorus repeated again as Cass posed a few times for both the live shots and the fans with their smartphones and watches out recording. While he was doing that at the end of the runway, runners returned to the stage and were making modifications to the set. A set of a half-dozen grey lockers were pushed one portion of the stage. They weren't heavy to push as they had wheels on the bottom and were borrowed props from a production on Broadway. Some chairs with built-in desks, and a chalkboard were brought to another side.

Cass left, and a new track played. It was an uptempo tune built over big, bouncy beats and horn blasts with a very clap-heavy production. The music and horns were in the C-major key.

" **She got a body like an hourglass. But I can give it to you all the time."**

"Here is 'The Miz' approaching the stage in an off-white Military Coat made of a mixed wool blend," began Sarita, as the 2014 smash hit "Bang bang" by Jessie J, featuring Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj played. "I know this man loves long coats, and he's certainly getting it with 189" centimeters, beginning at the neck, surpassing the thigh, and stopping at the knee. This coat's outer composition is made of 100% Polyamide and 85% Virgin Wool, with lining made of 100% Cotton and Cupro. Twelve gold buttons on the front, two at each cuff, and a split back give this coat sophistication, while still paying homage to the vintage look of soldiers' garments."

Miz, who was already on the stage when Sarita started talking about the jacket, walked a little further down the runway, stopping at the section where the lockers were. There was a WWE backpack casually on his left shoulder. He removed it and set it on the floor. Miz then opened up one of the lockers, checked himself out in the mirror on the right side, and gazed lovingly at the picture of Maryse on the left.

" **She got a booty like a Cadillac. But I can send you into overdrive! (Oh!)"**

"This reminds me of some of the things the cast of Ham-" Kim was interrupted. And so was Miz, when Bayley, who was wearing her leather overalls from her previous appearance, skipped down the runway. It was a ruse because while the fans thought it was cute and random, what she did wasn't. Bayley slammed the door of his locker shut, raised his arms high, and pinned him against it.

"Under the lengthy jacket Miz is wearing a pair of Hunter Green low crotch trousers," Sarita said, happy at the surprised reaction Bayley got when she approached Miz, and the manner in which she did. Fans weren't expecting that from her character. "Composed with a fabric blend of 68% Viscose, 6% Polyamide, and 28% Wool, these trousers feature a waistband with belt loops, a concealed front fastening, two insert pockets to the sides, buttoned jetted pockets at the rear, creases, a tapered leg, and are at a regular length. Men, you can grab a pair for $795."

" **You've been waiting for that. Step on up, and swing your bat."**

Bayley. still with her arms pinning Miz's above her, slowly squatted down and kept her face at Miz's crotch for a solid four seconds before unbuttoning his jacket in reverse. Then she grabbed his backpack, leaving him at the lockers alone as he gathered himself.

" **See, anybody can be bad to you. You need a** _ **good**_ _ **girl**_ **to blow your mind!"**

"Lord, have mercy!" exclaimed Sarita as Miz, who didn't have to pretend to be hot because it was August in New York, fanned himself. "Sometimes good girls can do bad things to a blow a guy's mind for sure. Thanks to Bayley's _assistance_ on giving him a hand with the jacket, everyone can check out his sheer, slim fit, Money Graphic Print shirt. This shirt has a round neck with the number 100 across the chest, base of the long sleeves, and down the straight hem; while the rest of the shirt features the remaining contents of an American $100 bill. $411!"

" **Bang bang into the room! I know you want it.**

 **Bang bang all over you! I'll let you have it."**

When Bayley grabbed The Miz' backpack and headed back up the runway, she tossed it out to the crowd. The fans tussled with each other for a bit before all but one gave up and accepted the prize as theirs. When they opened up the backpack, there were Blu-ray DVDs of all spring Pay Per Views for 2017, including Wrestlemania 33.

" **Wait a minute, let me take you there. Wait a minute til ya' ahh."**

"On Miz's feet are a pair of green Brogue-detailed Oxford Shoes," said Sarita when Miz approached the end of the runway finally. "These calf-leather shoes feature an almond toe, a front lace up detail, cotton lining, brogue detail, and a low block heel. Buy a pair men, for $695."

"Well, we decided to put a lapel pin on that gorgeous coat of his Sarita," Mary-Kate remarked while Miz nodded in agreement. "Mike's wearing a green broach pin that's in the shape and design of a corsage a guy would present to his date at prom. This is available for $110."

"And while we wait for him to push his sleeves up a tad to show his wrist, I can tell you we gave him a 44 millimeter Bracelet Watch in Hunter Green and gold," Ashley started. "This round, Stainless Steel, Chronographic watch has a textured green dial, with check and Roman numeral markers. It also has three subdials, three-hand movement, a date window and a seven-link bracelet strap. Yours today, for $375."

" **Bang bang there goes your heart! I know you want it.**

 **Back, backseat of my car! I'll let you have it.**

 **Wait a minute, let me take you there. Wait a minute til ya' ahh."**

Miz posed a few seconds before making his exit as the chorus played out, and the audience anticipated the next model. While the fans were distracted by the groove of the music and Miz leaving, the next two participants came through a secret side entrance on their respective sides. The live shot-instead of shooting from the main curtain where everyone else entered-was redirected at the midpoint, where three chairs with built-in desks that the runners pushed out were located.

There was a noticeable student in the center seat. And the live-shot zoomed in on him texting Nikki Bella: "Thanx 4 da notes on da final last yr. Couldn't pass Chem w/o u. :)"

" **She might've let you hold her hand in school.**

 **But I'mma' show you how to graduate!"**

As Ariana Grande started the second verse, about ten feet across from the "student," at the midpoint of the huge runway was a chalkboard. A woman's hand flipped it over. Written in white chalk on the blackboard was "Professor Storm, WTS University," in cursive. Seconds later, bent over from the point of view of the audience, was Shannon in her catsuit and shoes from earlier, minus the long coat, but with the addition of some reading glasses. She slowly and seductively made her way over to her student, which was John Cena, carelessly tossing her glasses out to the audience along the way.

" **No, I don't need to hear you talk the talk."**

"From Tyler, to Roman, Enzo, Cass, Randy, and now Cena, Shannon-I mean _Professor_ _Storm_ -doesn't seem to discriminate when it comes to men," joked Sarita. "John's first layer is a white, long-sleeved Shirt Jacket. Made of 100% Silicone, this $519 jacket has a standard shirt collar, and is outlined in black around the end of the sleeves, bottom hem, and shoulders. There's a slant front pocket on each side, a vertical six-button closure, and my _S_. _Lo_ logo on the left breast of the chest, which are all done in black.

Cena quickly stuffed his phone in his pocket and opened his jacket in anticipation as Shannon approached. Shannon raised her left leg across the desk and up on his shoulder. He massaged her hip for a few moments.

Shannon was trying her best to give the fans her very own "Ms. Hancock" moment. "Ms. Hancock" was a sinfully flirtatious teacher character in WCW, portrayed by Stacy Keibler, who shared a hometown with Shannon. That was her alias before going by her actual name once hired by the WWE in 2001. It was there where she made her debut as the "Dutchess of Dudleyville," serving as the heel valet for Bubba and D'Von Dudley during the invasion storyline.

" **Just come and show me what ya' mama gave! (Oh, yeah!)"**

Rather than leaving it to a few strokes up and down Shannon's hip or left leg, Cena grabbed her right one, and placed it above his other shoulder. Then he stood up from the seat, leaving mere centimeters between his face and her crotch.

"Well that's one way to get him out of the chair so we can see the rest of his outfit," Sarita remarked as Cena, still carrying Shannon on his shoulders began to move forward, creating the illusion that he was given her oral sex, while modeling at the same time. "Now that we have a better view of his bottoms, he's wearing a pair of Paint-drip Straight Leg Trousers. Made of 100% Cotton, these black and white pants feature belt buckles, a front silver button closure, with pockets in the front and back. I went funky with these $868 pants. They're black and white, but they're not symmetrical like a zebra. They're scattered like a cow."

 _Nikki is going to kick your ass for that! Oh well, your problem, not mine. Kudos to your commitment to character. I'll play along._

" **Okay, you've got a very big shhh! Mouth, but don't say a thing."**

Shannon rolled her eyes and made orgasmic faces pretending that he really was going down her.

"Since they're still a bit pre-occupied, I'll get to the shoes, and come back to the shirt," Sarita replied, and her co-hosts mumbled with smirks. "Cena's got on a black pair of Rockstud Chelsea Boots. These $1,575 shoes have a pull tab at the rear, elasticated side panels, a round toe, a flat sole, and Silver-tone micro Rockstud embellishments."

It was time to leave Cena, and Shannon had a change of plans from what she was originally going to do. She lifted his neck slightly, and as his head raised, she forced it into her cleavage. He pulled a diploma from it with his teeth, lowered Shannon down to her feet so she could exit, and winked at her before he headed further down the runway.

" **See anybody can be good to you. You need a** _ **bad**_ _ **girl**_ **to blow your mind!"**

"Glad you two enjoyed yourselves," Sarita said as Cena smelled the diploma that was hugged by Shannon's breasts before stuffing it into his pants. "I've put him in an Ink-spill Print Tee Shirt to compliment the pants. Made of 100% Cotton, this $500 black shirt has a large white ink spill from the base all the way to the end of the hem, which extends 3" inches beyond the waist."

The chorus repeated as the twins talked about Cena's accessories.

"We were thinking about John's past here as we were cycling through old pictures, and figured with this outfit, he'd feel 'at home' with a chain," Mary-Kate began. "Around his neck is a 14-carat White Gold Diamond Chain. The 32" inch chain has round diamonds in a prong setting with a total carat weight of 65.55. Our regular retail price is $142,115, but you can catch one on sale for the summer for $52,846."

"On his wrist is a black 'Aviation' Compass Analog Watch," began Ashley. "This Stainless Steel Watch with a square, black Sapphire face, has a screw-down crown, a rubber strap, and is water resistant. The hours and minutes on the dial appear in their original numeric order, but the face of the watch is just crafted in a way that looks like a compass. It's available for $3,611."

" **You know what girls? Let me show you how to do,**

 **It's Myx Moscato. It's frizz in a bottle."**

While the introductory remarks of Nicki Minaj's verse commenced, runners returned as Cena left. The runners grabbed the set of lockers used for Bayley and The Miz and removed them, replacing them with a Sky Blue adult sized go-kart. The second set of runners ran down to the chalkboard Shannon used with John Cena, and flipped it over. Then they grabbed the linked set of desks and chairs and pushed them back up the runway.

"Returning to us is Mr. Orton in a Mustard Yellow and blue Vertically-striped Blazer," Sarita started as the final male model for the category returned to the stage and unlike Cena, back at the front entrance. "This blazer, with a composition of 30% Cotton and 70% Wool, features a detachable hood, a six-button fastening, a broad welt chest pocket, front flap pocket, button cuffs, a straight hem, a rear welt pocket, and a print lining. It's $987.86."

"Huge fan of this Sarita," remarked Kim. "Men, don't let the price tag for almost a grand for one blazer fool you because it's well worth the buy! This blazer has versatility. Sarita has Randy wearing it completely buttoned up to the throat, giving it a look of a fall coat with a turtleneck. You can unbutton the neck to unleash the lapel collar of a traditional blazer, and let the hood hang down your shoulders and show off that beautiful gold lining. Or you can put the hood on your heads to look cool. Plus she's given you plenty of pockets! This should _not_ be a regrettable purchase."

" **It's Nicki full throttle! It's oh, oh!**

 **Swimming in the grotto. We winning in the lotto.**

 **We dipping in the pot of blue foam. Oh!"**

"Randy's wearing a Navy Blue pair of slim fit trousers made of 97% Cotton and a 3% combination of Spandex and Elastane," Sarita continued. "These $475 pants feature a front button fastening, waistband with belt loops, creases, side slit pockets, rear welt pockets, a silver-tone logo plaque and are at a regular length."

Randy wasn't at a desk like Cena awaiting a lecture. Nor was he dropping off school books at his locker like The Miz. But there was a reason for that. As he walked down the runway, he spotted the reverse side of the chalkboard that was flipped following Cena and Shannon's segment. It read, "Driver's Ed This way →" He nodded as he read the message and continued walking, stopping at the go-kart.

" **Kitten so good. It's drippin' on wood.**

 **Get a ride in the engine that could, go!"**

Randy climbed inside the passenger seat of the Arrow 150CC, air cooled, 4-stroke, 1-cylinder, automatic with reverse go-kart. A few moments went by and after checking his watch, he folded his hands behind his head, closed his eyes and leaned back to relax.

Nikki Bella, returned to the stage, entering through the secret side entrance that John Cena did when he took a seat at the desks. She wasn't wearing her fur coat, but was in her trousers and turtleneck from her autumn look. She had something new on her head as well: A Taxi-driver cap. She "awakened" Randy when she climbed atop of him, taking a seat on his lap.

"This is one hell of an educational environment!" Kim yelled. "I'd go to _this_ school."

"Tell me about it," remarked Mary-Kate as Nikki changed plans, instead of sitting in the driver's seat, next to Randy, decided Randy would be her vehicle instead. "Does Randy have a shirt under the blazer Sarita? Not that Nicole would reveal it as she's busy giving 'instruction.' "

" **Batman Robin it, bang-bang, cocking it. Queen Nicki dominant, prominent!"**

"No MK," Sarita replied. "No shirt underneath whatsoever. He promised to be good, but I didn't trust him completely that he would wear it; so he's only covered with the blazer."

Nikki grabbed Randy's hands, placed them on her hips, and gyrated to the beat of the tune. However, she did so at an appropriate distance on his lap. Yes, the company was no longer PG. Yes, this was during the weekend, not work-week. _But_ it was an event being broadcasted with a partnering network, and during the day. Nikki obviously couldn't control Randy's body, nor did she want a visible erection to be caught in the shot. Everyone-Bayley with Miz, Shannon with Cena, and Nikki with Randy-wanted to give the audience "enough sexy" to chatter about. At the same time, they did not want to overdo it given who they were collaborating with and when. The balance had to be to a tee: "respectable raunchy" is how one would likely describe it.

Eventually Nikki got off Randy, removed her cap, and handed him a "learner's permit" before exiting the stage. He left the go-kart and soon after handed a fan his permit, which wasn't really a permit. It was a $100 WWE Network gift card subscription. Randy contemplated rubbing it under his blazer first, for some female pops. If he did that though, his perspiration would've been hot to them, but would've ruined the barcode on the gift card. That's why he opted against it, just handed it off, and made his way down the end of the runway.

" **It's me, Jessie, and Ari. If they test me, they sorry.**

 **Riders umph like a Harley. Then pull off in this Ferrari."**

"I'm sure he put his pedal to the metal in his Navy Blue leather loafers," Sarita said, who surprised her co-hosts holding it together during Nikki's "ride" on her crush. "These slip-on style shoes have a draping Navy tassel in the front, are finished with a Mahogany Wood sole, and have a matching leather lining in the mahogany color. These are $4,627."

" **If he hanging, we banging!**

 **Phone rangin', he slangin'!**

 **It ain't karaoke night.**

 **But get the mic 'cause I'm singing!"**

"Sarita's told us she's seen Randy in the colder months wearing skull caps on the road, but we thought we'd give him something bold for once," Mary-Kate stated as the two singers began the bridge and rapper Nicki ad libbed in between. "So on his head is a blue, wool felt Fedora. This hat sports a classic pinch front crown with a short snap brim. It has a Grosgrain ribbon hatband, with a removable side feather and hat pin. These are $48, and also available in black, brown, grey, and pecan."

"Then we decided to put a snake broach on his blazer," announced Ashley through the repeat of the chorus. "It's a Gold-tone Brass pin in the shape of a snake with the MK&A logo in the center of the serpent's largest loop. These are $184. And finally completing his look, is an 'Avenger II Seawolf' Analog Watch on his wrist. This Stainless Steel, round face, Sapphire watch has a Navy Blue rubber strap, automatic movement, a central second hand, a date-window, a screw-down crown, chronometer, luminescent hands and indexes, a rotating silver bezel, and is water resistant. You can get one for $2,850."

* * *

Sarita asked the men to return once again, revealing their autumn looks to the audience once last time. One of the men was absent, but intentionally so.

" **Strike a pose! Strike a pose! Vogue, vogue, vogue! Vogue, vogue, vogue!"**

DJ Pauly D left contemporary R&B and once again returned to the musical genre of upbeat, Dance-Pop. This particular track, "Vogue" by Madonna, featured on her 1990 "I'm Breathless" album had strong influences of Disco as well in its composition.

" **Look around. Everywhere you turn is heartache.**

 **It's everywhere that you go. (Look around.)**

Well ladies and gentlemen , I said there were going to be surprises _all_ _show_ _long_ and we definitely had some," Sarita began. "Jay-Z and Kanye West performed several times. Pitbull stopped by, as did some of the Empire and Dancing With The Stars cast. But I've got one more up my sleeve. As you can see on the large screens above, various "cover men" for the Gentleman's Quarterly Magazine are being cycled through over the years. Some, you may be fans of, some perhaps not."

" **You try everything you can to escape.**

 **The pain of life that you know (life that you know)."**

The covers continued to shuffle and stopped at a former WWE Champion, turned global icon.

"And every once in awhile, a very familiar face to our family makes us proud," Sarita said as the crowd popped to an older issue that had Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on it.

" **When all else fails and you long to be, something better than you are today."**

More covers rotated, moving through the current calendar year. As the summer issues appeared, the speed of the still shots slowed down remaining on display for a solid ten seconds before moving on to the next person. Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio was on the cover of June 2017. He was followed by fellow actor, Matt Damon, who made the cover on the July issue. NFL MVP and Carolina Panthers quarterback, Cameron Newton had the honors for August. Then the screens displayed huge question marks in the center of the left and right screens.

" **I know a place where you can get away.**

 **It's called a dance floor, and here's what it's for. So,"**

Moments later, the gold carpet was rolled back down by the runners that Maryse used during Kanye West's performance of "Flashing Lights." Once it was neatly and firmly back on the runway, legitimate photographers from Entertainment Weekly, GQ, and the WWE made their way past the crowd, the host, and cohosts before taking their appropriate places gathering around the long runway.

"As my _final_ surprise, the WWE is proud to announce the person to grace the GQ Magazine cover for September 2017 is...Tyler Breeze!" shouted Sarita, and the two question marks on the far left and right LED screens revealed what fans could grab at newsstands or digitally download this coming Monday. It was Tyler who was lying down on his side with a smile at the Palazzo Poli, a palace in the Trevi District of Rome, Italy, forming the backdrop to the iconic, 18th century sculpted Trevi Fountain. He was excited about taking photos at the largest Baroque fountain in the city, and one of the most famous ones in the world. The city was beautiful. He was handsome. The photographers were his lifeline, and Sarita's clothes were his charms.

" **Come on, vogue! Let your body move to the music! (Move to the music)."**

As the chorus continued, Tyler walked out in the outfit he wore during the photoshoot, which was taken in Italy during the main roster's spring European tour. When he came out, all of the photographers were snapping pictures of him from all angles.

"I have Tyler in an Eggshell Cream and Sky Blue, three piece suit," announced Sarita. "Made of Super 150s Poly-Rayon fabric, this suit features a two-button closure jacket with a side vents and a notched lapel, with pleated pants. On the front of the suit coat are two side pockets on the left, and one breast pocket on the right He's wearing a cream French-cuffed shirt, and accompanying the suit is a Cream, Beige, and Periwinkle plaid four-button closure vest. I've paired this with a patterned, mixed Baby blue, Sky blue, and Eggshell tie and handkerchief set. $2,350 for this suit."

" **Hey, hey, hey! Come on, vogue! Let your body go with the flow..."**

Tyler's GQ cover article was titled, "From Beauty Shots to a Roster Spot: WWE Superstar Tyler Breeze shows just how determined he is to be in every scene, in _and_ out the ring." Seth Rollins was in The Rolling Stone magazine in 2015. He had an article, but wasn't on the cover of the magazine. Tyler was. GQ, taking a page from The Rolling Stone and ESPN, who were beginning to get their feet wet covering professional wrestling, also wanted to add sports entertainment to their repertoire, at least the biggest giant in the industry, which was the WWE. But they also knew their audience. Being that they were a fashion magazine, it was an obvious choice to select Tyler because of his character. In the article he talked about balancing such a busy schedule on the road with regards to diet, how his character portrayed in the WWE sharpened his already stylish taste of fashion, his love of Parkour and CrossFit, and how he's "a talented superstar who isn't just a pretty face built for show, but one when in the ring, can go."

The LED screen flipped through the issue, focusing on other still shots taken of Tyler, that were in the September edition he was featured in. One of the photos saw Tyler in "The Beauty Pose" as he knelt on the Spanish Steps with one arm relaxed on his knee, and looking ahead with an enlightened gaze at the Trinita' dei Monti Church. Another photo saw him standing near a hiking trail near Mount Vesuvius doing the "Art of Undress" pose, with a smirk. In this photo, his jacket was removed, the sleeves to his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. His vest was on his body, but opened. His tie was around his neck and tied, but casually loose. As he looked into the camera, he was unbuttoning his shirt from the bottom teasing a reveal of his lower abs.

"On his feet are a pair of Metallic Silver Python-Embossed Oxford Shoes," Sarita continued. "These $895 calfskin leather shoes have a flat stacked heel, pointed toe, pre laced-up front, and a leather lining and sole. Tyler's photo shoot for GQ was done in Italy and that's where the material imported to construct these shoes hail from. The beauty in the culture, architecture, and luxury were my inspiration for these."

" **...All you need is to use your imagination. So use it!**

 **That's what it's for. (That's what it's for!)"**

"Tyler Breeze is pulling double duty here. Not only is he 'Prince Pretty' of the WWE, but also 'Mr. September' of GQ?" asked Kim as Tyler at the midpoint of the runway, did a turn, not just to show off for the crowd, but he too was seeing the finished product of what the magazine ended up choosing for the cover. Like the fans, he was witnessing it for the first time as well.

Paul owed a lot of credit for getting Tyler the GQ cover to Sarita. Given her connections with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian-West and the Olsens because of her modeling background, she was able to direct Paul to the right people. Discussions ensued between her contacts' contacts, and eventually the WWE got the nod for the September cover. Some companies would argue that _any_ publicity was good publicity. While Paul was committed and still a fan to what occurred between the ropes, he wasn't an idiot. What was the point in being a publicly traded company, and having signed talent to your company with ties to Hollywood, without using those networking opportunities to your advantage, to get more eyes on your product? You could certainly at least _try_ on your bigger shows for the year. That was what was accomplished here with Sarita's help. Not every WWE star was a star for putting on five star classic matches in the ring. Some excelled at promotion, charity work, and publicity.

"That he is, Kimberly, and while Sarita hooked him up with the outfit and his pictures are great," began Mary-Kate, "for this live, in-person reveal, we wanted to pitch in and elevate the look even more. First up to complement those mixed blue hues in the tie, are a pair of 'twin' Blue and White Diamond Cufflinks. These $2,500, 14-carat White Gold cufflinks have 18-round, brilliant Blue Diamonds with a carat weight of 1.58 and 80 round brilliant cut White Diamonds with 0.33 carat weight. Next, is the tiebar. With this set of tieclips, we give men the choice of two styles: either classic or modern. And then they have three choices of a premium finish between silver, gunmetal, or gold over the body. Here, Tyler chose a modern style and wanted a silver plated finish to accompany those metallic silver shoes of his. I topped the tie clip with a high shine Blue Mother-of-Pearl Crystal Resin dome over the design area for a refined, glossy look. It's available for $165."

" **Go inside for your finest inspiration.**

 **Your dreams will open the door…"**

"The pocket watch has made a return with this man as Tyler models our 'Invicta' vintage blue Dial Watch and Chain," said Ashley as Tyler opened his jacket so viewers could have a better view of the timepiece draping down. "This 18½" inch silver chain and clip comes with a Stainless Steel men's pocket watch with a blue analog dial bezel. The Silver-tone hands of the dial have Arabic numeral hour markers with minute markers around the outer rim. The seconds sub-dial is above the six o'clock position with Quartz movement. Not only is his watch water resistant by 100 feet, but it is also scratch-resistant through its mineral crystal composition. It has a pull-push crown, is $850, and is perfect for formal events, or a man whose idea of casual requires a bit more ostentation."

" **It makes no difference if you're Black or White, if you're a boy or girl!**

 **...You're a superstar, yes! That's what you are. You know it!"**

"On his left hand is a breathtaking, highly polished, 14-carat White Gold pinky ring, featuring a checkered pattern in the center," explained Mary-Kate. "The center is invisibly set with Sky Blue, Periwinkle Blue, and White princess-cut diamonds. The centerpiece is surrounded with eight prongs which are Pavé and bezel, set with round-cut diamonds. The band is 50% Pavé set with round cut diamonds. This fashionable mens diamond pinky ring is an ideal addition to your collection, and a steal at our retail price of $3,015."

"Fantastic work all across the board ladies," said Sarita while Tyler rubbed his jaw with his left hand flaunting the ring, and it was zoomed in on by the camera crew. You really enhan-" She was interrupted by Ashley.

" **...Greta Garbo, and Monroe. Dietrich and DiMaggio.**

 **Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean, on the cover of a magazine."**

"Oh, we weren't done," Ashley commented. "He has a second watch."

Sarita was lost. The girls already talked about his watch. This _was_ his second pocket watch. He had one on earlier that cost three quarters of a million dollars. What the hell were they talking about? She wasn't blind.

" **Grace Kelly, Harlow, Jean. Picture of a beauty queen.**

 **Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire. Ginger Rogers: dance on air."**

Tyler reached up to his suit jacket and swiped the latch on his lapel pin, revealing the clock in it.

"I guess he kept the other watch a little faster 'cause he's ahead of his time," Kim joked.

"Ahem, as I was saying," Ashley responded. "He has on a Platinum, Blue Sapphire and Diamond Lapel Watch in a peacock shape. He has 3 Emerald-cut diamonds with a carat weight of 80, 29 square and French cut diamonds with a carat weight of 3.30, and 104 diamonds with a carat weight of 1.74, for a 5.84 total carat weight for all diamonds in this watch and lapel clip combination. We were inspired by the 1920s, designers Grant A. Peacock and Geraldine Farrar, as well as the Art Deco period when crafting this $3,900 piece."

" **They had style. They had grace.**

 **Rita Hayworth gave good face.**

 **Lauren, Katherine, Lana too.**

 **Bette Davis, we love you!"**

"Oh wow girls, you're doing the damn thing!" exclaimed Sarita. "That's incredible. I thought you misspoke when you said he had a second watch. Then you said lapel, and I had not the slightest idea of how you could tell time on it, or where you'd even plant a clock in it. But that's amazing engineering and craftsmanship. It's just as gorgeous as it is innovative. Well done!

"Ladies, this outfit is synonymous with me," Tyler remarked, interacting with the women and feeling himself in the process. He didn't care for the specifics of what they were talking about. Nor did he mind having a reason to milk more seconds on stage. "Perfection. From head to toe: Suave, Sexy, and Sophisticated, all wrapped into one."

" **Ladies with an attitude.**

 **Fellows that were in the mood.**

 **Don't just stand there. Let's get into it.**

 **Strike a pose! There's nothing to it!"**

And he certainly did when the chorus began again. First "The Arm Perch," useful for showcasing sharp lines in photos, and creating precise angles. Then as he made his exit before the music faded, "The Model Stroll." He arched his leading foot forward to indicate movement as the photographers' attention was paid to all of the clothes-head to toe-at his best angle; while he himself, looked candid stuffing his hands in his pants pockets.

* * *

The widest LED screen, which was displaying the live-shots all day long of action as it took place, was no longer focused in a particular location. It instead returned to the opening slideshow image of a graphic advertising Sarita's event, accompanied by her designing _S_. _Lo_ logo, names of sponsors, and her co-hosts. The adjacent left and right screens which altered in background as the fashion categories changed, now displayed the WWE logo on them.

" **I'm coming home. I'm coming home. Tell the world that I'm coming home.**

 **Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday. I know my kingdom awaits."**

DJ Pauly D starting playing "Coming Home," by Diddy Dirty Money featuring Skyler Grey. P. Diddy, not only was a New Yorker, but a spokesman for the WWE's "BA Star" anti-bullying coalition as well. He performed this down tempo, Hip Hop-Pop track, which began with a simple piano intro, in New Jersey for Wrestlemania 29, and three years prior at WWE's annual "Tribute to the Troops" special. Pauly D played it at a volume loud enough for the audience to enjoy it, but at an appropriate level so that Sarita could speak over it.

"Okay everyone, the past two and a half hours have been an absolute blast," said Sarita with a huge smile and her left hand over her heart. "It is truly an honor to share something I've been working hard on to my hometown."

" **...I'm back where I belong. (Yeah!)**

 **I never felt so strong (Yeah!)**

 **I feel like there's nothing that I can't try.**

 **And if you feel me, put your hands high."**

She had to stop for a moment and wait for the booming cheers to suspend before she continued.

"That's right, represent!" She yelled. "Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Harlem, Long Island, shoutout to everyone in the NYC! I want to thank my design team, my seamstresses, and tailors. Thank you to the production folks who placed the teleprompters at a good enough distance for us, but not a distraction for the audience. You kept us in line in case we got stumped on our own notes for everyone's outfits during the changing sequences. Thank you to the stage crew with their help from props, to graphics, to pyro. You're in the back and know who you are! This would be impossible without your contributions and hard work. I want to thank Kim Kardashian-West, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, my co-hosts."

"You're welcome," mumbled the three women who hugged Sarita from the side.

"Gracias to my cousin Mario López, also in the back, serving as a correspondent," she continued. "Thanks to the E! Network, the WWE Network-"

She was interrupted when John Cena, Nikki Bella, Roman Reigns, Bayley, Randy Orton, Maryse, The Miz, Natalya, Jason Jordan, JoJo, Kofi Kingston, Shannon Storm, Enzo Amorè, Colin Cassady, and Tyler Breeze all returned to the stage, applauding Sarita as they did so. They were all in their fall outfits in their original entirety-adding back whatever layers they stripped down to earlier-while dispersing to various areas on the stage. Some stood on the far right and left upper extenders on the stage. Some formed two lines down the runway across from each other, but tilting their heads focusing on Sarita as they continued to applaud. Tyler was the exception, who still had on his GQ cover outfit.

" **I hear the 'Tears of a clown'. I hate that song!**

 **I always feel like they talking to me when it comes on.**

 **Another day, another Dawn…"**

"Thanks to the Superstars who graciously volunteered to be my models today," Sarita said warmly. Paul approved of Sarita using WWE talent during the launch of her line, rather than professional models from an agency. That was what she wanted. After all, they were her new family. Even though he granted her permission to use the Superstars, she was responsible for recruiting and communicating with them throughout her planning process to ensure those who accepted honored their comittment to participate.

"And most importantly _you_ fans, especially for kicking it with us in the sun!" She concluded her remarks of thanks passionately. "Whether you're going to Takeover tonight, Summerslam tomorrow, Raw on Monday, all three, or none at all, I hope you have a happy and safe rest of the summer!"

" **I need to get back to the place I belong..."**

More screams ensued from the crowd.

" **I thought I told y'all that we won't stop? We back crusin' through Harlem.**

 **These 'ol blocks is what made me, saved me, drove me crazy…"**

"Be sure to hold onto to your ticket stub to grab a 'Swag Bag' up front. You _can't_ get one without it," Sarita warned. "Byron Saxton, Renee Young, and Corey Graves are manning a table with them. You can't miss them. They're at a long booth with a black velvet tablecloth over a huge table. We don't want anyone stealing: one per person. Show them your stub, and you'll get a bag."

" **Welcome to my homecoming. Yeah, it's been a long time coming!**

 **Lot of fights, lot of scars, lot of bottles, lot of cars. Lot of ups.**

 **Lot of downs. Made it back...and here I stand, a better man…"**

Even though a portion of proceeds from ticket sales to Sarita's fashion show went to her favorite charity, she still wanted to give back to her fans. Inside the swag bags, which were silver and black, were $150 gift cards to Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, NY. This was Sarita's East Coast distributor for her clothing line. Her West Coast distributor was Neiman Marcus on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, California. There was also a card with a promotional code to Sarita López's fashion website, where customers could order there directly. She understood not everyone in New York was necessarily from there. Some could simply be in town for the WWE events in the area and lived no where near her East or West Coast distributors. The promo code was for a two week sale from her line that would run for two weeks, through Labor Day. If customers spent $350 or more on their order, there would be a 20% discount applied to the final cost after taxes, as well as free shipping.

Her friends Kim Kardashian-West and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen didn't want to be left out from the swag bag goodies. Kim also had a card with a promo code. The promo contained a free six month membership to her ShoeDazzle company, should customers buy their first pair of shoes from her site at full price. The Olsen Twins, who were having success in their jewelry and accessory line, also started a fragrance line. The official public release wasn't until a few months, but the twins provided a sample four pack, with two male and two female scents.

Finishing the swag bags were two 6.4 oz cans of Oolong Shots by Itoen. These were robust-tasting shots of Oolong Tea. These whole, loose tea leaves contained 171 MGs of Polyphenols, a type of antioxidant scientifically proven to "help maintain a healthy heart and neutralize cell-damaging free radicals." While it was cool that this was a healthy drink Sarita was hooking up the attendees with, what she loved was that the Japanese product's North American distributor was in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York. It was important to Sarita to grab as many people from the tri-state area that she could for her event. That's why she asked Jay-Z to come on-board. With Kim Kardashian-West being one of her closest friends, she had a good feeling, that once Kim told her husband, Kanye West, that his mentor Jay-Z would attend, he'd jump on board too. Big Cass was from New York, and Enzo was from New Jersey. So those were two Superstars she penciled in early to confirm they would be at the event.

* * *

 **Thirty Minutes Later**

A floodgate of tweets poured in Shannon's Twitter about Sarita, mainly from Sarita's fans of course. She called them #RitaRiders. Shannon browsed a couple, smiling to herself as she did so.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtSaritaIsScorching** :

"Damn. I know this is supposed to be a fashion show, but it looks like **AtSLoWWE** is trying to make her film debut as a soft porn director, with the way the roster's interacting with each other. It's fun though. :) #RitaRider #SLoBySaritaLópez #Takeover/SummerslamWeekend"

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtLadiesLoveLópez:**

"OMG, I 3 **AtSLoWWE**! She turned a freaking fashion show into a block party! Never thought I'd see the day Reigns and Cena get cheered-in BROOKLYN-of all places simultaneously! #HomegirlWorkedMagicInHerHometown #RitaRiderAllDay"


	30. Chapter Thirty: Game Time Pt 3

**Author's** _ **Notes for January 28th, 2017:**_

 _I'd like to take a moment to send condolences to friends, relatives, and extended loved ones of a few members of people in the wrestling community who lost their lives before my most recent update, and before this one. Balls Mahoney, and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka will be missed by many. We've passed the 11th year anniversary of being without "Latino Heat," Eddie Guerrero this past fall, and are approaching 10 years since the Chris Benoit tragedy. Regardless of whatever personal demons either man had, relapses, recoveries, and your opinions on them, between the ropes, these men were excellent. And those are the memories I choose to view fondly when I think about them._

 _I'd also like to give a shoutout to "The Wrestling Machine," "Your Olympic Hero," Kurt Angle for making WWE'S Hall of Fame Class of 2017. A bit sooner for me (as it pretains to this story), but without question in real life, absolutely deserving. Congratulations Kurt. You're definitely on my G.O.A.T. list, and I'm glad one of many of your best World Championship matches happened in my city: No Way Out 2006 versus The Undertaker. It was a classic sir. "Oh, it's true. It's damn true!"_

I have a PDF of a slide show I made as a visual aide for Shannon's gear, both before and during Takeover. The description is rather lengthy in the update; but for that reason, just like I did for the fashion show, it's recommended you check it out as you read along: https colon / / drive dot google dot com / file/d/0B1I0T8tFdvpbNXBQMEQxTlRGQkE/view?usp=sharing

 _Without further ado, the conclusion of Summerslam/Takeover/Weekend..._

* * *

 **Saturday, August 19th, 2017**

 **Backstage at the Barclays Center**

 **Brooklyn, New York, 3:00 PM**

Paul finished meeting with a few talents from outside promotions closing in on expiring contracts. They discussed with Paul how likely they were to stay if their contracts were renewed, and Paul provided a general synopsis of the contract he'd consider for them, even offering the opportunity to tape a few matches on NXT TV just to get a feel for the WWE atmosphere, before making a serious commitment to a more detailed meeting.

This was the third consecutive year NXT Takeover and Summerslam were dual summer Pay-Per-Views in Brooklyn, New York, so he was quite busy that weekend. He had to meet some adult fans with VIP packages, a group of kids who wanted to meet him for Make-A-Wish, a New York couple whose cancer-stricken child wanted to personally thank him and Stephanie for starting their Conor's Cure Foundation in the late Daniel Bryan's honor, then finally pre-production meetings. But before all of that, he was hungry. As he made his way around one of the long halls toward catering, he saw Bayley and Shannon talking, and decided to eliminate one more task: confirm they had a finish for tonight.

"Go Bayley, it's promote day! You're gonna' party 'cause it's promote day! You don't drink Barcardi, but it's your promote day! And you know we don't give a fuck 'cause it's your promote day!" exclaimed Shannon. She made up a song on the fly parodying 50 Cent's "In Da Club." 50 Cent was a rapper from New York. She always called Bayley by her real name of Pamela, but used her gimmick name here because Bayley fit better with 50 Cent's original line of "Shorty." "Go Pammy" would've sounded weird to her.

"No Barcardi," Bayley said with a grin. "Just some Jack Daniels. The fashion show was fun earlier today, and I had a blast with the girls last night. Kim and I were so pumped when the DJ played Montel Jordan's 'This is how we do it.' We're Cali girls, and when he got to the part 'South Central does it like nobody does, straight up coming from the west side,' we were jamming!"

"Ha, I bet," Shannon replied. "It didn't matter if you were from the East or West. In 1995, _every_ hip club was playing that song. And that dude's 6'8! Surprised he didn't get in our business. I think he would've faired better than Jilian Hall did with the singing gimmick. Anyway, excited for tonight?"

"Big time!" Bayley quickly responded with excitement. "You?"

"Yeah, but to be honest, I'm nervous as hell," Shannon began. "Tyler's gone. You're leaving. Aaron's not in the company. I'm the only musketeer."

"But it's your time to be a leader on NXT now," Bayley said slapping Shannon on the shoulder in an effort to lift her out of her spirits. "You won't be alone. You've got Becky, KO, Adrienne, Joe, and Finn to help carry the load."

It wasn't that Shannon was extremely melancholy, but in a matter of hours, two of the closest people in her life would be departing her. One of them, for a second time. Sure, for good reason, but it didn't change the fact that she'd genuinely miss them.

"Hey ladies. I'm looking forward to tonight. Have you two worked out a finish yet?" Paul asked as he loosely wrapped an arm around each of their waists for a double hug.

It was a friendly embrace, and neither of the women were bothered by it. NXT was his creation and with his closest wrestling friends away from the business at large, he grew a bond with his roster. The wrestlers who were indie stars and were further groomed by Paul viewed him as an uncle. The stars with no professional wrestling background, who were created from scratch by Paul, looked at him as a second father. While Shannon couldn't view him as a parent or uncle, she tried to at least think of him as a cool cousin. But even that was hard. Because she just couldn't do it. Not at all. It was different for her. Many of the talent _grew_ into liking Paul after seeing the evil guy _on_ _screen_ , illustrate his warm and helpful side imparting wisdom to them _off_ _screen_. But Shannon didn't _grow_ into anything. She didn't have to. Because he was _always_ her guy from the very beginning. She felt more like an equal to him.

They both said hello to him in unison with sweet smiles.

"Great timing Hunter. We were just about to get into that," said Bayley. "I'll put Shannon over by tapping to the Storm Shield."

"You sure?" Shannon asked. They literally just brought it up the moment Paul turned the corner, and Shannon was stunned that that was the first idea that popped into Bayley's head.

"Yes, _you're_ going over. You're the next big star, " Bayley said reassuringly. "I'll happily do it."

"You know what? I really like that," Paul said nodding. "As a heel, I think it'll be badass that a babyface not only loses their title, by does so by tapping out to a heel, not the other way around. It's hard-even for me-to remember a time where we've had a heel beat a face with a submission for a championship at a Pay-Per-View. As a matter of fact, I don't think it's _ever_ happened."

"Sweet. I love it. Thanks for doing that for me Pam," replied Shannon, who leaned across Bayley for a quick hug. "And you're right. I've won with the submission on people in NXT, but not anyone that's considered 'a top tier' member of the NXT roster. So it would definitely mean a lot more coming from you."

"Exactly. We're on the same page girl. I'm too good to do the honors in a lame fashion, right?" Bayley asked with some sarcasm, raising her fist toward Shannon, encouraging a fist bump.

"Alright, I've gotta' head out for some other engagements," Paul remarked as he turned to hug Bayley and Shannon again, this time individually. "I was just passing by, and thought I'd ask if you've come up with anything. Seeing as though you have, I'll leave you to it. You can tell Amy about the rest. You know where I'll be catching it all. Make history for me ladies."

"Okay, so here's an idea: When you do that reverse rana on me from the top rope, don't sell the impact of landing your feet and possibly tweaking your knees," Shannon said as her eyes lit up for a pitch when Paul went away. "Get right up like you're in 'beast mode.' And as I'm flailing around like a dazed, dizzy, dumbass, go right ahead into BTB suplex. We sell that impact for a bit. We get up, and I get you on my shoulders in position for the WTS. On the spin, jump down, and land on your feet. I turn, take a swing at you and miss, then bam! A second BTB. The ref and I do a _mega_ sell on the count. On 2  & 7/8 I don't get a shoulder up, I don't kick out, I don't even get my whole foot on the rope."

"So what will you do?" Bayley inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Shannon smiled excitedly before saying, "I toe tap it! The dramatics of finally getting someone's whole foot and ankle on the ropes I think is outdated. I'll sell your beating by not having much strength for a kick out or getting an arm up, but a damn toe tap. It's the biggest F-U to the Bayley marks! We'll have to work that second Belly To Bayley with elite precision that you only give me inches of room to get the tip of my boot on the ropes."

"Hahaha, that's amazing! The crowd will go nuts," Bayley said as she clapped in hysteria. "It's like, 'C'mon ref, this is bullshit! If you were not even half, but ⅛ of a second quicker, she would've had it!' But at the same time, Shannon _barely_ got her toe on the rope, so Bayley's gonna finish her off when..."

Shannon nodded. "When Bayley runs her hands through her hair selling the disbelief, Storm does an evil grin, grabs her legs in position for the Storm Shield, and gets the tap."

"A _rare_ , clean, submission win from a heel. Sounds like we're gonna steal the show Shanny. I love it," Bayley said raising her hand to Shannon. "We'll polish the rest of the call in between the ropes."

"You know HBK wouldn't have it any other way," Shannon replied meeting Bayley's hand with the high-five.

It wasn't unusual for wrestlers to come up with finishes the day before or even the day of Pay-Per-Views, despite knowing weeks ahead of time the booker's overall decision of who was planned to go over for a particular event. Shannon enjoyed piecing the important parts of the match together with Bayley, and was especially thrilled by how quickly they did it. Sure, it may have helped that they were best friends; but it still didn't mean she didn't love it. You didn't necessarily have to like someone personally to have good ring chemistry with them.

She also thought it was fascinating how two great ring generals varied in their match calls. The late "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair were both on her "Greatest of all Time" list. As charismatic as they both were, when it came to piecing a match together, they were opposites. She remembered reading an excerpt from one of Flair's books on Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Steamboat wrestled both Flair and Savage, but enjoyed his matches with Flair much better. Both sets of matches were fine pieces of work, but Flair was more loose on the call-essentially working the entire thing on the spot; whereas Savage made Steamboat memorize his Wrestlemania III call _entirely_. He recorded 200 exchanges of move sequences-beginning to end-for the full duration of the match on a notepad. While Shannon absolutely loved wrestling, she'd liked to think of herself somewhere in the middle on match calls. She was passionate enough to aim for perfection, but not paranoid to pencil in every single thing, or flip out if every one wasn't a home-run.

* * *

 **7:56 PM**

 **NXT Takeover: Respect**

Live on the stream on the WWE Network and on the titan tron screens in the Barclays Center, the fans saw a camera zoom in on a large billboard a few feet from a subway station. The billboard was merely an enlarged poster that was posted online two months ago that advertised NXT Takeover: Respect returning to Brooklyn a third year in a row when tickets went on sale in June. The billboard had NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Bálor, NXT Women's Champion Bayley, and NXT Tag Champions, Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, known as "Team: Do It Yourself" on the front row. Glaring down at them in the rows that followed were Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe, Apollo Crews, Bobby Roode, Asuka, Becky Lynch, Shannon Storm, Ember Moon, "American Alpha," and "The Revival." The word "Respect" was spray painted graffiti style in the background.

NXT Takeover: Respect was supposed to start at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, but the fans were wondering what was happening. Would there be a delay with the start? Was that why the WWE was showing shots outside with some of the talent featured on the brand? Was the feed to the WWE Network down? They would get answers soon enough.

After about fifteen seconds of the camera focusing on the billboard, a train pulled up from the subway station, and a man walked out. His face wasn't revealed, only his shoes and legs. As he left the train, he jogged up the stairs exiting the subway station. The main camera went back again to the Takeover billboard. Then a new camera shot revealed the Barclays Center building itself, from its outdoor entrance, which was a few blocks down the street from where the man left the subway train.

The audience inside started whistling and howling.

Seconds later, Linkin Park's "Numb," the theme song selected for NXT Takeover: Respect, began to play, and highlights of some feuds in promo packages accompanied it.

" **I'm tired of being what you want me to be.**

 **Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface.**

 **Don't know what you're expecting of me.**

 **Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes."**

Highlights of Bobby Roode's wrath over the past few months aired, followed by Apollo Crew's heroic and proverbial "answering the call," aiding fellow wrestlers from Roode's attacks.

" **(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)**

 **Every step that I take is another mistake to you.**

 **(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)"**

The man who left the subway station was now shown walking, presumably from the station to the Barclays Center.

" **I've become so numb! I can't feel you there.**

 **Become so tired, so much more aware,**

 **of becoming this. All I want to do**

 **is be more like me and be less like you!"**

Highlights of the Bayley and Shannon Storm rivalry were highlighted here. The package included footage of Bayley reaching a "breaking point" as the two brawled outside the ring for Bayley's Nickelodeon commercial shoot, showing a vicious side from the "Ultimate Hugger."

" **Can't you see that you're smothering me?**

 **Holding too tightly. Afraid to lose control?**

 **'Cause everything that you thought I would be,**

 **has fallen apart right in front of you…"**

Highlights of fan favorites "American Alpha's" back to back losses to Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano were displayed, as well as Ciampa and Gargano's commanding hold thus far in the tag-team division.

" **And I know I may end up failing too.**

 **But I know that you were just like me,**

 **with someone disappointed in you!"**

Highlights of Finn Bálor and Shinsuke Nakamura's feud displayed. Finn was a fan favorite, but lost the championship on NXT TV to Nakamura in July. He was having a rematch tonight.

" **I've become so numb! I can't feel you there.**

 **Become so tired, so much more aware,**

 **of becoming this. All I want to do,**

 **is be more like me, and be less like you."**

As the chorus repeated, highlights of all matches were displayed, ending with quick images of the more marquee ones on the lineup. Backstage, Finn Bálor had on his "demon paint" while Shannon had on the enormous hat he debuted at NXT Takeover: London in December of 2015. Finn told her he was channeling his inner "Jack the Ripper" that day, an unidentified man accused of mysteriously murdering over 100 people on the East End of London over a four month period in 1888. "Jack the Ripper" wasn't even the alleged culprit's actual name, but a notorious nickname according to the conspiracy theories. In Shannon's opinion, regardless of Finn's inspiration for the hat or the Irish folklore connected to his persona, his character presentation of "The Demon King" gave her strong vibes of a "Freddy Kruger" meets "Jeepers Creepers" fusion. Having fun and with great anticipation, they were belting out the song like a bunch of goofballs.

Once the song ended, the man finally reached the Barclays Center. The camera slowly zoomed out to show more of him. He was wearing black leather shoes, a black suit, a black shirt, but no tie. The man's face was finally revealed. It was Paul, and the fans cheered. He may have been hated on the main roster, but he was the biggest babyface among the NXT faithful, for obvious reasons.

" **Right** **on** **time** ," said Paul as he raised his right wrist up checking his watch.

It was now 8:00 PM on the nose.

" **Let's** **take** **over** **Brooklyn**!" Paul shouted as he raised his right leg, and kicked the front door open of the Barclays Center's entrance.

Back in 2015 when NXT held their first Takeover in Brooklyn, Paul wanted to try something different for an opening. He wanted to open the show without fancy pyrotechnics, vignettes, or special videos. He just wanted the arena dark, and completely quiet, "church quiet" was how he described it, before they went live on the air. Vince McMahon was strongly against it, feeling the fans couldn't be trusted to cooperate. But it wasn't like Vince had a say in the matter. Well, technically he did as he was entitled to an opinion, but NXT was Paul's project, and he made the final calls with things there. So he pressed on with his vision of nothing fancy, just him delivering a bare-bones, gritty, passionate promo to kick off the show. And it worked.

For this year, Paul decided to have live cut aways of him embracing the New York atmosphere while the production staff did their work with the promotional packaging. They paid for the rights to suspend all subway traffic for the first full hour of NXT Takeover because they wanted to do this live and raw. Folks taking the train to the show this close to the start time had to exit the stop before the Barclays Center, and transfer over from another destination point. Now, the WWE was aware of a local subway train which was a major hub of Brooklyn that stopped right next to the venue. Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center was the name of the stop. But Paul opted to take the Long Island Railroad C Train to Lafayette Avenue. He did so because this line stopped a few blocks away from the arena, allowing the WWE Network to stream their cutaways of him actually walking to the building.

The theme song chosen, "Numb," was two minutes and fifty seven seconds flat. With no rehearsal, Paul had to walk at an appropriate pace as the live feed showed him in and out of the shots throughout the promotional packages. Being a 6'4 man with long legs meant that there was a possibility he'd get there too fast. But he wanted to arrive literally as the clock struck eight, the official start time of the Pay-Per-View. It made for an epic moment, and the roaring reception the audience gave him was stupendous.

* * *

" **And now Snickers, Cricket Wireless, and the WWE Network present NXT Takeover: Respect, live from Brooklyn, New York,"** said a voiceover person. The pyrotechnics finally went off at this point.

"Do you hear this crowd? Woo!" exclaimed Corey Graves. "Welcome everyone to NXT Takeover: Respect. We have once again sold out the Barclays Center, and are back in the BK for the third year in a row. I'm Corey Graves."

"And I'm his broadcast partner Tom Phillips," said Tom Phillips. "The talent is here! The crowd is raucous, and you can feel the electricity in the air tonight Corey! Thank you everyone for joining us. Whether it be on your laptops, smart televisions, phones, or tablets, welcome to the party. We're happy to kick off your Summerslam extravaganza. Summerslam's tomorrow, and Raw will follow on Monday. But right now, NXT is kicking things off in Brooklyn, baby!"

"I think that's the most excited I've ever seen you," Graves said with a grin. "You're not whining and babbling. I like it. Try to keep it up. Folks, we've been having fun in the tri-state area all week. There's plenty of activities both rosters participated in that you can check out not only on the WWE's main website, but even more exclusives on the award-winning WWE Network. You of course know that already because you wouldn't be checking us out if you didn't have a subscription!"

The opening contest saw NXT Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann successfully retain his title against Austin Aries. Rich Swann was from the same town as Shannon, but oddly enough, they never crossed paths. After his father was murdered when he was fourteen, and his mother died a few years later, he moved to Pennsylvania to live with his aunt. It was there where she helped turn his life around, which was on a dangerous track. Eventually he was trained by DJ Hyde of CZW, wrestled for that promotion, became a featured star at PWG, before eventually making it to the WWE.

The finish came when Aries locked in the Last Chancery on Swann. Rather than reaching for the ropes of Aries' bridging arm Triangular Choke, Rich simply hooked his foot behind Aries' calf, escaping the hold with an inverted leg whip. He immediately followed up with the Five Star Swan Splash from the top rope. Aries kicked out of the frog splash. Then he tried his Rolling From Swan Pond, which was WWE Hall of Famer RVD's, signature Rolling Thunder, but finishing with a standing frog splash instead of RVD's usual senton. Aries kicked out of that too, and the crowd was stunned. Finally, Rich landed his Standing Shooting Star Press, which was the shooting star press that Japanese legend and WWE Hall of Famer, Jushin "Thunder" Liger created and Billy Kidman used in WCW from the top rope. Rich, as he likes to do with much of his aerial attacks, did this from a standing position, keeping Aries down for the three count. The match went seventeen minutes.

The second match saw former Ring of Honor star Cedric Alexander make his NXT debut against Tye Dillinger. Cedric signed with the company last month. Paul was very impressed with Cedric's showing in the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic last summer. On a WWE Network Exclusive interview, Cedric talked in great detail about how "the tournament provided a boost of steam in his mindset for his wrestling career going forward. And now that he was in NXT, he had his sights set on the Cruiserweight Championship." Unfortunately for Cedric, he lost his debut match against Dillinger in an eight minute contest. Cedric nearly had the match won his his Lumbar Check, which was a back suplex into a double knee backbreaker. But chants of "One More Time" from the audience sealed his fate. As he hoisted Dillinger up a second time for his finishing maneuver, the taller Dillinger wrenched his leg backward before quickly thrusting it enough inches forward to nail his "Tye Breaker" knee smash.

"Tough break for Cedric Alexander," said Phillips. "Man, heck of talent. I'm glad he's on our roster."

"Promising talent indeed," Graves agreed. "Oh what's this? Dillinger looks like he has something to say."

It was week eight in the Tough Enough competition, and the remaining contestants were given the treat of having front row seats to NXT Takeover: Respect. Patrick Clark, who was a graduate of Shannon's pro-wrestling training academy MCW, was a heavy fan favorite among those interactive on social media. Patrick, although an MCW grad, wasn't from Baltimore, but the nation's capital, Washington, DC. Dillinger approached him.

"Just like I took _him_ out," Dillinger began pointing backward towards the ring at Cedric, who was slow to get up because he was still selling the impact of Dillinger's finisher in the ring. "I'll beat you too! You're nothing to me kid. I'm 'The Perfect 10!' "

Dillinger's quick jab gained boos from the fans as he was the heel. Subsequently, it also helped Cedric gain sympathy from the fans since Dillinger crushed his dreams of gaining momentum for his pursuit of the Cruiserweight Championship. He was well on his way to becoming a hot babyface.

Match three saw "The Lasskicker" Becky Lynch defeat Asuka in a twelve minute contest. The match was booked after a strong showing among the two women in the finals of the Attitude Era Invitational. In the tournament, Becky Lynch became the first woman to tap out Asuka. The same result didn't happen tonight. She did win, but did not tap Asuka out. Becky rolled through the Asuka Lock, and got the pin with an Okana roll. Ember Moon was seen backstage watching the match from a monitor. She applauded both ladies' efforts.

In the fourth match, Bobby Roode defeated Apollo Crews in a match that went twenty two minutes. Apollo Crews and Rich Swann owed their arrival in NXT in part to "The World's Strongest Man," Mark Henry. Rapper Wale, in 2014, went to an independent wrestling show that had both Rich and Apollo on the card. Thoroughly impressed by their showing, he tweeted that the men "were the future of the business." Mark Henry saw the tweet, talked to Paul, William Regal, and other folks in management, and secured the men tryouts a year later.

Bobby kicked out of Apollo's spinning powerbomb. When Apollo went for his standing moonsault, Bobby got his knees up, and followed suit with his Roode Bomb for the victory.

Following Bobby's victory, the titan tron showed a live shot of Bayley breathing through stretches as she warmed up for her match later tonight. The screen then split, and showed Shannon lying back comfortably in a chair with her feet up.

The fans then cheered when the live shot went away, and still shot photos of the two women were on the screen with the words, "Still To Come."

"A tale of two stories, would you say Corey?" asked Phillips. "Bayley's looking focused and poised for her title defense, while Shannon...doesn't seem to have a care in the world about preparing whatsoever."

"Who said Shannon wasn't prepared?" asked Graves.

" _I_ _did_ ," Phillips responded. "I mean, you saw her. She's on her phone with a smirk on her face, comfortably relaxing like she's at some damn resort. Someone needs to send her a tweet, and remind her there's a title match tonight!"

"Who says she hasn't already warmed up Tom?" Graves questioned defiantly. "Or maybe, just maybe, Shannon's way of 'getting in the zone' is to chillax?"

* * *

"I don't like when my spot gets taken from me," said Baron Corbin to Bobby Roode when he approached the locker room area.

Baron wasn't on the card tonight, but was in town for live events this week. Paul figured he could use this an opportunity to tease a feud with Bobby. They talked about it in a Creative meeting in April, but it wasn't confirmed. There was a trajectory for Roode-Bálor. But this would get the fans talking.

"That's the difference between you and me son," said Bobby with a smug look as he wiped some sweat from his face. "I don't _wait_ for things to get taken from me. I _cease_ what I want myself. Maybe one day when you're done _playing_ tough, you'll actually grow a set."

Baron's nostrils flared before he lunged at Bobby, and they began brawling.

"Someone needs to separate those two before things get out of hand!" yelled Phillips.

"It's already out of hand," said Graves in annoyance. "Good thing JoJo wasn't back there conducting an interview, or she'd be in trouble. We'll pause for a moment ladies and gentleman as order tries to get restored."

While extra referees ran to the area Bobby and Baron were slugging it out to separate them, a thirty second commercial played on the stream promoting Summerslam.

In match five the fans witnessed NXT Heavyweight Champion and the self proclaimed "King of Strong Style," Shinsuke Nakamura, successfully defend his championship against the former champion Finn Bálor. Shannon was a part of Shinsuke's ring entrance in disguise. Shinsuke told Paul he'd like to be played to the ring by real violinists. When Shannon heard Shinsuke bragging down at the Performance Center several weeks back about the violinists being found and confirmed for Takeover: Respect, she casually mentioned to him that she used to play cello. This was just small talk between the two of them and a few others around in the building. But to her shock, he asked if she'd be willing to join the violinists in the ring as he came down the aisle. Shannon declined.

She did so for two reasons. The first was that she too would have a special entrance, and she didn't want to overstep or wear out her welcome amongst the locker room. Everyone on Takeover shows had special moments: whether it be a spot in a match, a great reception afterwards, an entrance, etc. They all deserved to shine. The second reason was that it had been a very, very, long time since she played it. She wasn't trying to be the next Yo, Yo, Ma despite her father having other ideas, pressuring her to do so when she was a little girl. Even if she accepted Shinsuke's kind request, she'd be rusty. Shannon would not forgive herself for screwing that up for him live.

Shinsuke didn't drop his vision altogether, although Shannon thought he did. He came back two weeks later and pitched the idea of she, and the violinists being in unison wearing all black jumpsuits like the Blue Men Troupe; but rather than paint their faces, wear white "Jinki" masks, a type of mask in traditional Japanese Noh theater which symbolized "supernatural beings." Shinsuke also mentioned that the audio and sound engineers at the Barclays Center could always play the track CFO$ recorded over the actual musicians in real time if there were any true screwups with time cues or chords played. Shinsuke explained this idea to Paul, who found it cool, then told Shannon he was supportive of it. Knowing that her face and ass would be covered-literally and figuratively-she ultimately caved, got in touch with the New York violinists hired for the appearance, had a few Skype sessions with them, and brushed up on her sheet music.

When it was time for Shinsuke's entrance, the sound and audio engineers played a spliced version of CFO$'s composition. The track only had the opening guitar riff, the drums, and bass which ultimately built momentum for the strings. It was on Shannon and the violinists to be on their precise game to start playing their perspective instruments when the climax of the intro reached its crescendo, and solely the percussion portions of the track accompanied them. It was a good thing Shinsuke suggested those masks too. Because when he entered the ring and interacted with the musicians before he struck his pose on the ring canvas grabbing the ropes, he intentionally spent a few extra seconds in front of Shannon, fucking with her. If it weren't for the mask, she would've broke concentration and be laughing her ass off.

Thankfully, things went on without a hitch. The full version of Nakamura's entrance mp3 that the sound engineers had on standby was not needed. And the fans had a heck of time serenading Nakamura with vocal chants of "Whoah" in time to the music as they bobbed and weaved their heads.

Finn lost the championship to Nakamura on a previous episode of NXT. In tonight's match, Finn struck Nakamura with a Péle Kick, and he collapsed. Finn then ascended to the top rope to deliver his Cou de Gràs, double stomp to the chest. But as Finn took flight, a recovering Nakamura nailed "The Demon King" with Bomayé, his running knee strike for the win.

The contest went thirty two minutes and Bobby Roode, once again, was involved in yet another brawl. He came to the ring, and attacked Finn. Samoa Joe, like Baron Corbin, had live events, but was not booked on this card. He rushed down to the ring to the crowd's delight. The fans were anticipating Samoa Joe to come to the aide of Finn, and with Nakamura's help, run Bobby Roode off. Unfortunately for the Brooklyn audience, Samoa Joe was there to turn heel.

"Joe is gonna' kill you, Joe is gonna' kill you, Joe is gonna' kill you," chants filled the air in the Barclays Center.

"Samoa Joe is here! He's going to help Finn and Shinsuke clean house with Roode!" shouted Phillips. "And quite honestly, I'm glad! I'm tired of his attacks on so many people in the locker room."

"No one asked for his help," Graves said with a grunt. "Let them be their own men, and fight their own battles."

He did not help Finn. He walked right past Finn, straight to Nakamura, striking him with a running clothesline. The boos for Joe poured in as he had a grimace on his face and slowly looked at Bobby Roode, before lowering his head to look at the fallen Nakamura. The fans wondered if Bobby Roode and Samoa Joe were forming some tag team, or at least an alliance. They weren't. They were just showing the audience who their next singles programs would be against.

"Samoa Joe is one of the toughest warriors out there!" Phillips exclaimed. "I can't believe he turned his back on the NXT Universe! Damn him!"

"Excuse me?" asked Graves. "How is he turning his back on anyone? That's _him_ in that ring! None of these 18,000 people compete between these ropes with him day in and day out."

Following the aftermath from Finn, Joe, Bobby, and Nakamura, Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano lost their NXT Tag Team Championships to TM-61, the team of Nick Miller and Shane Thorne in match six. The duo formerly known around the world as "The Mighty Don't Kneel," were a solid team out of Australia who signed with the company in March. This was their first Takeover. The match went fifteen minutes. The finish came when Nick Miller kicked out of Project Ciampa, Tomasso's double knee powerbomb, twice. He pulled his knee pad all the way down to the ankle of his boot for a unprotected running shin kick on him. Nick rolled out of the way and "Johnny Wrestling," Tomasso's partner Johnny Gargano, took the shot against the apron. Nick then made the tag to Shane, and they nailed their double team finisher, Tank Buster. This was a diving DDT into an over the shoulder facebuster.

Brooklyn wasn't just shocked to finally see the first title change hands on the Pay-Per-View.

They also realized something. The women were going to main event. It happened more than once on NXT TV, and occasionally at the regular NXT Takeovers in Florida. But never at a Takeover on the road: not in March, August, or December. Holy shit. Summerslam didn't even happen yet. Was it possible the main roster could be outdone by NXT? Depending on who you asked, it wouldn't be the first time.

* * *

" **There ain't no stopping us now!**

 **We celebrate on the floor.**

 **Top down, we're ready to go."**

Brooklyn cheered as the arena lights displayed a multitude of mixed variations in color, and the inflatable tube men appeared. "Turn It Up," Bayley's entrance music, started and even though they were adults, Shannon could not stop smiling backstage watching her best friend make her way to the ring with that amazing reaction. Bayley's theme sounded like a fusion of Electronica Dance Music blended with sounds of iconic video games. Shannon found Bayley's doe-eyed ultimate fangirl character incredibly adorable. It wasn't much different from who she really was.

" **To all the people across every nation,**

 **Turn it up, and give me some more!"**

Bayley appeared on stage in her high side ponytail, and the audience became even louder. She, as she always did, embraced her inflatable tube men before heading down the ramp, sporting her "I'm a Hugger" tee shirt over her jacket as her very "Macho Man" Randy Savage-esque elaborate fringe draped from her arms. She spotted her super fan Izzy, accompanied by her parents in the crowd. Izzy and her family were native Floridians, and attended every Florida show. When they heard speculation that Bayley may be leaving the brand, they jumped on getting tickets to New York so their daughter could see her hero one last time. They of course didn't tell Izzy about the rumor. When Bayley spotted Izzy, she removed the tee shirt from over her jacket, handed it to Izzy, and happily hugged her before entering the ring. Once inside, she raised her arms high, and extended her fingers wide, engaging the Barclays Center as a whole.

When Bayley removed her jacket and her music ended, there were a few moments of silence. Shortly after, the entire arena went dark. They loved Bayley, but found her entering the arena first, weird. Typically, it was the challengers, not the champions, who entered first. More seconds of silence went by before a spotlight was suddenly shown in the skybox of the arena, where DJ Pauly D from MTV's "The Jersey Shore" stood. Following Sarita's fashion show, he came to the arena. He was spinning records on a turntable, and playing excerpts from famous New York rappers.

 **"Brooklyn don't run. We run shit.**

 **Run up, and just straight bum-rush shit...**

 **We get it on where we live.**

 **Better have a pass when you cross that bridge.**

 **Welcome to Brooklyn!"**

The first was Lil' Kim's 2006 hit, "Lighter's Up."

* * *

" **I get what I desire.** **It's my empire!**

 **And yes, I call the shots:** **I am the umpire…**

 **In this very moment, I'm** _ **King**_ **.**

 **In this very moment, I'll slay Goliath with the sling.**

 **In this very moment, I'll bring.**

 **Put it on everything,** **that I will retire with the ring!**

 **And I will retire with the crown, yes!**

 **No I'm not lucky, I'm blessed, yes!**

 **Clap for the heavyweight champ: Me!**

 **...'Cause I'm still hood! Hollywood didn't change me!**

 **Shoutout to my haters: Sorry that you couldn't phase me!**

 **Ain't being cocky! We just vindicated.**

 **Best believe that when we're done, this moment will be syndicated."**

The second was Nicki Minaj's song, featuring Drake, called, "Moment 4 Life." A few fans booed because she was from Queens, New York, like LL Cool J, not Brooklyn, like Lil' Kim. But for the most part, the fans in the Barclays Center were embracing the moment because at the end of day, New York was being celebrated.

* * *

The next excerpt heard was one that caused the fans to erupt with an enormous pop:

 **"You're now tuning into the motherfucking greatest!"**

The lights returned back in the arena. They were a mixture of dark blue and black, blinking and flashing repeatedly. The crowd continued their excitement to the first line of Jay- Z's "Dirt off your Shoulder."

Although Jay-Z was a rapper whose fame began in the '90s, since mentoring other artists like Kanye West and Rihanna, becoming involved in other business ventured, in addition to marrying multi-Grammy award winner Beyoncé Knowles, his fame quadrupled. This made him not just a famous rapper, but a legitimate American Pop Culture icon. The fact that Jay-Z was also from New York, and Brooklyn specifically, made the crowd's explosion feel like it would blow the roof off the building.

The crowd was now completely hooked. They heard lyrics of three New York rappers as DJ Pauly D continued spinning and scratching. Even though a championship match was supposed to be taking place, they knew for certain that WWE was giving them an impromptu mini concert. Jay-Z was at Sarita López's fashion show earlier in the day. Brooklyn definitely showed their appreciation here, as they rose to their feet waiting for Jay-Z to now take the WWE stage. After another pause of silence, the DJ finally dropped the beat of another track, but not one they were expecting.

* * *

" **California Love!**

 **California knows how to party. (West Coast!)**

 **California knows how to party. (Yes they do!)**

 **In the city of L.A. (Oooh, Oooh, Oooh!)**

 **In the city of good 'ol watts. (Oooh, Oooh, Oooh!)**

 **In the city, the city of Compton.**

 **We keep it rocking!** **We keep it rocking!"**

While the fans were enjoying what they believed was going to be a Jay-Z concert on the fly, he never made an appearance to the stage. The fans suddenly stopped bobbing their heads to the booming bass of the music. Some could be seen on the titan tron literally mouthing the words, "What the fuck is this shit?" It was a well known chorus, but definitely not one _these_ people wanted to hear.

" **Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild, west.**

 **A state that's untouchable like Elliott Ness.**

 **The track hits ya' eardrum like a slug to your chest.**

 **Pack a vest for your Jimmy in the city of sex…"**

The lights remained in the color scheme that was on display for Jay-Z's _supposed_ arrival. However the split screen titan trons now showed various monumental landmarks and attractions from the state of California. Rapper Kendrick Lamar began performing 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre's 1995 Hip Hop classic, "California Love" on the upper end of the stage's entrance ramp.

He was a young man a few years older than Shannon. The multi-time grammy award winning artist was not only born and raised in Compton, California. He was just a little boy when on the set where the music video for "California Love" was filmed, over twenty years ago. This was one of the things that she and Paul discussed a few weeks ago regarding her entrance for Takeover. It was important to her that not only the song be performed to get heat for trolling; but also be performed by Kendrick specifically.

" **Now it's '95, and they clock me and watch me.**

 **Diamonds shinin,' lookin' like I robbed Liberace..."**

That was a key couplet. As soon as the words "diamonds shinin' " left Kendrick's mouth, the large, square screen at the top of the building in the center of the Barclays Center lit up. Displayed on it was the text, "Expecting someone else?" The images of California on the split screens were replaced with Shannon's titan tron, but Kendrick continued rapping.

" **It's all good, from Diego to tha' Bay.**

 **Your city is tha' bomb if your city makin' pay.**

 **Throw up a finger if ya' feel the same way!**

 **Dre puttin' it down for Californ-I-A…"**

Shannon made her way to the stage in her usual ring gear of leggings, kickpads, knee pads, boots, tank top, and a vest. However, there were some dazzling upgrades. Normally, the only leather articles of clothing in her ring gear were her vest and boots. Practically her entire outfit was in leather now. Fans would be surprised to learn that another out of pocket expense for wrestlers was their gear. That was something they paid for on their own, and no promotion financed it for them. WWE talent had a choice of either accepting WWE's costume designers' fees, or they didn't. If you didn't and felt they were too expensive, or didn't feel like they met the artistic expression of your creative vision, there were other smaller, private, tailors and seamstresses around, some who even had stores specifically for professional wrestling gear. Just ask "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, or listen to his podcast. He'd tell you in a heartbeat about how cheap he was, encouraging the women at Stamford who developed and pitched design ideas for him to "keep it simple" because he "didn't want to pay for all of that extra shit."

"What's up, 'Empire State?' " Asked Shannon after she stood-as she normally did-with the hood to her vest up and back facing the audience. She raised her hands, forming DDP's diamond symbol that she did at the conclusion of her match at NXT Takeover: Passion.

 **"Out on bail! Fresh outta' jail, California dreamin'.**

 **Soon as I step on the stage, I'm hearing hoochies screamin'!**

 **...the life of a West Side player, where cowards die and the strong ball."**

She talked to Paul to get insight on who designed his gear when he wore leather trunks. They were _actual_ leather, but he was given good seams and measurements, so he could move well in the ring in them. So she did some research on his contact, spoke with the folks from Under Armour, and they came up with what she was wearing. No longer was "STORM" written in large block letters across her back or buttocks. Now, on the upper back of her vest was the letter S in a slanted artistic shape, similar to the double helix symbol of DNA. Shannon was browsing some pieces of jewelry and came across a beautiful diamond band ring in White Gold. The S was looped and curved around like the infinity symbol. Those were the inspirations for the new fonts on her gear. Connected to this S were the remaining letters spelling out storm, written in cursive this time. The same design repeated on her buttocks.

"I can't hear you Brooklyn!" Shannon screamed as she held her ear with one hand, while walking to the far right and left of sides of the stage before returning to the center of the entrance ramp. She reached a hand out towards Kendrick Lamar, and he grabbed it with the hand not holding the microphone. He pulled her into him, and gave her a pound on her upper shoulder blade.

As the music continued Shannon turned back center, allowing the fans to get a better look at the upgrades to her gear. Shannon's new nickname from Paul was "The Diamond Diva." That meant she needed some bling. She was not going to spend $14,000 on _one_ jacket full of LED lights like Chris Jericho did. Nor was she going to splurge on having her entire vest or pants studded completely across with real diamonds. Don't think for a second that she never thought about it though. A time would come for that she figured. A day when the checks were bigger, she was on the main roster, and preferably for a match at Wrestlemania. But for now, she had a great, frugal, idea to illustrate her sophistication.

Also while perusing the internet for the double helix S for a logo, she discovered this company called DreamTime Collections, based in Aurora, Missouri. DreamTime Collections was a company founded in 1989 that sold the best Swarovski rhinestones, crystals, beads, and trim around the world. The founder started the company for their daughter who was in a pageant, and wanted to elevate the look of her dress. Fast forward twenty eight years later and people who wanted to upgrade their prom, bridal, or gala gowns could order the stones and attach them to the material. Shannon selected unfoiled Swarovski crystal rhinestones. Because these fancy round stones with pointed backs had no gold or silver foiling, they looked like real diamonds. She ordered the stones in bulk by the dozen, and had them sent to the Under Armour headquarters where they were sewn individually inside the helix S on the back of her vest and leather, but breathable, leggings. Maintaining continuity with her latest shirt which had the Superman "Alter Ego" crest, the design was repeated here on the front of her vest. In addition to the rhinestones being embellished on the crest, the shield was outlined twice, creating a 3D illusion that a second letter S was present, since both her first and last name shared it.

The vest and leggings were just modified. But there was also something _completely_ _new_ about her attire tonight. No longer were her hands visibly taped. Shannon was now sporting "Under Armour Fierce VI" gloves. These were considered the "ultimate hybrid glove" as they combined fit, feel, mobility, speed, and protection. Shannon loved that the Fierce VI gloves had lightweight, breathable mesh panels, which utilized Under Armour's signature "moisture transport system," keeping her hands cool, dry, and light. She didn't have to worry about tapping her wrist or fingers underneath the gloves either. Under Armour's trademarked custom molded neoprene "CompFit cuff" provided wrist support, in addition to strategically-placed flex padding at the knuckles and fingers. There was no need to have the words "Diamond Diva" written anywhere on the gloves. Because Under Armour stitched the Superman "Alter Ego" shield that was on the front of her vest into the palms of her gloves, and finished the embellishment with the rhinestones.

Shannon, as she anticipated, received even more boos when she began to enter the arena heading down the ramp. Not only was it disrespectful to enter _after_ and not before the champion. The crowd noticed something about her gear. Sure, it was decked out and sparkling. But something their eyes certainly didn't miss was that it was in purple and gold, the traditional colors of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

It was one thing to talk down the city you were performing in. It was another thing to wear ring gear the color of a rival sports team. What made this experience exhilarating for Shannon was that she _knew_ her audience. She knew what songs would grab them by the heart strings, and which would kill them. Shannon could've selected any song disrespecting New York. But she instead picked a song that _ignored_ New York completely, and praised California. What made it worse for the fans, was that rapper Tupac Shakur, one of the artists on the song, was not only born and raised in New York, but went to high school in Shannon's hometown of Baltimore. They were both East Coast people embracing the West. It _pissed_ _them_ _off_. Shannon knew it would, and she loved it. Growing more and more into her own as a strong heel on the brand, she was taking cheap heat to a new level.

" **Only in Cali when we riot, our rallies are live and die...**

 **Flossing, but have caution...Bumping and grinding like a slow jam.**

 **It's West side. So you know we bow down to** _ **no**_ **man.**

 **Say what you say; but give me that bomb beat from 'Dre.**

 **Let me serenade the streets of LA!**

 **From Oakland to Sac town, the Bay area, and back down.**

 **Cali is where they put their mack down!** **Give me love!"**

A fan from the ramp section of seats threw a can of beer towards her. It hit the ground a few feet before it came remotely close to her body. Canned beer wasn't permitted in the arena, and she had no idea how he smuggled it inside. But whatever. She looked in the fan's direction and remained character smiling, before signing "L" and "A" with her fingers at him.

"Screw you Shannon!" The fan yelled. "Fuck the West side!"

" **Now make it shake, uh! (C'mon!)**

 **Shake it, shake it, baby. Yeah!**

 **Shake it, shake it, mama. (That's right.)**

 **Shake it Cali. West Coast!"**

Kendrick jogged down the ramp when the bridge repeated as Shannon made it to the rear. He figured she was about to enter the ring immediately, but she wasn't. She was still going to screw around with the crowd a bit more. When he jogged down, he lightly placed his left hand on her hip and gestured for her to dance with him. Fuck it. They were booing already, so she did a harmless shimmy with him. His hold wasn't tight or disrespectfully close. Tyler had nothing to be worried about.

Often there is a main camera that follows a Superstar as they make their way down the ramp, before entering the ring. Shannon looked right into it, shook her head, and arrogantly spoke:

"Not the Deadman. This is the _Main Event Walking_ right here!"

Shannon knew she was walking into a sea of boos in the Barclays Center, which is what she hoped for anyway. But to do so with a special entrance and new additions to her ring gear made the moment special. Paul came through, and wanted to help get her over as a top heel on this brand. It was her job to deliver in the match itself.

 **"Yeah, uh, yeah, uh! Long Beach in the house, uh!**

 **Yeah, Oaktown, Oakland definitely in the house. Ha-ha-ha!**

 **Frisco, Frisco! Ayo, you know LA up in here. Pasendena, where you at?**

 **Yeah, Inglewood, yeah Inglewood always up to no good."**

Shannon decided to walk completely around the ring one time before entering it. She was glad she did. She knew earlier from her time on Tough Enough that the remaining contestants would be in the audience. Tye Dillinger bothered fan favorite Patrick Clark. The fans loved Patrick, but the contestants themselves on the show hated him, believing he thought of himself as "A-Know-It-All." He wasn't a dick, according to Shannon. He wanted to be a professional wrestler his entire life, just like her. So he went to an actual training facility beforehand. It wasn't his fault he was painfully surrounded by knuckleheads at the Performance Center who were after fame.

 **"Even Hollywood tryna' get a piece, baby!**

 **Sacramento, Sacramento where you at? Yeah.**

 **Throw it up y'all! Throw it up, throw it up! I can't see ya'!"**

She noticed him in the front row directly across from her as she stood on the apron, leaning her back against the ropes. Shannon stared at him. Then she screamed over the music, "Embrace It!" The other contestants looked completely dumbfounded when she made the comment. Patrick though, knew _exactly_ what she meant. That was her clever way of telling him, "Screw it! If they want to treat you like the heel on the show, _be_ a fucking heel, and win the damn thing." He nodded at her in response.

Bayley, who was waiting outside, shook her head and bit her lip as Shannon _finally_ entered the ring, which now displayed the letter S in cursive two times in Navy Blue across the canvas. It repeated on the LED drapes across the ring apron. Bayley bit her lip because it reminded her of a certain blonde Blueblood that had the letter H repeat three times in the same fashion.

 **"Let's show these fools how we do it on that West side.**

 **'Cause you and I know it's tha' _best_ side!**

 **Yeah, that's right. California love! Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh!"**

Once the music faded and ended, Kendrick Lamar left the stage. DJ Pauly D stopped spinning and scratching. The normal lighting setup returned. Ring announcer Eden Stiles made the formal introductions as the two competitors stood diagonally across from one another.

"Ladies and gentleman, it is now time for your maaaaaaainn evvvvent," said ring announcer Eden Stiles as the crowd temporarily suspended their booing for Shannon, excited for the match itself to take place. "And it is for the NXT Women's Championship! Introducing first, the challenger! From Baltimore, Maryland, 'The Diamond Diva,' Shannon Storm!"

Shannon trolled some more. The crowd was expecting Shannon to raise her hands for the diamond symbol like she did when she first entered the arena. She didn't. She instead knelt down and did a curtsy, circa Hunter Hearst Helmsley, in his early days in the WWF. A portion of the smarks smirked, both recognizing and appreciating the moment. For the younger fans who never saw Paul's aristocrat gimmick, they still booed Shannon. Because to them, Shannon was celebrating prematurely with the bow when she hadn't won a fucking thing.

"And her opponent, from San Jóse, California, she is the current NXT Women's Champion, itttt's Baaayley!"

Bayley removed the title from her waist, stretched her arms wide to the fans, and received a ridiculously loud pop. It was louder than the one when she entered the ring thirteen minutes ago.

* * *

"And we are underway!" Shouted Tom Phillips as the two women locked up. "We know Bayley's incredibly lovable on NXT, but I just bet she was chomping at the bit, counting down the minutes to this match. She's going to unleash all of that energy out on Shannon Storm. All the costly defeats due to her distracting shenanigans, all the brawls, the contract signing..."

"You and your fucking Superbowl halftime show," Bayley mumbled with her head down, smiling as the women pushed each other forward and backward, selling the struggle through their collar and elbow tie up. "I should've took a piss break."

"They needed a reason to boo me," Shannon mumbled back through a chuckle. "So I gave them a few options."

"Well yes Tom, Bayley finally can legally put her hands on Shannon, but let's not throw all of Bayley's misfortunes on her," Graves said in an effort to defend Shannon. "Bayley was the aggressor in that commercial shoot. You saw what she did to Storm there. And with those matches, well, Bayley should've remained focus."

"Shannon now with the advantage, breaking away from the Collar and Elbow Tie Up, and quickly stitches in a Side Headlock on Bayley," Phillips explained. "Bayley tries striking Storm's back a bit, but she doesn't give...now pushing of, Shannon unleashes, and they both hit the ropes...Shoulder Block by Storm, and Bayley goes down!"

Bayley got right back up, grabbed Shannon's wrist, whipped her into the ropes, and Shannon repeated the shoulder block. On Bayley's third attempt at the sequence, Shannon caught her on the return, with another headlock.

"Try something else Bayley," Shannon said with a grin through her mouthguard as she rotated Bayley to the canvas with a side headlock takeover. "It's not working!"

The referee kept making counts of one as Bayley continued to rise, getting her shoulders up every time he saw that she was flat on her back. Shannon's headlock remained in tact.

"This is what Shannon wants," said Graves with a nod of confidence. "She knows that Bayley wants to quicken the pace, be nimble and fluid. If Shannon wants to win this match, she has to work on slowing things down. Take Bayley out of her rhythm. Far too many wrestlers want to be pretty-no pun intended to Mr. Breeze-with fancy maneuvers. But going old school with basic, fundamental, submissions such as this can wear opponents down. It's smart strategy. They're time-tested, and when done in key spots, are _very_ effective."

After getting her shoulders up three times with the side headlock, Bayley wrapped her legs around Shannon's head as she leaned back.

"Seated Headscissors by Bayley," Phillips said. "Nip up by Shannon Storm...Bayley with an Armdrag...and another...trifecta now as Shannon rolls to another side of the ring! Man, Bayley may love Randy Savage, but she's looking like Ricky Steamboat tonight!"

Bayley crossed her right arm over to her left shoulder, and pretended to swipe dust from it.

 _Okay Pam, that was cute. Great awareness. You're the [Wo]Man._

"Bayley isn't just a superfan of wrestling, but one of pop culture as well apparently," said Graves. "Shannon trolled the fans earlier by making them think Jay-Z would be making an appearance at the Barclays Center. And now Bayley precedes to do just as the rapper suggests, by getting the 'dirt off of her shoulder.' "

"Back to square one as these two are still in their 'feeling each other out' phase," said Phillips.

Shannon went after Bayley's legs, attempting a double leg takedown. But the crowd screamed as Bayley's defense instinctively lead her to wrapping her arms around Shannon's head, and her legs around Shannon's waist, trapping her in the guillotine.

"Look at the strength of Shannon!" Graves announced excitedly. "Refusing to tap, refusing to hit the ropes, Shannon just powers out of the Guillotine submission with a devastating Spine Buster on the champion! Now is the time for Shannon to pick the bones, and tear Bayley apart. Not a moment too soon either: rather than make a pin attempt, Shannon drags Bayley to a side of the ring, drapes Bayley's legs across the bottom ropes, and drives her own weight on them with a Diving Knee Drop."

Again, Shannon did not attempt to make a cover. She instead engaged the crowd, raising her middle fingers high.

"School Boy! School Boy!" Phillips screamed. "Could have it here...cover...1..2...and no! For a moment this match could've ended quicker than Shannon's entrance itself! But Shannon kicked out."

With Shannon kneeling, Bayley rubbed her shin, and shook out her leg, remembering the sell of Shannon's knee attack before taking off again on the ropes.

"Running Bulldog by Bayley...aaaah...countered into a Wheel Barrel Released German Suplex by Storm!" Graves said wildly. "First official cover made by Storm...and Bayley gets a shoulder up at 1!"

"C'mon ref!" Shannon shouted at referee David Orengo as she got up, and clapped her hands in frustration at him. "You're just counting to three. Don't make it any harder than it needs to be!"

When she turned around, she walked right into a powerslam from Bayley. Taking a page from Shannon's book, she too, didn't attempt a cover, opting instead to climb to the top rope.

"Ugh," Shannon grunted through her mouthguard as Bayley leaped from the top rope to deliver a diving back elbow. When Bayley made a cover, Shannon kicked out at two. Bayley then waited for Shannon to rise before connecting with several running double axe handles.

"Running Axe Handle again," Phillips began. No...she's got Bayley up. 'Weather the Sto'...ah, beautiful technique by Storm, making a mid-air adjustment, realizing she didn't have a strong hold in position for the WTS, so plants Bayley on the canvas with a Death Valley Driver. But she _doesn't_ capitalize with a pin. Is she burnt out Corey?"

"Don't know," Graves remarked with a frown on his face as he shook his shoulders. "Maybe she's getting tired. Maybe she's just thinking strategy here. Or maybe she's playing possum, trying to goad Bayley into something."

Shannon mounted Bayley and delivered several punches to the face. She then very arrogantly, pushed the the boot of her foot against Bayley's body, very similar to how Chris Jericho would to turn an opponent over. Before she allowed Bayley to come completely to her feet, she chop blocked both of Bayley's legs.

"Let's go Bayley! Let's go Bayley! Let's go Bayley!" chants started filling the arena with a succession of five claps in between. Shannon didn't care about 17,999 people in the building. There was one particular individual that pissed her off. Shannon left Bayley in a fetal position favoring her leg, while she exited the ring.

"Move!" Shannon yelled at ring announcer Eden Stiles, who left her seat and Shannon took it, folding the chair while walking around the ring. She stopped in one of the front rows where Izzy was in the crowd.

"Why do you like her so much, huh? I am _sick_ of you!" Shannon yelled at Izzy. "And I am sick of _her_ ," Shannon pointed back at Bayley, still selling in the ring. "I am going to end this mutual girl crush starting with you!"

Shannon lifted the steel chair, and swung at the steel steps five times before walking back to the barricade, and held the chair directly over Izzy's head.

"Someone needs to stop her!" Yelled Phillips. "This is between you and Bayley, not Izzy!"

"Shannon you need to stop," said Graves who spoke to Shannon as though she could hear him even though he was on the opposite side of the ring looking at the action from the commentary table. "You don't have to bring the physicality to Izzy. This is sick...this is heinous…no, no, no!"

Shannon smirked sadistically, parting her lips slightly as a few drops of saliva fell from her mouthguard which read, "My Time" in white text.

Shannon started wearing mouthguards last year following her match with Asuka in Japan at Wrestling Donakatu. Asuka, who was merely "Kana" then (among other things) before her jump to the WWE, had some of the fiercest strikes Shannon ever endured. She wasn't complaining about it. She merely wanted insurance for her teeth. So that's when she added the oral accessory to her gear.

But Shannon didn't have some flimsy, heavy, and poorly designed mouthguard. Shannon wore "Max NextGen" mouthguards by SiSu, which were BPA, PVC, latex, and Phthalate free. Manufactured by Akerall Technologies Incorporated, SiSu mouthguards were the best mouthguards in the United States for high impact sports such as football, lacrosse, soccer, rugby, roller derby, wrestling, and mixed martial arts. Not only did ATI and SiSu talk a good game about the mouthguards, they showed it as well with its sleek look and design. SiSu NextGen mouthguards were made to withstand intense impact through their non-compressible thermo-polymer structure.

In addition to their amazingly 2.4 mm thin size, these guards had a custom fit encompassing a wider bite pad, rounded edges, and an improved moldability with intricate airholes to empower athletes to talk normally, breathe naturally, and stay hydrated throughout their sport of choice. That's why Shannon loved them so much. They weren't clunky in her mouth, but lightweight. They had great airflow for her to communicate whether it was with a fellow wrestler in the ring, or if she decided to taunt or cut promos mid match. They had a $35,000 full dental warranty for a year.

And on top of that, they were _cute_. Shannon was astonished that SiSu only charged $35 for these mouthguards. They tagged on an extra $15 dollars because she wanted the airholes formed in text in a complimentary color scheme. She didn't care. That customization was worth it. Finding the engineering and aesthetics a _tremendous_ steal, Shannon bought two in every color they offered. Tonight, she was wearing what SiSu called, "Purple Punch."

 _Pam saves the day in 5...4...3...2…_

"Bayley!" shouted Phillips wildly. "Here comes Bayley, who rolls out of the ring, and nails Shannon Storm with a running, Baseball Slide dropkick from under the bottom turnbuckle!"

"Sternum first into the barricade goes Storm, and that chair just flies backwards, landing right in the ring," explained Graves. "Bayley doesn't have any kids, but we all know she loves Izzy. And Izzy loves her. She was like a 'Mama Bear,' whose killer instinct 'woke up' so to speak when she felt her cub was threatened."

"Are you okay?" asked Bayley to Izzy, who nodded as Bayley greeted her with a second hug.

"Shannon now...slow to get up as referee Eddie Orengo starts a new count since Bayley's departure from the ring," announced Phillips. "Bayley, limping a little, blocks off the pain, and is now off to the races...what's she gonna' do here...whoah...lookout! Oh my goodness! Just as Storm makes it to her feet, Bayley takes her down with a running, Springboard Headscissors! And _not_ from the ropes themselves ladies and gentlemen! She leaped from the steel steps and launched herself into Shannon!"

"Not your night! Not your night! Not your night! Not your Night!" were chants targeted at Shannon as Bayley nailed the high spot.

"We've never seen her lunge from the steps for a Headscissors on the outside," said Graves who shook his head in amazement. "But this is Brooklyn. This is Takeover: Respect. This is when our brand shines the brightest, big moments happen, and stars are made! We are NXT!"

When the referee made a count of six, Bayley grabbed one hand on the strap of Shannon's tank top, and the other on the waistband of Shannon's leggings, tossing her back in the ring. Shannon immediately crawled on all fours, hurrying away from Bayley in an opposite corner.

"No, no, time out," Shannon mumbled, while crossing her hands and forming the letter T. Bayley ran to her anyway, driving her shoulder into Shannon's abdomen.

"Bayley with a Spear into Storm's midsection...rolls backward, then charges forward for another one!" shouted Phillips.

"Whooooooooaaaaah!" Brooklyn yelled along with Bayley as she dramatically rolled her arms like the wacky and waving inflatable tube men, before running after Shannon, nailing a diving forearm smash to her head against the turnbuckle.

"Shannon playing defense here," Graves began. "Stiff kick to Bayley's shin, just trying to get her away. That Headscissors to the outside moments ago could've shook up some cobwebs for the 'Diamond Diva.' "

"But Bayley, staying aggressive runs right back to Shannon, and hits a Lariat in the corner turnbuckle," Phillips remarked. "And now she lifts Shannon in the air before seating her on the top turnbuckle...Bayley climbs on the top rope...hops on Shannon's shoulders…Hurricarana from the top!"

"Bayleyrana! Bayleyrana! Bayleyrana!" shouted the crowd to the commentary duo's delight.

"You heard it from the people," said Graves. "Orengo with the cover...1, what? He stopped! Why'd he stop counting?"

Referee Eddie Orengo noticed a steel chair under Shannon's neck as he made the cover.

Bayley stood up and approached him, wanting clarity on the situation. He explained to her when she did the hurricarana on Shannon, she did so on the steel chair Shannon tossed in the ring that she was about to use on Izzy. Bayley frowned her face, and started to cry as the referee began to raise his arm towards Eden, calling for a disqualification.

"Let them fight! Let them fight! Let them fight! Let them fight! Let them fight!" the audience shouted. They'd be damned if a title match ended on a disqualification at one of NXT's strongest Pay-Per-Views of the year.

"Oh come on ref!" Phillips whined. "You can't let the match end this way! Bayley didn't even know the chair was there! It was _Shannon_ who dropped it before it landed, trying to harm Izzy!"

Bayley, still emotional, pointed to the crowd, hoping the referee would reason with them. He nodded, kicked the chair out of the ring, and gestured for the ladies to continue. Bayley walked right into Evolution.

"Torture Rack single leg, into the double knee Backbreaker by Storm!" Graves yelled. "1...2… no! Bayley won't quit! And neither will Shannon! Look at her quickly stitching in a Kneebar on Bayley's right leg, and kicking the left with her other leg."

"Tap! Tap! Tap!" Shannon yelled. But Bayley reached the ropes. Shannon decided to maintain her hold.

"Hey, we went over this in January, Orengo," Shannon said to the referee with a grimace on her face as she got up. "I have until 5 and you DQ me at _6_. Touch me again, and I'll see to it that you get replaced!"

Shannon delivered four running dropkicks to Bayley's knees before ascending to the second rope to double stomp Bayley's ankles. She bought some time for Bayley, intentionally not going for a cover, and taunted the crowd again. Shannon then climbed up to the top rope.

"Not sure what Shannon's thinking here," said Phillips. "I don't know if she wants to press on with the knee attack with another stomp, maybe an elbow...or….ahhh...Bayley quickly joins Storm back up to the top with another 'Bayleyrana!' "

The crowd gasped at what they witnessed.

"No! Access _denied_ on the 'Bayleyrana!' " Graves screamed. "Shannon kept hold of Bayley's legs throughout the rotation of the maneuver, and lands in the center of the ring with a step over Boston Crab! Amazing, fucking amazing!"

The crowd went absolutely nuts. Those in the front row pounded the black barricade.

 _Listen to this shit! There's nothing like it. This is my life._

"Oh, but watch Bayley...look at her extending her arms backward...She's got Shannon in a Reverse Chinlock!" Phillips explicated. "My God, both women are executing submissions on each other at the same time! Who the hell's the champion if Shannon _and_ Bayley quit?"

The fans started shouting, "You both can wrestle! You both can wrestle! You both can wrestle!" with five claps in between.

This time the referee listened to Shannon, giving her a full five count before she released Bayley from the Boston Crab, when she crawled to the ropes. Bayley released her chinlock seconds prior.

Shannon used the ropes to pull herself up, and walked to the side of the ring closest to the entrance ramp. She stared at the stage for a few minutes. The audience had no idea why. But when she raised her hands high and formed the Russian Wolf symbol, they thought they had an idea.

"Wrong show Shannon," said Phillips. "Members of 'The Club': Styles, Gallows, and Anderson will be in action tomorrow night at Summerslam. No need to 'throw it up' now."

The fans thought maybe Shannon was teasing some influential rub from 'The Club,' guessing they would make an appearance in the match. None of the them showed up. Suddenly, two of Shannon's index fingers crossed the wolves' ears, creating a unique symbol.

Shannon rushed over to Bayley, and hit five suplexes in succession, all varying in type. This was her debuting "Curtain Call," the move she showed Paul and Shawn a few weeks before Wrestlemania, several months ago. She promised them she would save it for something special. Once Paul told her in June that Bayley would be putting her over in August, she knew this would be the night she'd do it on television.

"Shannon with a quick snap Standard Vertical Suplex," announced Graves. "No cover made as she rolls through with the Northern Lights...still no cover made as she brings Bayley down with a Fisherman...and a Belly to Belly...my goodness, she still has firm control...and finally releases with a Dragon Suplex! Simply _tenaciously_ _technical_ is Shannon Storm! What a treat are we getting with this match!"

"Lateral Press, hooking the leg, could be over…1...2...and Bayley, _so_ resilient, does _not_ stay down!" Phillips remarked happily.

Brooklyn started shouting, "Nice false finish! Nice false finish! Nice false finish," acknowledging how stunned they were that Bayley wasn't pinned. The fans figured if Shannon was debuting a new move, and one at a Pay-Per-View no less, it should've ended the match. But it didn't.

 _Why thank you smarks! Hey, at least you didn't chant 'Suplex City.' Technically, it would be more appropriate for me than Lesnar since my suplexes were_ _ **different**_ _, but I digress._

Shannon crossed her arms before quickly cutting them away as though to physically suggest that she was fed up with her inability to seal Bayley's fate. It was a good thing the women had excellent conditioning because they were about to engage in their third spot together from the top rope.

"Shannon standing on the top rope...maybe a little desperate here...or maybe just showing off, no disrespect intended to WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler," Graves said sharply. Shannon threw her hands up, and pretended to shoot a basketball.

"Ballin'!" shouted the fans. She was a heel, but they marked out to the moment.

 _Ha, was just checking if you remembered, Brooklyn. MVP would be proud of me._

"Front to back hop on the top rope, shades of 'Wildman' Marc Mero," Graves continued. "I guess she's going for his moonsault…"

"Oh my God!" Phillips screamed as he stood up, and clenched his headset with his hands in disbelief. "Bayley, whether it was full of instinct, adrenaline, or a combination of the two, _freakishly_ like Kurt Angle, ran up the ropes...jumped on Shannon's shoulders, and delivered one of the most devastating Super Frankensteiners I have ever seen!"

 _Awesome Pam, just freaking awesome! Tear it up!_

"Holy cow, she's been doing all sorts of damage to the head and neck area of Shannon Storm the entire match," Graves replied with a genuine sound of concern in his tone. "Those strikes, those Headscissors, those ranas-one regular one, one on the chair, and now a reverse top rope rana, man, I don't know. Storm's put up a good fight...and Bayley's not done yet! She does not let up on the attack hitting a 'Belly to Bayley' suplex as soon as she connected with the Frankensteiner!"

Izzy jumped for joy out of her seat as Brooklyn loudly counted with the referee.

"1...2...aaah!" The energy was completely sucked out of the crowd as yet again, the match continued.

"How did she...what a match!" Phillips said excitedly as he shook his head. "Impossible."

" _Very_ possible Tom, very possible indeed," Graves corrected his colleague. "You and these people may be in awe because Shannon didn't kick out, or get her shoulder up. But I'm not surprised she made it to the ropes, stopping the count."

"But Bayley had it!" He shouted. "Bayley freaking had it! It was like 2 and ⅞! She didn't even get her full foot on the ropes. Looks like the toe of her boot _barely_ grazed it."

"And that's _all_ she needed Tom," Graves said to his broadcast partner with a glare. "I don't care if it was her pinky finger or baby toe, _any_ contact with the ropes can suspend a pinfall. That's what separates the _good_ from the _great_ , the _excellent_ from the _elite_. You can be banged up in a grueling contest; yet if you have strong ring awareness, knowing where you are at all times in the squared circle, you can save your ass."

"Boo!" The fans shouted when Shannon elbowed Bayley in the face.

"Yeah!" The fans shouted when Bayley threw a forearm at Shannon.

"There you go. Just go girls!" said Phillips. "Look at them slugging it out on their knees. "How much is left in the tank for either woman?"

Shannon and Bayley exchanged blows for a solid two minutes before Shannon took a step forward, making it to her feet, and hoisted Bayley on her shoulders. The crowd erupted.

" 'Weather The Storm' !" Shouted Phillips. "Shannon couldn't get it last time...will she now? She will _not_! Bayley pivots off Shannon's body...Shannon swings...but doesn't connect as she's still loopy from those Hurricarana's…'Belly to Bayley!' Bayley hits it again on Shannon!"

 _I freaking love you girl. We're killing it!_

"It's gotta' be over now," said Corey. "How much more can any of them give or receive? Looks like we just found out as David Orengo begins a double count on the two of them with Bayley unable to make a cover."

"NXT! NXT! NXT! NXT! NXT! NXT!" was shouted proudly by the raucous audience at the start of the count, while the women were lying on their backs.

Shannon waited for the referee to make a count of nine before she sprung up like Kane or The Undertaker, and connected the Indian Deathlock on Bayley.

" 'Storm Shield' !" screamed Phillips. "Storm Shield on Bayley! Shannon locks it in _literally_ at the last possible second, and Bayley's _throbbing_ in pain."

"I'll be honest, I thought Shannon was done," said Graves. "I thought Bayley was too. Shannon may be confident. Bayley may be full of joy. But you cannot deny how serious the passion is of either woman. _Each_ lady has a desire to compete. My goodness look at how Shannon arches her hip, elevating the damage to the patela of Bayley's knees."

"Please don't tap, Please don't tap, Please don't tap, Please don't tap!" Brooklyn begged Bayley. And it willed her on.

"Look at Bayley making a quarter turn, trying to roll Storm on her stomach to reverse the effects of this modified Figure Four Leglock," said Phillips. "Come on Champ, just a little more...but Shannon twists her hip back around with ferocity, banging her own back against the canvas for more pressure."

After another two minutes, it was over. Bayley tapped, and Shannon's theme music, "Cocky" started to play.

"Here is your winner, and the **NEW** NXT Women's Champion, the 'Diamond Diva' Shannon Storm!" announced Eden.

* * *

 **The Aftermath**

After Shannon unclenched her legs from Bayley, she removed the band from her standard ponytail, and immediately rolled on her stomach. She kissed the ring canvas. After all of the ups and downs on the indies, and all the title match opportunities she competed in, she was never booked to win one. Ever. When she finally was booked to win a championship, it was during an attendance record-breaking Pay-Per-View for NXT. She was thankful, deserving, and most importantly _humbled_. Bayley remained on her back, staring at the lights above. She was reflecting too. This was her swan song for the brand.

Eventually the ladies rose to their feet, and the crowd applauded. They were still on opposite corners of the ring.

"Another classic! Another Classic! Another Classic," chanted the fans, who were being very vocal with their thoughts not just about the current talent in the ring; but what the NXT brand accomplished as a whole over the years.

"You've gotta' give it to them Corey," said Phillips who stood up, and gave Bayley and Shannon a standing ovation. "That was something else. I am so proud of this brand, and am honored to have called that match."

"Tom, 100 percent, I am with you," said Graves, who joined Phillips in the standing ovation. "And Bayley and Shannon themselves, who just went to war with the rest of the card to steal the show-even they _know_ it-look at them embrace each other!"

Bayley and Shannon, when they made it to their feet, stared at each other for a few seconds. Once the crowd started chanting, "Another Classic," they hurried to each other in a hug. It wasn't scripted.

"Thank you so fucking much," Shannon said against Bayley's shoulder while commentary continued to _describe_ , not play up, because it was absolutely authentic, their emotion.

"You're welcome," Bayley quickly mumbled before muttering, "Do it now!"

"Oh come on now, Shannon!" yelled Phillips. "Does she respect _anyone_?" he asked.

Shannon pushed Bayley off her, and broke away from the hug. She delivered a low dropkick to Bayley's shin, as she was selling damage from Shannon's Indian Deathlock and previous knee attack. Bayley had to shout "Do it now," reminding Shannon of the spot. If they stayed in the hug too long, she would likely forget it, break character, and totally ruin her big moment of ascending to the top of the heel throne as far as NXT was concerned.

"Sure. She respected Bayley for about all of five seconds," Graves remarked. "It's over and done with. She's the champ now. The baton has been passed. Nothing is requiring Shannon to continue being chummy with her."

Shannon removed her mouthguard, and clipped it behind her ear when she saw the referee enter the ring and hand her the championship. Bayley was assisted by trainers to the back, after failing to get up on her own on multiple attempts.

"Don't just give it to me, idiot!" Shannon yelled at Orengo while her music continued. "Put it on!" He did as he was told. Shannon made her way to each corner of the ring, standing on the middle rope raising the diamond symbol, while the title was around her waist.

When she jumped down from the final corner, a person caught her eye. They were applauding.

 _The fuck? Where'd she come from? I didn't notice her all match. Where the hell was she?_ _Maybe she sneaked down during the trolling part of my entrance when the lights were dark,_ _playing "the wrong tracks." Stop fucking staring. I said, stop fucking staring! Don't be a fangirl right now. You better do something before your face gives weird reads on the live stream._

Shannon exited the ring, walked over to the Chief Brand Officer of the WWE, Stephanie McMahon, stopping directly in front of her.

"I am the **_new_** standard bearer!" Shannon yelled at Stephanie with a smirk as she removed her title from her waist, and raised it above Stephanie's head.

 _Good work Shannon. Way to pull your head out of your ass and look strong, not like a doofus._

"Now set the tone!" Stephanie yelled back at Shannon as she continued to clap.

 _Holy shit, she's giving me feedback, while in character no less! A Queen! Shut the fuck up Shannon,_ _and keep gloating!_

Shannon just gave Stephanie a confident nod before leaving her and engaging the fans, arrogantly taunting them as she made her way up the ramp, and eventually to Gorilla.

"This girl is on fire!" Shannon yelled as she held up the title standing on top of the stage with her right hand, while pointing at herself with her left thumb. It was a clever line; one that was considered an empowerment song for women from multi-time Grammy winning artist _and_ _New_ _Yorker_ , Alicia Keys. That was the last thing she said on stage before the live stream on the WWE Network ended, and she walked through the curtain.

* * *

 **Moments Later**

Everyone backstage: NXT talent, some talent from the main roster checking out the show live, a few agents, and Paul were all applauding Shannon, who finally made it to the back following the match as the concluding montage played for the fans on the titan tron, recapping highlights from the entire show.

Tyler was also backstage. He hadn't publicly shared with anyone who he was dating in NXT besides Randy Orton earlier in the day during Sarita's fashion show. The but the boys and girls were about to find out. The ones here at least, minus Bayley, who already knew months ago. He immediately walked over to Shannon, grabbed her waist, and leaned down to kiss her; but she turned her head and his lips caught her cheek.

"Ty, no," Shannon protested. "Get off me! I'm sweaty."

Tyler didn't remove his grip from her fidgeting. He leaned down to her ear. "Babe, we sweat when we have sex."

"But that's sweat we _create_ _together_ , simultaneously, on said activity," she said, trying to whisper back to him. "That's _not_ the same thing here. I'm already sweaty, and you're all up on me cuddling and shit. I feel disgusting right now. I need to hit the showers."

"You hugged Pamela after your match," he said defiantly. "You both were perspiring."

"Yeah, I did, and yes we were," Shannon admitted. "But it was a very quick exchange, and we were emotional. We had a special moment. That's the exception, not the rule."

Tyler leaned in for another attempt at a smooch.

"Eww, baby, please stop," she whined.

Eventually her squirming came to an end. She caved in, and they made out. Tyler didn't give a shit about her being sweaty. His woman just won her first championship match, _ever_. And it was in NXT, in the main event of a Takeover special. He hadn't even done that. Tyler had great matches at NXT Takeovers. Many of them high-profile ones, where he had stellar performances, and came out looking strong. But he was never booked to win the championship, while there. Tyler was incredibly proud of her as a performer, and incredibly proud to be her man. He was determined to show her that. Sure, she'd be fussy for a little bit, but she'd get over it.

"I am going to kick your ass later," Shannon mumbled in between pecks as their passionate kiss ended.

"I look forward to it Mark," Tyler replied cockily.

Paul cleared his throat, and walked over to the couple.

"Nicely done," Paul said to Shannon before handing her a bouquet of white roses as his token of appreciation for her performance in the match. He already gave Bayley hers when Shannon was interacting with Stephanie in the arena.

"And you too, Breeze," Paul added as he delivered a hard slap to Tyler's back with a wink, referring to his very engaging way of putting people who cared on notice that Shannon was his.

* * *

 **Two Hours later after NXT Takeover: Respect**

Paul tweeted a picture of himself and Stephanie with Shannon in the middle, holding her championship.

 **New** **Tweet** from user: **At** **TripleH** :

"I used to say I was the only diamond in the business, but apparently, there are now two of us. Congratulations **At** **SStormWWE.** #DiamondDiva #ChangingOfTheGuard"

She tweeted him back.

 **AtSStormWWE** : " **At** **TripleH** , you're the ULTIMATE DIAMOND, my man! I simply #LearnedFromTheBest #WeatherTheGame #OnYourKneesDog #AuthorityApproved #BestForBusiness"

Stephanie tweeted a photo of just herself and Shannon laughing about something in a conversation backstage. Paul took the photo of them, and sent it to his wife. Stephanie posted it on her own profile.

 **New** **tweet** _from_ user **At** **StephMcMahon** _ **:**_

"I'm making room for the #SecondDominantFemale in the **At** **WWE**. The new **AtWWE** **NXT** Women's Champ, **At** **SStormWWE**! #SetTheTone #DiamondDiva #AlphaFemale"

She wasn't going to respond to Paul's and not Stephanie's. That wouldn't be a loyal fangirl.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "It takes one to know one **At** **StephMcMahon**! #WelcomeToTheQueendom #KingsBowDownAndRelinquishTheCrown #AuthorityApproved #BestForBusiness"

* * *

 **Sunday, August 20th, 2017**

 **1:15 AM**

It was great to be in "the city that never sleeps." After Shannon showered and mingled with a few others on the roster with celebratory post Takeover talks, she and Tyler left Brooklyn for New York to have a meal. Tyler wanted to check out this place called B.A.D. that was owned and operated by former Washington D.C. punk rockers. It was burger diner type of joint that stood for "Burgers All Day." Unfortunately to their surprise, they closed down and were no longer in business. So he allowed Shannon to pick. She chose Coppellia's, a Latin American diner in Chelsea, New York that opened 24/7, and served breakfast all day.

The restaurant served a wide range menu of Latino food from across the Caribbean basin and into South America. Modelling the design of its architecture to that of a luncheonette in Havana, Coppellia's patrons had the option of sitting at the long marble bar with swivel stools, or the bright blue booths with red linoleum tables, which is where Tyler and Shannon were sitting. Customers could obviously select what they wanted from the menu, or if they were feeling adventurous, cruise through the regions by exploring nightly specials. "Mexican Tuesdays" for example, served Enchiladas Suizas, which were chicken stuffed tortillas with rice, beans, tomatillo salsa and Swiss cheese. Another popular night was "Caribbean" Sundays, which served Mofongo Camarones, which were rum-glazed shrimp with rice, plantains, and salsa.

They were talking more about some of their previous relationships. Shannon knew about his former "hit it and quit it" philosophy with other women. He was telling her a _particular_ story this time around.

"I lost my virginity at 15 to this girl that I knew had a crush on me in school," said Tyler with a smirk, before grabbing one of his appetizers. It was an order of four crispy flounder tacos, served with guacamole, and chipotle coleslaw. "I told her it was my birthday, and it was the best gift she could give me."

Tyler was wearing a pair of embroidered Charcoal Black Bermuda shorts with hints of Lime Green in them, accompanied with a black belt. Paired with the shorts he had on a Lime Green Button Down Shirt. On his feet were a Smoke Grey pair of Oxfords he wore without socks. Because his shirt was unbuttoned by a few inches, he wore a long, but thin silver-tone chain around his neck.

"So you took advantage of her vulnerability and naiveté to get off?" Shannon asked contorting her mouth. "You were a disgusting teenager. My dad would've kicked your ass if I was that girl."

Shannon was wearing a Turquoise Blue, ruffled Midi skirt, and a chambray shirt that she tied at her waist. On her feet were a pair of nude heeled sandals. She wore a Turquoise Blue and Yellow Gold geometric statement necklace, with matching earrings.

"I'm not the pig it seems like," Tyler said, holding his left hand in defense of himself. "Technically, I never 'got off' the way I would've as it took a while to establish a rhythm for what we were doing. We both were virgins. I didn't tell her I was, so she thought I was some Casanova at the time. It ended too quickly for me than I would've liked it to. If she looks back on it, I'm sure she wouldn't consider me 'The Man' that day."

"I still think that was a dick move to play on her crush to take her to bed," Shannon replied, shaking her head as she dug into her appetizer which was an order of Cebollitas. These were crispy, thinly sliced Vidallia onion rings, garnished with Tajin chives, and served with Watermelon BBQ ketchup. "But I guess I can excuse that asshole behavior to youth. I won't hold it against you now."

"Thank you," he said simply.

"You're welcome," said Shannon. "Was it even your birthday? Or did you lie about that?"

Tyler started laughing.

"Technically, _no_ ," he responded, biting his bottom lip gently. "My birthday was on a Sunday that year, so I drilled her on the Friday before, after school."

Shannon didn't say anything. She just shook her head again.

"What?" Tyler asked, reaching for her tray of Cebollitas. He never heard of Watermelon BBQ ketchup. Neither did she. He was curious on what it tasted like. "Fine. Did you lose your virginity in a more pious fashion?"

"Well for starters, I was 21 and not a teenager," Shannon answered, taking a page from his book and tried a bite of one of his fish tacos. It was kind of cute how neither or them asked, but just went after each other's food.

Tyler nodded. "So she's a good girl."

"Sort of," Shannon replied. "I wasn't dating anyone. I just banged one of my college teammates on the wrestling team. My birthday's a week before Christmas, and usually winter break for us is a week before that. But, if you're in extra-curricular activities in the winter, the 22nd's usually your last day, not the 10-12th like most of the other students. So during the December meet which was an away tournament, I went to one of the guys' hotel rooms and slept with him."

"There's was no buildup or anticipation on your end?" Tyler asked, reaching for his Te Cubano cocktail. Again, Tyler didn't drink all of the time, but over the course of their time together, Shannon noticed when he did, he was a vodka man. This cocktail was Earl Grey tea infused vodka, with muddled Lemon Elder Flower liqueur, and Delmarara syrup.

"See, that's why I said 'sort of,' when you referenced me being a good girl," Shannon clarified after taking a few sips from her Mexican Coca Cola. "I wasn't kidding when I told you I wasn't a saint. I had just turned 21. I didn't drink. I didn't smoke. I didn't do drugs. I wasn't a poker player. So I'm pretty much off everyone's 'wild, crazy, party girl' list. And very easily, but unfairly, could be mistaken for being square. But I wanted to do something special for being 'completely legal.' I thought sex was the next best thing."

"I could see why you felt that way," he said. "That makes sense."

"Again, because I wasn't dating anyone, I just picked a random dude on my team," Shannon said continuing her story. "I was never one of those people that thought you had to be in love to have sex, but my thoughts have changed since then."

"So you think people ought to be in love now?" He asked.

There was a brief pause as their server brought up their main courses to their table.

"No," she replied holding an index finger up. "Let me clarify. I think people should have sex as openly and as freely as they like. They don't even have to be married. I just think their _first_ time should be when they're in love with someone. Because virginity's something that cannot be redone, it shouldn't be wasted. I'm not saying I regret doing what I did. Decisions in the past and what we learn from them shape who we become later on in the future. I'm just saying, in hindsight, reflecting on that now, I think I would've planned that differently."

Shannon unwrapped her napkin of cutlery, placed the additional handkerchief across her lap, and Tyler did the same.

"I can respect that," Tyler said with another nod as he started to dig into his Lomo Saltado. This was a Peruvian stir fry of Beef Short Ribs with red onions, ginger, and simbail. The dish also came with both fries and rice. Tyler didn't want-nor did he need-two starches. So he requested that the server hold the fries and just double his meat because extra protein never hurt anyone, according to him. He also had her substitute the yellow rice for brown rice. It had more fiber. "I've told you about my break ups. Care to share with me any of yours?"

"Sure, I don't mind," said Shannon, who followed suit as Tyler and devulged in her Pollo A La Planchia. This was marinated chicken breast served with spicy kale, quinoa, and sliced avocado. "One guy in high school broke up with me because I didn't have sex with him. I broke up with one of my college boyfriends because I found out he used to date one of my friends; and that's just a part of a Girl Code that I adhere to."

"Tell me about this 'Girl Code,' " he said.

Shannon smiled, happy to elaborate. She held a finger up for each portion of the code.

"One, we don't date each other's exes. Two, if we're hot for someone's brother, we tell our friend first-not for a _blessing_ -but for _courtesy_ to avoid the awkwardness. Three, if we both like the same guy, _neither_ of us date him. We choose someone else so he doesn't play us both, and have us fight over him. Four, we don't use family as a revolving door."

"What do you mean by 'revolving door'?" Tyler questioned, raising an eyebrow. Then he stretched a fork of his short ribs over to Shannon's side of the table, dipping them in the Watermelon BBQ ketchup from her appetizer earlier.

"You really like that sauce huh?" Shannon asked through a laugh.

Tyler nodded through a bite. "Go ahead, go ahead, I'm listening," he said.

"That means if there's a guy we like and it doesn't work out, we move on to a new bloodline," Shannon said, providing clarity after placing an avocado strip over her sliced chicken breast. "We don't end things with him, and then start dating his cousin or brother, regardless of how attractive they may be."

"So many damn rules," Tyler remarked after a chuckle. "Any more interesting?"

"Another college boyfriend broke up with me because he came out," she said.

"Was it Michael Sam?" Tyler asked with a grin.

"Hahaha! No. I think Michael Sam went to an SEC school, and I stayed on the East Coast," Shannon said correcting him. "This dude wasn't even an athlete. He was a Theatre major, and naturally in drama club."

"Typical," he said with a sneer. "He was Drama student. I could've spotted that a mile away."

"Don't even trip," Shannon said holding her index finger out to him again. "There's plenty of masculine gay guys out there!"

"I was just playing," Tyler said with a serious face, hoping she believed him. "I'm not homophobic. I was just noting that because he was a Theatre major, maybe there would be some theatrics behind the breakup."

"Anyway, " she went on. "That one really sucked. I thought it was me."

Tyler squeezed her hand to console her as she finished her story.

"But after a lot of sobbing, he calmed me down, and assured me that wasn't anything I said or did. It wasn't _anything_ about me. In his words, my 'outspoken support for the LGBTQ community on the outside is what led him to have the courage to listen to his voice on the inside.' I'm happy for him now though."

"Yeah, good for him for living his truth," Tyler said.

Shannon decided to change the subject.

"So up to this point, what would you say has been the most impactful moment of your career?" Shannon asked.

"Wow, that's a deep question that could have a really loaded response," Tyler replied as he pulled himself closer to the table. "Well I'd say it happened three years ago. I've been at Developmental for five years. Everyone respected my leadership, hard work, and dedication. Character wise three years ago, things weren't clicking. Gimmick after gimmick, and it was just nothing. I went through four ring names by this point in my wrestling career, including before I was signed by the WWE. My latest name was Mike Dalton. One day Hunter grabs me in the back and says, 'Look Matt, you've worked your ass off here, before we even rebranded FCW to NXT. In the ring, you can have technical matches with the best of them, and you've even got some flashy things in your moveset. Mike Dalton's not connecting with the fans. And if you don't change it up and start getting reactions that'll stick with the crowd, I'm going to have to let you go. Why don't you try doing something as a pretty boy and we work from there?' "

"And the rest is history?" Shannon said with a smile.

"Well there's a little more," he grinned. "So I thought about Luger when he was 'The Narcissist.' Then I of course thought about HBK, and realized they were pretty boys, but not models. And that's what got it going."

"Martel's gimmick was a model," Shannon said, wondering if Tyler forgot about him.

"Yeah, I know, but with all do respect to Rick Martel-and you I have plenty because he's a fellow Cannuck-he wasn't as popular as Luger, let alone Michaels in the WWF," he said. "I mean he had a great run as Heavyweight Champion in the AWA. But what high profile feuds did he have as 'The Model' besides Roberts and Michaels in the WWF?"

"You're right," Shannon agreed. "He had a fake fragrance called _Arrogance_. That made for nice heat. And that was a great storyline with he and Shawn fighting for the affections of Sherri. Ha, remember they even added a 'no shots to the face' stipulation to their Summerslam match in '92? They were both heels, so ended up breaking it anyway. But uh, yeah, Martel lost steam."

Tyler nodded before continuing.

"I thought being a model would be perfect for me, because Hunter was right: I _can_ be technical, but I can _also_ go flashy. I watched some footage of 'Gorgeous George' from the 1950s. He used to curl his hair in pinwheels with bobby pins. They were just basic bobby pins, but he called them 'gorgeous pins.' He also had the ref spray the entire ring with sanitizer before the matches even started. Everything had to be _perfect_ for him. That inspired me to jot down some notes in my spiral notebook. I go old-school with it-no tablet and stylus-because I was there to work, not play. The 'Tyler Breeze' character is supposed to be 'the most super good looking piece of gorgeousness you've ever seen.' His existence is motivated by being seen everywhere. For 'Tyler Breeze,' it doesn't matter if it's on a television camera, at a photoshoot, or in the ring. _Anywhere_ _and_ _everywhere_ creates a moment for a beauty shot."

"Your finish?" Shannon said while pointing at him excitedly like a nerd making an awesome discovery.

"Exactly," he said, finding her marking out to his character development cute. "I came up with a name, got a compact, and Hunter liked it. It didn't take off right away with the crowd because he thought it was too dated. 'We're past that now,' " he said. " 'Mirrors have been done before, and we're always trying to evolve as a company. Why don't you do it with an iPhone?' Boom! That was genius. I went from being 60% over as Tyler Breeze, to _1000_ % over. We collaborated some more to enhance the douchebag-ness. I decided to introduce a selfie stick. And when the invitation was presented to me to do my own music, I jumped on it!"

"Wow, that's awesome," she said with another smile before drinking some more of her Mexican soda. "Good for him on encouraging you to modernize things with the iPhone. And smart of you to introduce the selfie stick. People are so obsessed with those things that it'll work for your face turn because people would want to be in your shots."

"Thanks babe," said Tyler as he reached out to Shannon's face, pinching her left cheek. "See, you get it. You've realized I thought ahead."

"It's such a shame that so many marks don't see how great he is," Shannon replied in defense of Paul, after blushing when Tyler squeezed her cheek. "Not just his own career, but also his help in bringing others up."

"Well as I've told you before, I didn't suck Bret Hart's dick just because I was from Canada. He was good, but wasn't as awesome as he made himself out to be. I found him bitter and stale," he replied, and Shannon laughed. "People like Shawn, Jericho, Austin, Rocky, and Hunter are full of personality. And yes, Hunter's _quite_ helpful. I was on the chopping block, about to get cut; but he saw my passion for the business, valued my talent, gave me a real shot, and tried his hardest to get _something_ to work out for me. After a month or so from debuting the character and getting feedback from Dusty, Billy Gunn, and everyone else, Hunter flew down to Florida to see it for himself."

"Obviously he was receptive of it," Shannon responded.

"Very much so," Tyler confirmed. "He embraces me right after when I make it to Gorilla and goes, 'I didn't look at you like an agent, producer, coach, talent scout, or executive. This was the first time I didn't look at you from _any_ professional capacity. Tonight, I looked at you as a fan, and that's what I wanted to see. Congratulations kid, I'm proud of you.' Some people come into their own right away. Some people never do. It took me three years to piece it all together, and another two after that before getting promoted. But you know what? Nothing beats that high praise from Hunter."

"I mean I can't compete with the enormous endorsement of Trips, but I'm proud of you as well," Shannon said, reaching for Tyler's hand, and giving it a gentle squeeze. "It doesn't matter to me how long you spent in NXT. You were a leader in more ways than one. Not just in your physical ability, but in showing others that come after you that things can turn around with perseverance and drive. Your journey was worth it."

"Thank you sweetheart. That really means a lot to me," said Tyler, who then leaned forward to peck Shannon's lips with a kiss. "I'm not the only one that turned the corner after a trying time either. The same thing with Colby. There was a moment where the world wasn't going to see 'The Architect,' Seth Rollins."

"Oh yeah?" asked Shannon, eager to hear some gossip from the locker room before she was around. "What happened?"

"He had success in the indies, and ROH. And because of that, he felt like he didn't need to be in Developmental at NXT," said Tyler who scratched his nose. "He thought he was beyond that. He's my boy, but that was a crock of shit! A lot of us who come into NXT are well traveled. I bounced around NWA's Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling, and other Canadian territories following my initial training before coming here. Won titles there, and all that jazz. I even crossed paths with Becky, when she came to Canada for our female equivalent of ECCW. So Colby was no better than me, or any of the other experienced folks coming in. Hunter had a serious, 'Come to Jesus' moment with him to check his attitude at the door. He needed to take an honest look at himself before he said or did anything further that would bite him in the ass."

Tyler's thumb was met with his index finger as he placed emphasis on how serious Seth's departure was going to be.

 _"That's_ how close Hunter was ready to let Colby loose too. Eventually they worked it out. Hunter's a forgiving guy."

"I'm sure some fans found it sickening how he treated him like the son he never had on TV," Shannon said.

"Yep, but off camera, we're all his family though," Tyler confirmed before downing some more of his cocktail. "One big litter. Some of the pups have made it to the big stage. Others are still in NXT. Alright, same question for you."

Shannon sighed recounting the memory, before massaging her temples with her fingers. "I'd say one of my first matches after completing wrestling school. I was being a dick."

"What's so profound about that?" Tyler asked. "I presume you were heel then, as you are now. So you were doing your job."

"No I don't mean it like that Ty," Shannon said while grabbing his arm. "I mean I was being an asshole _out_ of character. There was someone I had a match with who was older and had maybe a year and a half of completed training on me; but they kept forgetting what we working. It pissed me off, and I kept doing things to remind her of it. We were supposed to work the arm. I'd get my shoulder up on kick outs. I screamed the word 'arm' during submissions. I even put my foot on the ropes to stop the finish because I didn't want the match to end without her coming to the spot."

"Ahh man," he said with a grimace. "I bet that was a shit match. You get in trouble?"

"It _was_ shit. People even chanted, 'that was shitty,' and threw cups of beer at me," she confirmed. "You know it sucked because I don't drink; so smelling like beer on top of being booed out the building for the _wrong_ reasons made for a horrible night."

Tyler laughed, and she continued.

"And hell yeah, I got in trouble! I got my ass chewed out so fucking hard by my trainer Dan McDevitt," Shannon said. "He didn't just get in my ass, but did so in front of _all_ the talent. I was forced to shake everyone's hand and apologize. For talking back, I had to run the ropes 90 minutes in the practice ring after the show was over, still in my gear. Then take the show ring down on my own."

"Real heat," said Tyler. "And I know how selective you are about the cardio you _do_ enjoy. We've all been there at some point though. I know what it's like to feel buried or be at a dead end. You learn your lesson?"

"I sure did," she said. "It made me mature. I realized just because I was upset about how something was going down, it wasn't my place to make that known, certainly not in front of the audience. It's not my promotion. I disrespected myself, the rest of the locker room, and my training staff. I was sore, tired, and felt like crap. The whole time I was doing the laps, and taking the ring down, I was thinking about the Curtain Call incident. I remember Vince ripping Trips a new one, telling him, 'He was going to have to eat shit and like the taste of it. And for awhile, it was going to be a lot of shit.' He made it to the other side, and look at him now, right? So I was sure I'd come out of that as well."

They finished their meal before driving back to the hotel.

* * *

 **Sunday, August 20th, 2017**

 **10:00 AM**

When Shannon made her profile eight months ago, she just put up her location and made sure the WWE verified it. She didn't put up any cute description for a profile tag. It wasn't that she was lazy, but didn't really care. But since she was champion now, there was a bit of a nudge to put something up describing herself. So she did so, in her own special way.

 **AtSStormWWE** : _Smart, Strong, Sexy, Sagittarius, Success, in no particular order._

 _Member since January 2017. Location: Orlando, FL via Baltimore, MD._

 _10 FOLLOWING 34,000 FOLLOWERS_

Fuck it. Since she was logged on, she might as well send another post victory tweet in character.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "What's that sweet scent **At** **WWE** and **At** **WWE** **NXT** Universe? Ahh, I know what it is. It smells like my first official morning with a title around my waist. Some people have to learn. Some people wait their turn. Some people have to fight. Some people give their life. Some people don't believe. But not me, 'cause I was born a champion! Right **At** **SteveAustinBSR,** **At** **TrishStratusCom,** **At** **RealRVD**? ;)"

Not surprisingly, she received a tweet.

 **New tweet** from user **AtUCan'tSeeCenaFanboy:**

" **At** **SStormWWE** gets the title after being on the **AtWWE** **NXT** roster for less than a year? #Bullshit #Rookie"

She tweeted back:

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Um, **At** **UCan'tSeeCenaFanboy** , with 8 years of amateur wrestling, 3 as a pro, and passion my ENTIRE life, I'm far from a rookie homeboy. But keep hating though. It keeps me motivated. What's the procedure with a gun in your face? When you've got one in your waist, just cock back man, and air out the space! #ClapBack"

Her first Twitter war commenced. The fan responded to her response to him. God, she hated this social media shit. It really was like pulling teeth. He couldn't just ignore her, and carry on with his life?

 **New** **tweet** from user **At** **UCan'tSeeCenaFanboy** :

" **At** **SStormWWE** , You don't tweet daily. And on the rare occasion you do tweet, you usually always respond with song lyrics. #LAME"

So did she did the same with him.

 **AtSStormWWE:** "Yet, you feel inclined to respond back like the pawn you are, **At** **UCan'tSeeCenaFanboy**. I'm a #SmoothCriminal, son."

* * *

 **Same day, 8:00 PM**

 **Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York**

 **Summerslam**

Jay-Z's "Run This Town," featuring Rihanna and Kanye West opened up the show. The artists left town following Sarita López's fashion show; so rather then them performing live, the WWE just played the audio track.

" **Super good looking, every hair in place.**

 **Everyone loves, his gorgeous face!**

 **With a swipe and flick of a _camera,_ **

**Everyday's a pay day!**

 **Call him a prince.**

' **Cause** **he already knows he's pretty!"**

"This opening contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the United States Championship!" screamed Lilian Garcia. "Now approaching the ring, from his seasonal residence in Montecarlo, weighing in at 212 pounds, 'The Gorgeous One,' Tyler Breeze!"

Girl group Fifth Harmony were at Summerslam and performing a mashup of their song, "Bo$$" with Tyler's "MmmGorgeous" theme. Prior to this match, the ladies performed a medley of their hits for the Brooklyn audience. The ladies immediately following the performance, would then jump on a jet to California for the Teen Choice Awards, where they would receive a special "On The Rise Award."

The women were a group for roughly five years, and were initially dubbed "The Female One Direction." They were, perhaps unfairly, not taken seriously to have long standing relevance in the music industry outside of their tween niche of fans. But they matured in their time together, and slowly proved critics wrong. They were now being considered the new wave of millennials', Destiny's Child. Which one of the ladies would break away to go on and become the Beyoncé of the group was undetermined.

Tyler walked through the curtain as the saxophones and finger snaps of "Bo$$" fused with the music he and CFO$ created for his theme. He winked at the ladies who were at the far right of the stage.

" **C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T! That's right, he's confident!**

 **Don't need your compliments.**

 **Use common sense!**

 **You can't deny his beauty shots.**

 **He's everything that you are _not_!"**

Two of the ladies linked arms with him as they held their mics with their free hands. The other three ladies had their own selfie sticks with their 5H logo embellished on them, walking not far behind engaging one another. The women, after reaching the midway portion of the ramp with Tyler, went back to the top of the entrance ramp while he continued walking down.

"Well we haven't seen 'Prince Pretty,' in a little over a month John," said Byron Saxton. "The last we saw him, he was telling Renee Young about being overbooked with magazine shoots. I guess he wasn't lying there because if any of you fans checked out Sarita López's fashion show yesterday, you would've learned that the WWE has 'taken over GQ,' with Breeze on the cover. He said he would return to the WWE and do so 'more strategic.' He certainly seems more confident than usual...and trust me, that's saying _a_ _lot_ for him."

"Oh hell yeah, Byron," said JBL with a bright smile. "I'd say he has every reason to be! Don't downplay this man's cover like it's some 'mom and pop shop.' Tyler Breeze is on the cover of The Gentleman's freaking Quarterly! That is a legitimate, high-profile magazine, and a very big deal! And look at what's he's brought with him: Not one, but five women! These aren't floosies. These are award winning music superstars! He surrounds himself around people who _matter_ , who are _relevant_. A little ladies luck sounds like damn good strategy to me. The ladies love him. The camera loves him. He loves himself. It's not a party without a pretty face!"

JBL, although as the heel color commentator had to play things up for Tyler, when it came to the magazine shoot, he really wasn't far off. When Paul received the news that they landed a Superstar a cover shoot for GQ, he was very happy. Not selfishly for an opportunity to overly promote his company at large repeatedly. Because there was a department responsible for that. He was happy because of the talent benefitting from it.

Paul needed to give Tyler some legitimacy. There was only so much time you could push a modeling gimmick in wrestling in the 21st century before fans stopped buying it. They needed a reason to continue to respond to it. Rather than constantly 'bragging about photo shoots,' the Creative team had to find a way to start showing media that people cared about. And the WWE magazine didn't count.

It was Tyler's idea to have Fifth Harmony play him to the ring. With Summerslam being dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer," and knowing that many celebrities would be in the area, whether it be to attend the WWE's Corporate party in conjunction with their BA Star affiliates, those at Sarita López's fashion show, or working with The Coach over at ESPN, _some_ star was bound to do something directly for a talent. He did his own vocals on his theme. But given that his character vowed to return "a more strategic Tyler Breeze," he figured he'd play that up with having women serenade him to the ring, taking "Ladies Luck" at a Blackjack table to new heights. It was also cool to hear a soulful rendition of the theme as it was arranged, and blended with both lyrics and music of one of Fifth Harmony's tracks.

" **Shhh! Shut your mouth.**

 **I think you know who runs this house.**

 **With piercing eyes, and a chiseled jaw,**

 **he's made by the gods without a flaw!**

 **Part man, but** _ **all**_ **model!**

 **He's who you want!**

 **You know he's who you follow!**

 **There's one thing you can't deny:**

 **Tyler's perfection,** _ **personified**_ **!"**

Before Tyler turned the corner, hopped, and whipped his legs around the ring apron with his "pouty face," he spotted DeShauna Barber in the audience. The twenty seven year old was the 2016 Miss USA. Since winning the title last year, the Washington, D.C. native moved to New York. He didn't know she would be in attendance, but recognized her immediately from watching the pageant. In a very impromptu, but _smart_ move, he walked over to her, pointed at his right cheek with his thumb and said, "Lay one on me." As he held up his own selfie stick with one arm, she leaned toward him, and he snapped the photo of himself with her kissing his cheek. Shannon wasn't jealous. It was harmless.

Tyler faced United States Champion Roman Reigns. Shortly after Roman's loss to Cesaro at Wrestlemania, he defeated his former Shield team mate Dean Ambrose for the United States Championship. Neither man turned heel. It was simply built as a match where two brothers slugged it out to find out who the better man was on that night. Since defeating Dean, Roman began an open challenge defending the title, not unlike Kurt Angle's open challenge matches to "win" his Olympic Gold medal, or John Cena's in 2015 for the same U.S. Championship. He just called it "Roaming the Roman Empire." The first defense was against against Dean in a rematch. The second was against Cesaro who eventually lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Seth Rollins, who suffered an injury soon after vacating the main championship. Other opponents he "blockaded" from the empire included Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Wade Barrett, Tyson Kidd, and The Miz.

Tyler defeated Roman, and won the United States Championship. The finish came when Tyler kicked out of the Superman Punch, and crawled to one corner of the ring. Roman let out a growl, signaling for a Spear. Roman ran after a cornered Tyler, aiming to Spear him first into the turnbuckles, and then return from hitting the ropes to nail Tyler for a second spear in the middle of the ring. But he soon realized Tyler was playing possum. Tyler leap frogged over Roman, using his momentum against him as Roman went shoulder first into the steel turnbuckle post. Tyler capitalized, hitting Roman with his signature Powerbomb into the Snake Eyes combination against the turnbuckle pad. Then he sealed the deal, and pinned Roman with his Arm trapped, double knee Backbreaker.

Paul felt bad about Tyler being out of action for his knee. He worked so hard for so long, carrying the NXT brand before stars like Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Finn Bálor, and Apollo Crews even joined. They had to press on for the WWE World Heavyweight title picture, but he at least was going to give him another deserving push at the midcard level upon his return.

"Well so much for the 'Roman Empire,' " said JBL after a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure Breeze's pictures look great in Rome too! So much so, I couldn't wait to get my copy of his GQ cover, where he was photographed in Italy."

When Tyler won the match and the bell sounded, the crowd started chanting, "That was gorgeous," happy Roman lost both a match and title. Tyler tweeted the WWE Universe minutes later following his victory. It showed up in Shannon's notifications.

 **New** **Tweet** from User: **At** **MmmGorgeous** :

"When I debuted on Monday Night Raw, I took out a champion. When I debuted on my first #Summerslam, I BECAME a champion. My success is just as beautiful as my face. #Muah #GoldIsGorgeous"

After sending out the tweet, rather then showering right away, he caught up with Shannon in the back. She hadn't left for Florida yet. Still sweaty, he grabbed her from behind, greeting her in a waist hug.

"You haven't learned from this morning...or this afternoon, huh?" Shannon asked, still in his embrace but now turning to face him.

"Nope," he replied with a smirk. "If smothering you with my ring sweat will ultimately lead to playful punches, scratches, and hot sex, I have no reason to 'learn.' I'll continue to be 'disobedient' around you."

"You're such a douchebag," she said, turning her head back forward while trying to wiggle away.

"A cute douchebag," he added with a wink, giving zero fucks maintaining a hold on her while she absorbed his perspiration.

"When were you going to tell me about GQ?," Shannon asked.

"It was a surprise to me too," he admitted before nuzzling his face into her neck, and eventually lifting his head back up. "I knew Sarita had a clothing line launch coming up because I was one of the first people she asked to participate. But even she didn't know the cover was a lock at the very beginning. Her people knew people, and talks went down. Given our line of work, you know how fluid things are. Promises are made, then broken, just like that. I didn't want to embarrass myself, or get your hopes up if it was a false alarm."

"Okay, you're forgiven," she replied turning forward to face him, and he pulled her closer.

"For what?" He questioned. "I've done nothing entitling you to an apology."

"For putting your funk all on me," she said as he smiled at her. She initiated an opportunity to make out this time, pressing her lips against his. He accepted immediately. "Congrats on the United States Gorgeousness," Shannon mumbled through pecks as the kiss came to a close, acknowledging his title victory her special way. Like a mark.

"Thanks," he mumbled to her in response. "You like my funk."

 _No I don't baby. Not at all. Some chicks find that sexy. I'm not one of them. Please don't make that a habit. Eww. I love you, not your sweat. Feel free to maul me as often as you can, and as much as you want when you're fresh and dry._

* * *

Other matches on the Summerslam card included Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, who captured the title from fellow Canadian Tyson Kidd at Battleground, successfully defend his title tonight in triple threat against Chris Jericho and John Cena. Chris Jericho was on the top rope attempting a missile dropkick. Cena blocked him from doing so, stepping on the middle ropes, ready to deliver an Attitude Adjustment to Chris to the outside. Zayn nailed a Helluva Kick on Cena, and he fell to the canvas, rolling out the ring. Jericho, like a cat, landed on his feet when Cena dropped him. Unfortunately for the "King of the World," Zayn evaded the Codebreaker with a 540 kick, to obtain the victory.

"Mr. Money In The Bank," Kevin Owens defeated the "Unstable" Dean Ambrose in a match where Owens' briefcase was on the line. Owens kicked out of two Dirty Deeds. As Ambrose went for a third, Owens lunged him in the air, teased a Pop-up Powerbomb, but quickly flung Ambrose horizontally against his shoulders for an F5 for the win. Kevin did the move before he was in the WWE, and Brock Lesnar wasn't on tonight's card.

Wade Barrett defeated Russev, Stardust, and Damien Sandow in an elimination fatal four way match. Stardust was the first person eliminated eating finishers from everyone involved. Rusev landed the Savate Kick, Sandow nailed a swinging neckbreaker, and Barrett finished him off with the Bullhammer Elbow. Barrett drove another vicious Bullhammer to Sandow to end his night. Lana attempted to distract Barrett, but he ultimately pinned Rusev following Wasteland.

A camera shot showed a frustrated Dean Ambrose walking backstage, not to the locker rooms, but on his way out of the building. He was upset about his loss to Owens for a future title shot.

"Popcorn?" asked Kyle Henderson, the security guard Shannon and Tyler met briefly on one of their dates a few weeks ago in Venice Beach. He was still friends with Corey Graves, and told him he'd be starting the Dudley Boyz' "Team 3D Academy" wrestling school in Kissimee, Florida in a couple of months. So Corey gave Kyle's boss free tickets to the show this weekend, and flew Kyle out to participate in a segment. He was posing as a concession vendor.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll take some," said Dean through a grunt. "And don't forget my soda. Extra ice."

"Would you like butter with that?" Kyle asked as he was stuffing a bag. But the gesture was met with a forearm to the face.

"What the hell?" asked WWE Commentator for Smackdown, Mauro Ranallo, who was in attendance for the Summerslam Pay-Per-View. "Ambrose is going after the innocent vendor...absolutely destroying the stand...popcorn...butter...fountain drinks everywhere! This person has a job to do Dean! It's not their fault you lost!"

Dean tossed Kyle through the popcorn machine shoulder first, poured a cup of fountain Pepsi on him, and delivered Dirty Deeds on the concrete. Then Dean removed his tank top and choked Kyle with it for a few minutes.

"I don't eat popcorn anymore," Dean mumbled to a hurt Kyle. "I'm a nachos guy now."

"This next contest is a tag team gauntlet match for the WWE Tag Team Championships," announced Lilian Garcia to an excited crowd. "The match will not end until all teams, but one have been eliminated!"

The first teams squaring off were "The Club," Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson versus "The New Day." The Club were mocking The New Day, tossing them around with all kinds of slams and throws, never once making an attempt for a pin. Out of nowhere, Kofi Kingston hit Trouble In Paradise, and pinned Doc Gallows. The crowd went wild as they realized new champions were guaranteed to be crowned as the current champions were defeated. Both pissed and stunned, Anderson and Gallows attacked The New Day after their elimination. Commentary played their actions as devious as they weakened Kingston, Langston, and Woods.

The next team to arrive were "The Revival" from NXT. Fans were excited because it was a strong team from NXT, and knowing what The Club did to The New Day, they were wondering if there was shot that a team from NXT could hold the tag team gold from the main roster. No. The fans were suckered as this was a swerve and one-off match for the team. The resilient New Day eliminated The Revival, but were eliminated themselves by The Ascension. A promoted Enzo Amorè and Colin Cassady were the next team out, and the New Yorkers were embraced with open arms. They eliminated The Ascension first, and then the Vaudevillians.

Enzo and Cass thought they were the new WWE Tag Team Champions because they were the last team standing in the ring. But their music didn't play. There was a reason why.

" **Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo!**

 **Pop a forty, and check your rollies!**

 **It's Cryme Tyme!**

 **Brooklyn! Brooklyn!**

 **We bringing it, bringing it!**

 **We bringing da' hood to you!**

 **We bringing it, bringing it!**

 **Whatcha' gonna' do?**

 **We bringing it, bringing it!**

 **We're bringing the hood to you!**

 **Yeah, that's how we do!"**

The crowd lost their shit as Cryme Tyme entered the Barclays Center as the final team. It was a pleasant surprise that received a huge pop. Enzo and Big Cass were no longer crowd favorites. They were instantly turned heels as it was now Queens, NY versus Brooklyn, NY. Carmella, who was also promoted, ran down the ring mid match to aid her stable mates. But instead of hitting JTG or Shad, she hit Enzo. Cryme Tyme capitalized with their Samoan Drop into a Corkscrew Neckbreaker tag finisher combination, known as the G9, winning the titles. Paul thought it was a shame how over Cryme Tyme were as a team between 2006 and 2009 that they never held the straps. He couldn't right every wrong his father-in-law made. But he was working on some.

For the first time ever, there was a triple threat, ⅔ falls match for the Divas Championship. Fans may have been aware at Wrestlemania 2000 where the self proclaimed "Euro-Continental Champion" Kurt Angle, squared off against both Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. The bout was officially advertised as a triple threat. But it was treated as a ⅔ falls match because the first fall didn't grant both championships, just one. Here, it was clearly advertised that Divas Champion Paige, would defend her title against both Nikki Bella and Natayla. Unlike a traditional triple threat, the contest would _not_ end with one fall. The victor had to secure two falls against an opponent. Paige scored a fall forcing a tap on Natalya with the PTO. Natalya tapped Nikki Bella out with the Sharpshooter. And Nikki Bella scored a pin on Paige with the Rack Attack. Because all three women gained falls on each other, the match was declared a draw. Therefore, Paige retained her championship.

"Keeping it warm for me?" asked Dana Brooke who was also promoted from NXT, when she saw Paige backstage.

Paige ignored her, and kept walking. Even though it was a quick segment, it made Dana Brooke look strong in ten seconds of debuting. Paige may have retained her championship, but it wasn't like she was the undisputed victor because all women in the match suffered defeat.

The next match was The Undertaker versus Bray Wyatt. The match went fifteen minutes before members of the family came ringside. The Undertaker had delivered Snake Eyes and followed up with a big boot, so Bray was down at the moment. The Wyatt family stared at Undertaker for roughly ten seconds before entering the ring. Once inside, they did not attack, but continued to stare at him. Bray was now revived, and sat himself on the canvas in one of the corners of the ring, rocking himself, circa Mankind 1996.

Suddenly, Undertaker started attacking the Wyatts, who still had not physically provoked him. Erick Rowan Wyatt was tombstoned. The larger, Braun Strowman Wyatt, was chokeslammed. Finally, Undertaker trapped Luke Harper Wyatt in the Hells Gate submission, all while Bray, still in the corner, became completely transfixed by the turn of events.

The referee could not ring the bell to call for a disqualification because Undertaker was the aggressor. The Wyatt family never attacked him in Bray's behalf. When Undertaker released the hold and began walking toward Bray, he exited the ring, leaving Undertaker surrounded by his family's fallen bodies. With Bray out of the ring, the referee started counting. Bray gazed on at Undertaker as he muttered, "You're crazier than I thought." Bray ended up getting himself counted out, looking on at Undertaker as if he were a monster that the Wyatts had never dealt with before. The finish had a Survivor Series 1995 feel to it.

In the main event, the "Phenomenal One," AJ Styles beat WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, capturing the title. The match was to no-one's surprise, stellar. The finish came when Ziggler measured Styles for a second superkick. AJ caught the leg Ziggler was aiming with, and as Ziggler hopped around a few seconds in an effort to either escape or reposition his body for a different counter, AJ caught his other leg. From there he elevated Ziggler, locking him in perfect position for the Styles Clash, and nailed it effortlessly. As AJ celebrated, Seth Rollins returned and delivered a Curb Stomp to the new champion, before holding the title up as the show closed.

A tweet showed up in Shannon's notifications following the aftermath of the Summerslam main event.

 **New** **tweet** from user **At** **WWERollins** :

"Nothing personal **At** **AJStylesOrg**. My arm's been redesigned, rebuilt, and now I'm ready to reclaim. See ya' tomorrow on Raw."

She didn't tweet Rollins, but did acknowledge Styles' win.

 **AtSStormWWE:** "Hey bro, **AtAJStylesOrg** , congrats on getting the strap! #IfItAin'tP1TheyDon'tWantNone #TooSweet #ThrowItUp"

Shannon was very proud of AJ. After finishing up a two year run with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2016, AJ went back the United States to discuss his Impact Wrestling return with TNA President Dixie Carter. After being told by Dixie that she "was no longer interested," he was going to consider negotiating with ROH, or possibly see if NJPW wanted an extension. But before AJ even had a moment to gather himself to pursue those entities, Paul called. Not only did he tell AJ he was "very interested," but wanted him to be in high-profile programs, from the start. Timing was everything. What better way to remind TNA of what they were missing out on than to have AJ debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble, in Orlando Florida, home of the Impact Zone? The fans were receptive. And Paul and AJ were appreciative. Eighteen months later, he was their champion.

* * *

 **August 21st, 2017**

 **Monday Night Raw**

 **Barclays Center in** **Brooklyn, New York**

Shannon and Tyler took pictures of each other wearing their titles in street clothes before the show started. It was a fun week hanging out together for the Takeover/Summerslam/Raw weekend. After tonight, she would head South for Orlando. He would head to Buffalo, Rochester, then Albany, NY for the next house shows. With how fluid Creative could be in professional wrestling, they had no idea if they would be champions at the same time ever again. So they decided to visually capture the memory on their last night together for a while. After their photos with her NXT Women's Championship, and his United States Championship, they decided to be goofy and swap, snapping pictures wearing the opposite person's title. Tyler even made a joke that if someone already on the main roster were to beat Shannon in the race to become the second female Intercontinental Champion, she could at least pitch the idea of becoming the second woman to hold the United States Championship. The late Mae Young was the first. It was over 50 years ago, and chances were that no one even remembered it. But she and Tyler were two nerds that did. Paul was the likely third.

* * *

Monday Night Raw opened with newly crowned WWE Tag Team Champions, Cryme Tyme, who once again received an amazing pop from the Brooklyn crowd. They started cutting a promo about their return, finally winning the titles, and doing so in their hometown. Their promo was interrupted by the latest tag team promoted to the main roster, Enzo Amorè and Colin Cassady, along with his real-life girlfriend Carmella. Last night the crowd turned them heel due to the surprising return of Cryme Tyme. Enzo and Big Cass said that Shad and JTG were the better men that night, but "Queens would always be superior to Brooklyn." Following the boos of cheap heat, they challenged Cryme Tyme in a rematch for the championships.

Before Cryme Tyme could answer, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson approached the ring. They were embarrassed at Summerslam not only because they lost their championships, but were the first team eliminated. And of all teams, The New Day eliminated them. They sought to make the championship match for the titles a triple threat match. Enzo and Big Cass were tossed from the ring following nailing their Badaboom Shakalaka finisher, which was a rocket launcher, on Gallows. Cryme Tyme took advantage of their dirty work, and got the pin to retain their titles. Once they made it backstage and turned a corner to a long hall on the way to the locker rooms, JTG was the victim of a 3D by the Dudley Boyz. The Dudleys weren't under contract this year, but were in the area, and Paul asked if they could swing by for the quick, but fun spot.

Highlights were shown of NXT Takeover: Respect. And the audience was reminded they could catch the entire show if they subscribe to the WWE Network.

A debuting Carmella defeated Brooklyn's own Sarita López.

Sarita's finisher was a Sitout Powerbomb that she appropriately called a "Prettybomb," playing off her modeling background. In addition to paying homage to her background, the name was creatively chosen because Sarita would perform the powerbomb with theatrics. After nailing the maneuver, she'd blow a kiss at her opponent before making a cover. The implication being that "Pretty hurts." Her fans totally loved the reference to a Beyoncé song. Sarita, who hit her Prettybomb finish, was countered when she was prevented from blowing a kiss at Carmella. When Sarita knelt over her foe's body, Carmella quickly wrapped the Latina in a Crucifix pinning combination for the three count.

John Cena came to the ring sucking up to Sami Zayn about being talented, but eventually complained about not being pinned in the match last night between Zayn, Jericho, and himself. So he requested to go one on one with Zayn tonight. His challenge was answered, not by Zayn, but by Kevin Owens. Kevin talked about beating Ambrose to retain possession of his Money In The Bank Briefcase. Kevin also said it was a match he "shouldn't even had been in because he _already_ earned it, but was victorious anyway." Kevin then told Cena, "rather than whine your way into another I.C. title match, accept my generous offer of once again putting my briefcase on the line against _you_ tonight." Cena accepted, and his plans to pursue a sixteenth world title were crushed as Kevin Owens won the bout.

Highlights were shown of some of the activities outside the ring this week in New York including Superstars granting wishes for "Make-A-Wish" kids, hosting BA Star rallies, Sarita López's fashion show, the WWE Corporate Party, and other charitable events.

Seth Rollins then returned following the video package of events the Superstars partook in this week. He received a decent pop. It wasn't as big as Lesnar's 2012 return to the WWE following Wrestlemania 28, when he said nothing, walked straight to the ring, and F5'd John Cena. And it for damn sure didn't even come close to a fraction of the size of Paul's when he returned to Madison Square Garden on January 7th, 2002. Still, Seth was back and delivered a promo reflecting on exactly what he tweeted to newly crowned WWE World Heavyweight Champion, "The Phenomenal One," AJ Styles. They would face each other in a non-title match later tonight.

* * *

" **There ain't no stopping us now.**

 **We celebrate on the floor…"**

"This is going to be a nice one folks. A fun, bright, talent joining the main roster of the women's division," began Monday Night Raw commentator, Byron Saxton.

"And making her way to the ring, from San Jóse California, It's Bayley!" announced Lilian Garcia, and the crowd screamed as Bayley's titan tron and music started. Lilian announced her name three more times. Bayley still didn't appear. Some members of the audience were scratching their heads.

"Well we thought we were getting Bayley versus Nikki Bella ladies and gentlemen," Byron continued. "Oh my goodness...what's _she_ doing here?"

A camera shot showed Bayley limping through one of the halls on her way to Gorilla before Shannon clobbered her with a sneak attack from behind.

"That's NXT Women's Champion Shannon Storm! She's not supposed to be here!" Byron shouted. "And Bayley's just 48 hours removed from losing her NXT Women's Title to her!"

Shannon chop blocked Bayley in the right leg with a crowbar, right between the back of Bayley's knee and her hamstring. This caused Bayley to drop to one knee, and Shannon kicked Bayley's other leg. She then stomped on each of Bayley's hamstrings and calf muscles. Bayley rolled on her back, ailing Shannon an opportunity to climb on a productive crate to deliver a diving knee drop on Bayley's quadriceps. Bayley started screaming, and clenched her legs. Shannon started to grab Bayley's legs and apply the Storm Shield, but agents and other personnel rushed to Bayley's aide, separating the women.

"Have fun out there," said Shannon. "And break a leg. Oh my bad, seems like I already did!"

Shannon's ambush had a bit of Summerslam and No Mercy 1999 feel to it. "Triple H" went on to win the WWF Championship on the Monday Night Raw _following_ Summerslam. However, the night before at the Pay-Per-View when Mankind won the title, "Triple H" comitted a viscous assault on then former WWF Champion, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Two months later at No Mercy, "Triple H" was involved in the vehicular assault on "The Rattlesnake." In real life, the angle was done to get Austin off television so he could have his neck surgery. His in-ring return wasn't scheduled for another twelve months, despite his commitment to make sporadic appearances in the spring of 2000. For Creative purposes from a booking perspective, a transfer of power was taking place: Austin, who was the predominant babyface of the company, was leaving. By having "Triple H" take him out, his figurative coronation ceremony as top heel occured.

Vince McMahon was very fortunate in having two hot babyfaces in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Austin. Depending on who you asked, some people would say Austin was above Dwayne. Some felt Dwayne was above Austin. Some felt Paul was beneath them both. If you asked either man: Austin, Paul, or Dwayne they'd view each other as equals. They were all top guys. "Dwayne and Austin shared the role as the top babyface. For Vince, it was great for business. For Paul, it was great as a performer; because as top heel, he had the pleasure of working with both men.

Shannon's attack served many purposes for Paul. One, it confirmed the rumors about Bayley's promotion to the main roster. Two, it provided more heat for Shannon, and more sympathy for Bayley once she "healed" now that she would be on the main roster. Lastly, it got more eyeballs interested in the NXT product, and would lead to future subscriptions. For people who hadn't watched NXT, only Raw and Smackdown, they were curious not only on who Bayley and Shannon were, but just what in the hell would cause their rivalry to be so intense. It was smart cross-promotion. Hey, they didn't call him "The Cerebral Assassin" for nothing. The nickname carried weight in _and_ out of the ring.

The next match saw Wade Barrett defeat Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn in a non-title match. Barrett scouted the Helluva Kick, and just hoisted him up for Wasteland for the pin.

A commercial aired for the Stone Cold Podcast which would be on WWE Network immediately following Raw. Tonight's guest would be former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Dolph Ziggler.

A video package showing highlights of "Prince Pretty's" return aired. This subsequently lead to the second title defense tonight: a rematch for the United States Championship.

Tyler Breeze defeated Roman Reigns in a rematch, retaining his championship. Roman came charging for a Superman Punch, but ate the Supermodel Superkick. Roman kicked out, but stayed down for a three count when Tyler nailed his diving, spinning, double heel kick, commonly referred to as, "The Beauty Shot."

There was a tweet in Shannon's notifications from a fan regarding "The Gorgeous One."

 **New** **Tweet** from user **At** **HeyHeelsArePeopleToo:**

"I really like **At** **MmmGorgeous**. I'm glad he won. But when he does the pouty face, and really goes over the top with the duck lips, he kind of looks like Shannon Moore of #3Count. #ICan'tGetYouOutta'MyHeart."

Shannon didn't respond, but laughed her ass off at that tweet, and subconsciously tried to make comparisons in her head of the two men. She was distracted when she received a notification he tweeted back.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **At** **MmmGorgeous** :

"You mean Shannon Moore was trying to be me **At** **HeyHeelsArePeopleToo**! After all, I'm bigger, taller, hotter, more athletic, have a voice, and above all else, #PartManButAllModel #ShannonMooreIsn'tOnGQ #Muah."

Following that match, a video package displayed highlights of the Summerslam main event between Ziggler and Styles.

Paige and Alicia Fox versus Naomi and Tamina ended in a disqualification when Dana Brooke interfered, assaulting Paige.

The main event of the evening was a non-title match between Seth Rollins and AJ Styles. The match went roughly eighteen minutes. Rollins measured Styles, calling for his Curb Stomp finisher. When he hit the ropes and took off, Kevin Owens, who was ringside providing commentary, slid in the ring, dropping the briefcase on the canvas. The minute Rollins nailed his finisher on Styles, Owens pulled him back, preventing him from making the pin. Owens then delivered a Pop-Up Powerbomb to Rollins on his Money In The Bank briefcase.

"My goodness, the referee has no choice but to call for the bell," said WWE commentator for Monday Night Raw, Byron Saxton. " 'The Architect' picks up the win via disqualification due to 'The Prizefighter's' interference."

As AJ Styles slowly made his way to his feet, Dolph Ziggler came through the crowd, and entered the ring from an opposite side of the arena.

"Zig-Zag!" yelled fellow Raw commentator, John Bradshaw Layfield. "Zig-Zag to the champion from 'The Showoff!' And look, the only two people left standing are the former champion Dolph Ziggler, and the presumptive future champion in Kevin Owens!"

"A lot of unanswered questions JBL," said Saxton. "It looks like the WWE World Heavyweight Championship title picture may be a lot more crowded than we think. Thank you for watching Monday Night Raw on the USA Network. We hope to see you next week!"

The show ended with Ziggler and Owens staring at each other, before then looking at the fallen Seth Rollins and AJ Styles, who remained "unconscious" on the canvas.

A tweet from "The "Prizefighter" showed up in Shannon's notifications, following the aftermath of Monday Night Raw.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **At** **FightOwensFight** :

"Um, I don't what you've been doing the past few months, but AJ's not the only person that should be on your mind **At** **WWERollins**. Rehabbing that arm may have somehow removed some of your brain cells. You may WANT to be champion, but I've got a briefcase that GUARANTEES me to it. #I'mJustSaying"

* * *

 _ **Additional Author's**_ _ **Notes**_ _: Shout out to **Beagle Brother**_ _for helping me tweak my Takeover and Summerslam cards. They were already pretty solid, but those modifications enhanced the chapter I feel. So thank you very much._

 _Well Shannon's got the strap! Anyone like the NXT Women's Title match? Or any of the matches for that matter? A ton of effort was put in this trio of chapters: Game Time, Parts I, II, and III. I hope you enjoyed them. I told you guys I would try my best to "just bring it!" like "The Great One." Hopefully this wasn't a jabroni chapter for you, and the wait for all three was worth it._


	31. Chapter Thirty One: Make It Reign

**Author's Notes for February 12th, 2017:** _Congratulations to Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson for making it to this year's WWE Hall of Fame. As a mark for some stables, hearing the Rock-N-Roll Express tag team get in puts a smile on my face. There were so many tag teams with variations of parts of your team name: The Midnight Express, The Rockers, The All Night Express, etc. Additionally, you gents made your rounds through territories as you accumulated titles multiple times, which I respect. Though admittedly, as a Horsemen fan, I'm partial to your time NWA JCP run, feuding with them._

 _We lost another in the wrestling family. Rest in Power Chavo Guerrero Sr. (Chavo Classic). You're a legend sir, and I'm glad Chavo Jr. got a little bit of work with you in front of the WWE audience, so they could be exposed to a piece of your legacy. We still miss Eddie. But I guess you missed your brother more than us, and had to go have fun with him personally in #WrestlingHeaven. Viva La Raza._

 _I hope_ people enjoyed the trio of Takeover/Summerslam chapters. As you could tell both from seeing this note and the fact that this story isn't marked "complete," Shannon's journey isn't over, and won't be for a while. Fun, interesting things are still planned going forward before this one's "in the books" as some people say. So, if you're ready to see the beginning of Shannon's title reign, read on...

* * *

 **Monday, August 21st, 2017**

Following the airing of Monday Night Raw on the USA Network, a sixty second vignette aired on the WWE Network shortly before the broadcast of the "Stone Cold" Podcast. The setting of the vignette looked like a Gymnastics studio. In reality, it was the area of the WWE Performance Center where talent could do yoga, pilates, and other types of stretching exercises that didn't require the use of machines, weights, or any other type of equipment, aside from floor mats. Paul reached out to some people who had Gymnastics camps in Florida to borrow a few of their apparutes to film this vignette a month or so ago.

During the vignette, several dozens of cheerleaders were used as extras. Some were college students at Full Sail University and the University of Central Florida. Others were from the NBA's Orlando Magic. They were all in unison wearing uniforms with the the WWE logo, rather than the color schemes and names of the individual teams they represented. They were also performing a group routine. Through the power of editing and the juggernaut powerhouse WWE's production crew had, one of the cheerleaders did a running handspring, off a balance beam. Then there was a cutaway. When the cutaway returned, this cheerleader, who did a handspring off a balance beam, seem to change into a different person. They did a moonsault, landing in an NXT ring. When the person turned to reveal themselves to the camera, their pom poms covered their face. Their name wasn't visible either. This was the first vignette for Cheerleader Melissa.

On her evening flight back to Florida, Shannon tweeted, not to brag about her win, but to promote future live events.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Here we go, **AtNXTUniverse** , #Roadtrip! 8/22-Norvolk Virginia, 8/23-Richmond, Virginia, 8/24-Washington, DC, and on 8/25, it's about damn time, **AtGottaGetSwann** , we're headed home to #NXTBaltimore. #WeAreNXT #TheFutureIsNow Sorry **AtJayBriscoe84** and **AtSussexCoChicken** , Sandy Fork, Delaware isn't in my itinerary. #DemBoys."

Jay Briscoe, one half of the eight time ROH World Tag Team Champions, one-time IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, and two-time ROH World Champion responded.

 **New** **tweet** from user: **AtJayBriscoe84** :

"Ha, we know your bougie ass wouldn't come to the chicken coup anyway, **AtSStormWWE**! #YouBoutThatCityLife #YouAin'tCountryStrong"

Then his brother and tag team partner, Mark Briscoe, replied.

 **New** **tweet** from user: **AtSussexCoChicken** :

" **AtSStormWWE,** hit me & **AtJayBrisco84** up when you get to the other side of I-95 girlie. If schedules don't conflict, let's catch up in your neck of the woods at **AtJimmysSeafood**. #DelMarVaBaby You're from that #CrabcakeCity."

Shortly after, Ring of Honor's Lio Rush, a fellow grad of MCW like Shannon, but from Landham, Maryland, retweeted her tweet, before sending out one of his own to her.

 **New tweet** from user **AtItsLioRush** :

" **AtSStormWWE** , I'm sure you haven't forgotten where 3343 Hollins Ferry Road is."

She smiled at Lio's tweet as that was the address to the Ring of Honor Headquarters. She retweeted his response, and replied back to him with an address as equally memorable, MCW Pro Wrestling.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Of course not, **AtItsLioRush**! Nor have I forgotten about 1000 Joppa Farm Road. :) We've come a long way. #NothingButLoveMyMan #StayHumbleButStayHungry"

* * *

 **Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017**

 **NXT TV**

Shannon and the rest of the NXT roster were in Virginia for live events this week. But a new episode of NXT which was taped in the afternoon a few days prior before the group departed, aired today.

" **The roar of the crowd!**

 **Stomp your feet to the ground!**

 **Give it all to me now!**

' **Cause it goes like, goes like!"**

"Welcome everyone to NXT! We thank you for joining us as we do each and every week on the award-winning WWE Network," began NXT Commentator Tom Phillips following the opening video and subsequent pyro in the NXT Arena at Full Sail University.

"We are coming off an amazing Takeover in Brooklyn!" shouted Corey Graves. "Great matches, great moments...speaking of great moments, I think we're about to get one now."

" **They say I'm cocky, and I say 'what?'**

 **It ain't braggin' motherfucker if ya' back it up!"**

Even though Shannon won the title from Bayley roughly four days ago, the production crew that put together wrestlers' titantrons and video packages, purposely did not add Shannon with the title to the opening NXT video. This would be her first official appearance as champion, and in the event fans hadn't watched Takeover yet, those edits would be made _after_ , once she cemented her role on the brand.

"Shannon Storm looks like she's channeling her inner Bruno Mars 'Uptown Funk,' with that outfit," said Phillips as Shannon made her way down to the ramp while her music continued to play. Her hair was straightened and brushed to one side, hanging down her chest.

"Really Tom?" Graves questioned. "That's the _first_ thing that comes to mind when you see her enter the building?"

To Phillips' credit, Shannon was intentional with her outfit. She liked Bruno Mars, and the song "Uptown Funk" remained at the top of music charts for close to two years at one point. Similar to the artist in his music video for the song, Shannon wore black slacks. Hers were all-season stretch trousers from Ann Taylor. Bruno also wore basic black loafers. Shannon's had a bit more pizazz. She wore a pair of Gramercy Wing Oxford black nubuck-twine shoes, which were fully lined and lightweight.

Shannon entered the ring with a smug look on her face, before leaning between the ropes to retrieve a microphone from ring announcer Eden Stiles. When she did, she returned to the center of the ring, and waited for her music to end before speaking.

"Not two, I have _four_ words for you Full Sail," Shannon said with a smirk as she unbuttoned her jacket revealing the title around her waist.

The most iconic piece of the "Uptown Funk" video was Bruno Mars' bright, Salmon Pink blazer. His was double breasted, and he wore a plain, white, V-neck tee shirt underneath. This was Shannon's first promo as champion. She was expected to hit it out of the park. To do so, she wanted to be relevant with the outfit, but make it sexy. To her, it would make for a strong contrast. Piss the fans off wearing something by a well known artist, but as a heel, put your own spin on it, and brag in the process about your success.

This blazer was single breasted, with a lapel collar by Lyst. She did not wear a blouse. She did not wear a tee shirt. She did not wear a tank top. The only thing under this blazer was a strapless bra and her championship.

" **I**... **told**... **you**... **so**."

The crowd booed before she went on.

"Tonight calls for celebration. Tonight calls for a moment to rejoice. Because unlike many politicians despite having good intentions, who ultimately, _fail_ to deliver on their broken promises, I did the exact opposite! I defeated Bayley to become _your_ ," Shannon said pointing to the audience before she continued. "NXT Women's Champion."

The main cameraman zoomed in on the championship around Shannon's waist, and she slowly caressed it on her abdomen, like a proud mother expecting her first child. Shannon made good on her word to Tyler during one of their spring dates when she spoke about her modifications to the championship if she were ever booked to win it. She kept the strap all black leather, and the main center and side plates silver. However, the emblems that had NXT in capital letters and the words "Women's Championship" in Lavender Purple, were now White Gold.

"To the people in the back with ovaries," she turned to the entrance ramp. "You'd have to break my damn shoulder to take this away from me. And even then," Shannon paused with a laugh. "Tough shit for you because I'd _still_ have one good shoulder left!"

The boos stopped.

She removed the title from her waist, and placed it on her shoulder. "Some of you like Bayley."

The crowd cheered.

"Some of you _love_ Bayley."

The crowd cheered louder.

"Some of you look up to Bayley like a role model, or a hero of some kind."

There was a sustained pop for the many ways Shannon depicted Bayley.

"I didn't see her as _any_ of that," Shannon said as she shook her head. "When I stood in that ring across from her in Brooklyn, I saw _just_ _another_ _victim_..."

 _The marks who love Taz are eating this shit up, I'm sure. Hopefully he gives me some rub online for plugging his phrase. And all of his homies representing the 'Red Light District.'_

"Just another _roadblock_ standing in my way for seizing what I want-which I now have-and that is _this_!" Shannon screamed to the fans, but turned her face, staring at her own shoulder the entire time.

Shannon, still holding the the microphone, clenched her title tighter to her body as she ducked her head, and climbed between the ropes to exit the ring. When she hopped off the apron, she continued her promo as she walked along the outside.

"For those of you expecting me to defend this championship against Bayley in a rematch, I'm not going to say, 'Sorry to disappoint you,' because the truth is that I'm _not_ sorry. Call it a sick kind of high, but I _love_ disappointing you. That match will _not_ take place! I'm not granting her any rematch clause. She _lost_ , and we're _through_. For any of you smarks who believe this is a rehash of the April 20th, 1998 episode of WCW Monday Nitro between Goldberg and Raven for the United States title, guess again! I _am_ _not_ , and I _will_ _not_ be a 'transitional champion.' Bayley is not here tonight. She won't be here next week. She won't be here next month! She won't be at the next Takeover! She won't be here ever again!"

The boos returned as Shannon took her time emphasizing her point of Bayley's departure.

 _There we go Full Sail. Music to my ears. Don't worry folks. I've got more._

Shannon, who was walking around the ring for the past few moments during her promo, stopped when she reached a certain section of the crowd.

"Isn't that right Izzy?" She asked. Izzy, Bayley's ultimate super-fan, grabbed her father's leg as she looked on at Shannon. It was a rhetorical question. Izzy didn't know that, but thankfully, she cooperated.

"I am not going to play dress up, and sugar coat everything to you like your pathetic excuse for parents! You may not be 21, but I'm going to serve you a drink straight, with no chaser. Life is not a fairy tale! You don't always get a happy ending! It doesn't matter how hard you work, how much you may be deserving, how strict you play by the rules, some people _never_ get what they want!" Shannon yelled at Izzy and her family, leaning over the barricade, and tears from the nine year old started rolling.

"If Bayley is what you want, I will do my damnedest to ensure you never get her! Don't you turn away, listen to me!" Izzy made a quarter turn, and covered one half of her face rubbing tears, despite the river still flowing. "I don't care how much you pout your little lips and cry! You may write your little 'Get Well' cards for her all you want, hoping she'd subliminally return to this ring. But sweetheart, it will _always_ be a nightmare for you at NXT as long as Shannon Storm is around."

"Oh come on Shannon, enough!" shouted Phillips. "Izzy's an innocent little girl. Leave her alone."

"I don't believe the champion is finished speaking," Graves said, ignoring Phillips defense of Izzy.

"And if you even _think_ about climbing over this barricade to interfere in my matches in an effort to vicariously 'defend' Bayley's honor," Shannon started with a smirk, followed by an evil glare. "It makes no difference to me you're in the fourth grade. I will leave you in a far worse debilitating state than I did Bayley this past Monday night on Raw!"

Before Izzy's crying became too loud and she made a melodramatic outburst, Shannon walked away, choosing to finish her promo at the top of the entrance ramp.

" 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. Trish Stratus. Rob Van Dam. Shannon Storm. Every single one of those people were born on a date of greatness. It was their destiny because it was written in the stars," finally taking Patricia's advice from meeting her in April, Shannon went ahead and acknowledged sharing their birthday not only for heat, but to legitimize her big victory only being a matter of time. Her success was imminent because it was her birthright.

"Folks I am not just your current champion. I am your _reigning_ _and_ _defending_ champion. Because I plan on keeping this title for a very, long time," Shannon said, placing slower emphasis on the last three words. "Kurt Angle may have the three I's, but the way I see it, you people have only three choices."

She held up a finger for each one as she spoke. "You can get over it. You can get with it. Or you can just get the hell out!"

Shannon dropped the microphone, and raised her title high in the air before exiting the arena as her music blasted.

"Looks like we are in the 'Diamond Diva' era for the foreseeable future in the women's division," declared Graves. "I could get used to that."

A thirty second clip showing highlights of Bayley versus Shannon Storm aired after she walked through the curtain.

The first official match on tonight's episode saw "American Alpha" pick up a number one contender's victory over "The Revival," for a future Tag Title opportunity against newly crowned champions TM61, who defeated Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano at NXT Takeover: Respect. Following "The Revival's" defeat, they swore to Jason Jordan and Chad Gable that they would "get revenge" right before the camera shot left their irate faces.

A second vignette for Cheerleader Melissa aired next. This one didn't physically have her in the promotional video. What viewers saw instead were eighteen poms poms, with six in yellow, six in black, and six in white, which were the colors of the NXT brand. On each pom pom, in red text were the letters to her name intentionally scrambled up.

Cedric Alexander defeated third generation wrestler Taylor Rotunda who competed as "Bo Dallas" in the next match. The match went relatively quick, but it wasn't a total squash. Alexander was even willing to have Bo evade his Lumbar Check finisher, which was a black suplex into a double-knee backbreaker. He urged agent Dean Malenko to have Bo take the pin with his OverTime frog splash instead. Bo, who was the real-life younger brother of Bray Wyatt, understood he was supposed to make Alexander shine here; but Alexander didn't want Bo to look like a total jobber without worth, skill, or purpose. It was very selfless of him. Cedric respected the real-life lineage of Bo and Bray's family even if the two brothers weren't paired together on WWE television, or referenced their famous relatives: Mike Rotunda, "Blackjack" Mulligan, Barry and Kendall Windham.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following six person tag match is your main event!" yelled Eden Stiles. "And it is scheduled for one fall."

The team of Finn Bálor, NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, and Becky Lynch made their entrances individually. Minutes later, Shannon and Samoa Joe made theirs.

A very violent playing of the piano in the minor key ensued.

" **Glorious!**

 **No, I won't give in, I won't give in!**

' **Til I'm victorious!**

 **And I will defend, I will defend!"**

After roughly a three and a half second pause, the guitar and drums came in, before the vocals continued.

" **Glorious!**

 **No I won't give in, I won't give in!**

 **And I'll do what I** _ **must**_ **!**

 **No, I won't give in, I won't give in!**

 **Oh so,** _ **glorious**_ **!**

 **Until the end, until the end!"**

"And introducing their partner, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, weighing in at 235 pounds, Bobby Roode!" shouted Eden Stiles, elongating the O's in his last name.

Shannon couldn't help herself when bobbing her head to the music of Bobby Roode. CFO$ was really on a roll since Paul made the call to appoint them with creative control of all themes for talent going forward, both the NXT brand and the main roster. Rather than firing Jim Johnston, he put the longtime composer in charge of producing music and scores for WWE Studios movies, animated series, promotional commercials for Pay-Per-Views, as well as documentaries for Superstar DVDs that featured music in the background. Shannon sensed heavy Queen vibes behind Roode's entrance music, as the vocals were performed very strong and anthem-like. She was willing to bet Roode was big fan of theirs. So was she.

Apparently though, CFO$ put the track together and had it resting on the figurative shelf for a bit, having a different Superstar in mind for it. One day they sent it to Paul, and asked for his thoughts. He instantly thought it was more suited for Roode. So the composers gave Roode a listen to the sampling. He liked it, but wasn't completely into it. Perhaps it was because he only listened mere days shortly after signing to the company, under the NXT brand last summer. CFO$ told Roode that Paul thought the theme fit him perfectly. With that in mind, Roode gave the song another listen, this time the full track with vocals included. He agreed with Paul that the glory, prestige, and 'Old School' pompous feel his character was bringing to the brand matched the theme. CFO$ assigned it to him, and it didn't take long for the fans to fall in love with how much they too, felt it suited him.

It was also kind of funny to Shannon how when Bobby Roode was in TNA, some fans dubbed him "Triple H Junior." Then he cut his hair. Then Paul cut his hair, and some fans called him "Bobby Roode Senior." She saw similarities in their character, ability, and style. But didn't think the two men looked alike. Everyone was entitled to their opinion though.

When Roode made it inside the ring, he greeted Samoa Joe with a fist bump and Shannon with a hug. She was a fan of both men, but this was her first time working with them directly in a match. She respected their work ethic, passion for the business, and their perseverant journeys to the WWE. Like ODB and the late Daniel Bryan, both Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode had very small stints with the WWE in some capacity early on in their careers.

While running through the Canadian independent circuit, Roode had a few periodic tryout matches with the WWE between 1998 and 2004 that were taped for Velocity, Sunday Night Heat, and Jakked/Metal. Despite having these matches on the WWE's pre-shows, he was never offered a contract. Vince McMahon, Michael Hayes, and Kevin Dunn weren't really impressed. So he signed with TNA, and had a twelve year run there. With Samoa Joe, around that same time period in the late 90s to early 00s, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, was sent to some California independent shows through his behind the scenes role, running Talent Relations. He didn't see any star power in Samoa Joe, and encouraged him to leave the business of professional wrestling. Thankfully, neither man did.

"Looks like Becky Lynch wants to start things off for her team, as she waits for Bobby Roode to exit the ring, allowing Shannon to take his place," began NXT commentator Tom Phillips, following the sound of the bell. Bobby held his hands up momentarily, ducked his head toward the middle rope to exit before turning swiftly around, and clobbering Becky. "Hey come on now! What is going on? Shannon was supposed to enter!"

Bobby never exited the ring. He nudged his neck forward to sucker Becky and the fans into believing he was; but both legs never accompanied him through the ropes for a departure. When he turned to Becky, he quickly grabbed her wrist for a pull back lariat. The fans booed.

"Clothesline on Lynch!" exclaimed NXT Commentator Corey Graves. "And Bobby with a firm hold of 'The Lasskicker's' hair, pulls her back to her feet. I told you once before Tom, that a good match is a good match to me. I don't care if it's male versus male, female versus female, or a battle of the sexes. Apparently, neither does Roode."

"It appears that way as he carries Becky Lynch toward the ropes, dropping her on her abdomen against the top rope," explained Phillips. "Look at her dangling, and Bobby is just pounding her defenseless back with rights and lefts!"

"Front Facelock...what are we going see here?" asked Graves. "Slingshot Standard Vertical Suplex by Bobby Roode on Becky Lynch. Textbook technique! And now he finally disrobes, and uses it to cho-I mean, _show_ it to Becky."

"1...2...3...Come on Bobby, let her out!" shouted referee Drake Wuertz. "Do you want to get disqualified?"

When Bobby got up from his knees after choking Becky, he walked up to the referee, and mouthed off. He didn't pick up the robe when he left however. There was a reason why.

"And Samoa Joe reaches between the ropes to grab hold of Roode's robe, and continues to choke Lynch!" yelled Phillips. "Clearly she's in agony, kicking her legs out in pain trying to be relieved. I really don't understand why we don't have two refs out here. And this is not the first time I've complained about it!"

Bobby raised his hands up after talking to the referee, and that was Samoa Joe's cue to stop choking Becky as Bobby was about to return to his team.

"All yours," said Bobby to Shannon, gesturing his hands out to a weakened Becky, before turning his head back to Shannon with a palm raised for a tag.

"Glorious," Shannon said with a smirk while slapping Bobby's hand, accepting the tag, and entering the ring. Wuertz scooted Roode's robe out of the ring, while Becky coughed and crawled on all fours to make a tag.

Shannon stepped her left foot on Becky's right hand, preventing her from doing so. Then slapped her in the face a few times.

"Come on Lynch!" Shannon shouted at Becky. "You can't kick my lass on all fours can you?"

"No Shannon, she cannot. Because you _ambushed_ her with the double team," answered Phillips. "First with Roode's unexpected assault, and then Samoa Joe with the illegal interference!"

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, hang on right there," Graves said with look of annoyance. "There was no unexpected _anything_. Lynch knew she was in the six person tag, and she knew who her opponents were. There are men on her team, just like Shannon. Nothing is illegal. Samoa Joe wanted to help Becky," he paused. "Get a better view of the robe, that's all. Lots of Superstars have had some pretty sweet robes. "Ric Flair, Lord Steven Regal, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, just to name a few. And Bobby Roode's robe is just as glorious. It's no wonder he and Joe both showed Becky the threads."

Shannon continued to talk smack at Becky Lynch, and placed her right foot on Becky's left hand. Now with both hands covered by Shannon's feet, she could no longer crawl. Sympathetic fans wanted her to escape.

"Drop toe hold, Drop toe hold!" Shouted Phillips. "Drop toe hold...quickly into an inverted Inside Cradle from the 'Lasskicker!' 1..2...kickout by Shannon Storm, who was stunned as she was nearly pinned after her team's bullying on Becky."

Both women made it to their feet, and ran the ropes. They had the same idea in mind.

"Double Clothesline and referee Drake Wuertz starts the count as both 'The Lasskicker' and 'Diamond Diva' are down," said Graves. "Both women up at the count of 5. Hip Toss on Storm by Lynch! Lynch Irish Whips Storm...but Storm counters mid-stride with a lethal Armdrag into her opponents' corner!"

When Shannon armdragged Becky into Finn and Shinsuke's corner, she turned her back to her partners: Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode, who cheered her on. What she didn't realize was that as she was exchanging laughter with the men, Shinsuke Nakamura made a blind tag, tapping Becky's shoulder. Becky exited.

"Yeeeeaoh!" screamed NXT Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura as he entered the ring.

"Um, Champ, careful as you turn around," said Graves, who showed concern in his voice.

"What are you talking about Corey?" asked Phillips. "Shinsuke is staring ahead, looking focused, and ready to go."

"The _other_ champion in the ring Thomas, goodness gracious!" he yelled. "Shannon, lookout!"

Shannon turned around slowly, and stutter-stepped when she heard Shinsuke's voice. They stared at each other for seconds and the crowd roared, anticipating a lock up ensuing between the two champions. They did a good job teasing, but it did not happen.

"No," said Shinsuke, as he shook his head at Shannon. " _You_!" He shouted, pointing at Samoa Joe.

"I ain't scared," mumbled Samoa Joe as he lowered his head through the ropes and stretched his right leg through. "You want me? Takeover was the beginning. The destruction will continue."

"Oh, and Shannon Storm from behind with a Dragon Screw Legwhip on the NXT Heavyweight Champion!" exclaimed Phillips. "And here we go again with the underhanded tactics from this team!"

"And now, Shannon officially tags in the 'Samoan Strangler,' Samoa Joe," remarked Graves excitedly. "We saw Joe take out the champion at Takeover: Respect, as Roode did to Bálor. And they want some more. Samoa Joe is delivering a fury of knee strikes to the jaw of Shinsuke!"

" 'King of Strong Style,' huh?" Joe questioned smugingly to Shinsuke before nailing him with a stiff shin kick to his back.

"Joe forces the champion down...lateral press: 1,2, but Nakamura gets a shoulder up," explicated Phillips. "A relentless Joe does not give as he quickly wraps his left leg around the back of Nakamura's neck...and Nakamura's chin is being forced down to the side of the right knee of Samoa Joe, who's extending the pressure now. What is this-a version of a Head Scissors?"

"Watch the throat, Joe, watch the throat!" shouted Wuertz as Joe intersected his arms between his legs and around the head of Nakamura. The hinge of the left forearm rapidly departed Nakamura's chin, and rested on Nakamura's Adam's Apple.

"Ease up ref, ease up," Graves muttered in defense of Joe. "The man's hands could've slipped. The longer you're competing in a ring with those bright lights, you're sweating, and things can get slippery. And no, this is not a Head Scissors Tom. It is the Koji Clutch, introduced by Japanese Great, Koji Kanemoto. After Joe unleashed a fury of kicks, he quickly wrapped up Nakamura's head with his lower half. One leg's around the neck, the other around the face, wrenching the pressure tighter, while Joe grinds the bone of his forearm under the NXT Champion's throat. Hopefully it will lead to Shinsuke tapping out!"

While Joe was getting reprimanded by the referee, Shinsuke attempted to slide his torso forward, extending the arms of his 6'2 frame to get a hand on the rope. Bobby Roode saw this, and he pulled the bottom ropes toward himself, further away from Shinsuke. He released when he saw the referee change position, and move in his direction.

Shinsuke decided then to go lateral, slithering sideways to a different section of the ring. He managed to reached the ropes horizontally with his feet, now that Bobby no longer had them in his literal possession. Shinsuke, with both feet on the yellow ropes, used their leverage to propel his body backward. On the rotation, his arms were no longer trapped from the Koji Clutch. He caught Samoa Joe for a back suplex, and draped an arm across his body for a one count.

"Finn Bálor and Becky Lynch are trying to sike their tag partner up to get in a groove now," began Phillips. "Finn's encouraging the fans in the Full Sail Arena to clap it up. Becky's climbed on the second rope of her team's apron, and is tapping the top turnbuckle pad. Shinsuke...up on his feet...Kick to the midsection of Samoa Joe, and another! Spinning backfist from Shinsuke on Joe. Whoo, listen to that smack! Fans, it's like wood splitting. That's what it sounds like when Nakamura's lighting you up."

"Joe's reeling and Shinsuke hits the ropes...what's on the NXT Heavyweight Champion's mind?" asked Graves. "Leaps in the air...diving Crossarm Bar on Samoa Joe!"

"Aaah, aaah," Samoa Joe grunted, slapping his shoulder with his other arm after several seconds of selling the pain of Shinsuke's hold. He mentally forced himself to regain strength in his arm, and break out of Shinsuke's submission. He refused to submit, shaking his head violently at the referee questioning his ability to continue.

"Samoa Joe on one arm now...let's see if he can get out of this," said Graves. "He does! Samoan Drop on the champion, but no cover made!"

"Since Samoa Joe is _Samoan_ , is the move still called a Samoan Drop, or should we just call it 'Drop?' " asked Phillips.

"I am choosing to ignore your failed attempt at humor," said Graves. "Coquina Clutch! The Champ tried to tap Joe out, but he's going to tap to the 'Samoan Submission Specialist,' who's trying to lock in his Sleeper with a Body Scissors...no! Shinsuke evades, rolling out of the maneuver, and leaps to Finn Bálor!"

"Here comes the hot tag to the former champion!" Shouted Phillips, and Bálor entered the ring. "He hops on the top rope for a Springboard Somersault Senton on Joe, who goes down…Attempting to rise again is Joe, but he's denied as Finn executes a Running Front Drop, knocking him backwards into to the turnbuckles."

"Tag!" yelled the referee as he saw Roode tap Samoa Joe's arm, legally allowing himself entry into the match once again.

Finn did not back down. He _wanted_ Roode. He wanted payback for he and Joe's attack on Nakamura and himself following the conclusion of their championship match at Takeover: Respect. He nodded, and the two men locked up.

"Side Headlock by Roode," announced Graves. "Bálor pushes off, sending Roode into the ropes... Shoulder Block by Roode, but Bálor's back up, and slides through Roode's legs. Péle Kick by Bálor on Roode! He's stumbling a bit. Bálor now, Irish Whips Roode into the ropes once more; but Roode reverses it, sending 'The Demon' into them instead. And Shannon Storm tosses Samoa Joe's towel in Bálor's face, buying time for 'The Glorious One' to execute a beautiful Swinging Neckbreaker on Finn!"

"Come on ref!" exclaimed Phillips. "How could you not see that?"

"See what?" questioned Graves, ignoring Phillips pointing out Shannon distracting the former NXT Champion, so Bobby could regain the upper hand. "I saw Bobby Roode deliver a Neckbreaker to Bálor, then followed up with a Gutbuster. Now I see Bobby Roode making a cover...damn, but 'The Demon' kicked out."

Bobby didn't complain to the referee about the count, but walked over to the corner of Shinsuke and Becky. He mouthed off at Becky, and spat at Shinsuke. While this occured, Joe climbed to the top rope. Finn spotted him from the corner of his eye and ran towards him, nailing an enzuigiri. Joe fell from the top rope to the floor. The crowd cheered.

A graphic was shown at the bottom of the screen of the broadcast. They were still shot photos of Shannon and Becky. "It's great that we have this awesome six person main event, featuring two champions of our brand this week. I'll make a quick note about something forthcoming now," said Phillips in a serious tone. "Even though it saddens me to say it, Shannon Storm was correct about one thing she said earlier tonight in her champion's address. Bayley will no longer be joining us. She indeed has been promoted to the main roster. We wish her both a speedy recovery, and best of luck when she's back in action-whether it be on Raw, Smackdown, or any other Pay-Per-View-going forward."

"But as Jay-Z would say folks, it's 'on to the next one!' " Graves remarked enthusiastically. "And you don't have to wait or play a guessing game. You see it right there on the bottom right corner of your screen. Next week on NXT TV, it will be 'The Lasskicker,' Becky Lynch, taking on the 'Diamond Diva,' Shannon Storm, one on one. They have a history. You don't want to miss that. It should be a good one."

"Bobby Roode with closed eyes and raised arms is feeling it," began Phillips. "He believes everything he does is glorious. Calling for a Roode Bomb now, will he be victorious?"

Bobby and Finn engaged in a series of strike attacks. Roode's were punches, and Bálor's were kicks. The crowd exchanged in boos and cheers while the men slugged it out.

"Who's going get the better of the two?" asked Graves rhetorically. "And it's 'The Demon' who launches himself across Roode's back, driving him to the canvas for his Sling Blade, Neckbreaker!"

Finn did not attempt a pin on Roode. He instead ascended to the top rope.

"Cou de Gràce on Bobby...no! Good Lord!" yelled Phillips, who rose out of his seat. "Finn was measuring Roode for his Double Foot Stomp, but during the flight, Samoa Joe entered the ring and absolutely drilled 'The Demon's' sternum with a headbutt! Joe's skull became a battering ram!"

The crowd gasped at the moment, and continued to look on as referee Drake Wuertz backed Samoa Joe into his team's corner. Finn clenched his chest in pain, and rolled over. The referee made a second double count. The first was for Shannon and Becky earlier in the match. This time, it was for Bálor and Roode. When the referee made it to seven, each man started stirring, and dramatically tagged partners at nine and three quarters.

"Joe's back in, Nakamura's back in, and these folks are going nuts at Full Sail," shouted Phillips. "These men are at war, and NXT is the battlefield!"

As Nakamura and Joe were exchanging in grappling counters, before going back to trading strikes, Bobby Roode teased entering the ring in the event Nakamura would get the better of his partner. But someone had other plans.

"Becky Lynch hops of the apron, and races to the other side of the ring. She grabs the boots of Bobby Roode," Phillips said. "He may have hit his nose on the apron...he takes a swing on Lynch, and she ducks!"

"Don't lose track of what's happening in the ring Tom!" Graves yelled. "Shinsuke feeding off this raucous crowd...look out Joe...look out Joe...Bomayé! Oh no, _our_ _champion_..."

The crowd shouted "Kinshasa!" It was an alternate name Shinsuke called his Bomayé. Then they shouted "NXT," repeatedly. Not just because of the match itself, but of what just happened; and Graves' disappointing voice was a clue.

"Shannon rushed into the ring, pushing partner Samoa Joe aside, saving him from Bomayé," explained Phillips. "But in doing so, Shinsuke couldn't stop his momentum, and nailed Shannon with the Knee Strike, who rolls out of the ring."

 _You got me right in the mush. 'Strong Style' indeed Shinsuke!_

"Lynch and Roode still on the outside...Roode pushes Lynch into the barricade," Graves announced as he too, stood up, along with Phillips. "And now tries to spear her through it...DisArmHer, DisArmHer! Lynch caught Roode, taking him down in the submission! Shannon, you've gotta' help Joe because Roode can't!"

After rubbing her mouth from Shinsuke's Bomayé, Shannon made a second attempt to save Samoa Joe. Unfortunately, once again, she was circumvented.

"Finn's got Shannon, Finn's got Shannon!" yelled Phillips. "1916 on the floor!"

 _And spot number two from the boys is received._

"You cool?" mumbled Finn to Shannon, following the signature maneuver.

"I'm cool Fergal," Shannon muttered, calling the Irish Superstar by his birth name. "You took care of me."

"Swell," he mumbled back before leaving her flat on her back on the mats outside.

The crowd shouted, "This is awesome!" with five claps in between as Finn gave Shannon his inverted brainbuster formerly referred to as "Bloody Sunday." Some fans confused it with a DDT because Finn didn't have an arm around the shoulder like your typical brainbuster would be performed. But it was tweaked by Finn: with a delayed lift and inverted positioning.

The male participants weren't holding back too much regarding spots, despite having women in their match. Fans appreciated that. They missed the days of seeing The Dudley Boyz put women through tables, or Stephanie McMahon receiving finishers from Chris Jericho, "The Rock," and others. Seeing "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and "Triple H" destroy Lita along with the Hardy Boyz in a heinous attack was a moment fans recalled vividly. So were the matches WWE Hall of Famer Chyna had with the men on the roster.

There weren't intergender tag matches on NXT TV too often that had both sexes competing with one another directly. Typically, they were called as mixed tag matches, and the men had to exit when the women entered. But NXT was coming off a pretty hot Takeover. Paul trusted the people in the ring. So he figured the fans could be treated here with a pinch of it.

"It's all on you Joe!" Graves shouted through his headset like a conflicted coach both worried, yet optimistically confident in their star player's ability to deliver in crunch time. "Becky's got Roode trapped. Finn took Shannon out. Show them 'The Destroyer' you are!"

When Shinsuke nailed Shannon with Bomayé, he wanted-in an effort to appeal to the fans-give a sympathetic gaze her way. But he was preoccupied with Joe's arsenal, and his own that he was delivering back. The crowd's eruption from the spot with Finn was enough motivation to turn away though. And that was all Joe needed.

"Low-blow by Samoa Joe on a distracted Nakamura!" yelled Phillips. "Shinsuke falls down before being hoisted up by Joe and set it prime position for the Island Driver, Joe's Sitout Powerslam. No cover attempt. He immediately follows up with the Muscle Buster! 1...2...3! It's over."

Joe snatched his arm back from the referee aggressively, exited the ring, and looked for his teammates. He walked over to Shannon and guided her up, daring Bálor to touch her again. Roode countered out of Becky's armbar, lifting her in position for what looked to be a backbreaker; but he quickly readjusted position, and gave her a Roode Bomb. Bálor rushed over to help. Bobby then ran to the other side of the ring, where Joe and Shannon were. They were wincing and rubbing parts of their body that they were selling, but held the opposite arm up with their partners' wrists, reminding their enemies about being defeated. Bálor and Shinsuke stared ahead with broken faces, while Becky continued to lie still on the mats outside.

As Samoa Joe's theme, "Destroyer" played, Tom Phillips continued to speak.

"Well, Samoa Joe's team are the victors, but it sure as hell doesn't feel that way if you ask me," he said. "Joe didn't dominate the way his _attitude_ presumed he would. All six participants involved contributed in the match. It wasn't one-sided at all. It could've went either way! And given all of the tactics Joe's team used, he shouldn't be all thrilled for the victory."

"A win is a win is a win, Tom," remarked Graves. "Call a spade a spade here. Joe, Roode, and Storm had a plan! And that plan was to _win_. The specifics were irrelevant. Whether it be interference or distractions, simply put, they got it done. They did what they had to do. If Bálor, Lynch, and Nakamura, were more focused on a victory than pandering to the internet wrestling community for a high spot highlight reel, they would've came home with the W. Thank you for tuning in to NXT everyone. We hope to see you next week."

Seconds before the broadcast of the NXT episode disappeared and the next show on the WWE Network streamed in the queue, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode unclenched their hands from one another. They placed one of their arms around the left and right side of Shannon, who was standing in the middle of them. They continued staring down at Bálor, Lynch, and Nakamura. Shannon glanced at Roode, then Joe, before looking into the hard camera to speak.

"Weather the... _glorious_... _destroyers_ ," she said, acknowledging her partners' schticks.

Following the airing of the episode a special tweet popped in her notifications.

 **New** **tweet** from user: **AtMichaelPhelps** :

"I know I'm late, but eventually I heard the news. Congrats to the new champ, **AtSStormWWE**. #RepThe410 #CharmCity"

She wasn't expecting a tweet from the most decorated Olympian of all time. Like Rich Swann, though they were from the same vicinity, they didn't cross paths. However, there was nothing like networking, now that it was confirmed he knew of her existence.

 **AtSStormWWE** : " **AtMichaelPhelps** , Thanks bro. You know now that you've hung up the swimming cap (right next to all the freaking medals) for good, and have traded in the flippers for fatherhood, think you could step aside and let me take over being the face of **AtUnderArmour** in our city? #ShannonForUAPostergirl #IPromiseI'llGetLittleBoomerAShannonStormOnesieInReturn"

He wasn't sure if Shannon was for real, but replied to her tweet anyway.

 **New** **tweet** from user: **AtMichaelPhelps** :

"LOL, probably **AtSStormWWE**. Talk to **AtUnderArmour** CEO **AtRealKevinPlank** , and see if he'll let you #TakeTheReigns. Or we could share. I'm down to work something out."

* * *

 **Monday** , **August** **28th** , **2017**

 **WWE** **Performance** **Center**

 **Orlando, FL**

Several wrestlers were hanging out at the Performance Center in one of the weight rooms. This past weekend, the talent participated in the Performance Center Combine. Known as the "PC Combine," contracted talent, both those who were regularly a part of the NXT roster, as well as signed recruits currently training, not yet ready to perform in front of crowds, participated in a plethora of physical tests. The battery of workouts ranged from 60-yard sled shuttle sprints, medicine ball overhead tosses, trap-bar deadlifts, bar squats, and bench-pressing for maximum repetitions.

The content on the ever-expanding WWE Network was increasing by the day. For the first time ever, highlights of superstars competing were posted on both the company's network, as well as their YouTube channel. This was done not only to increase viewership to fans who enjoyed gaining more and more access behind the curtain; but also for those aspiring men and women out there who wanted a demonstration on what it took to become an NXT Superstar.

"Alright, alright, alright," said Billy Gunn who walked in the room alongside Sara Del Ray and A-Train. Shannon laughed to herself at Billy channeling his inner Matthew McConaughey. "You guys wrapped up the combine this past weekend. Guys, Train has your results and will get to them momentarily. Ladies, I have yours, and will reveal the top six now."

The women, who were scattered about, some chilling on the benches of machines, others leaning against the walls near free weights, anxiously rubbed their palms together.

"In sixth place, we have Emma, finishing in fifth place is Asuka," Billy began as he looked down at his clipboard. "In fourth place, we have Nia Jax. Third, Shannon Storm. Second, Becky Lynch. And at the top of the leaderboard in first place, Ember Moon!"

The women politely applauded, and a few whistled at Ember's accomplishment.

"Now I want everyone to know that these are overall standings. We take in consideration the athletes' performance in _all_ events," Billy clarified. "If I didn't mention your name, it doesn't mean you had poor results across the board, or even at all. These are just the six people with the highest achievements across the spectrum. If anyone wants to hear their individual results exercise by exercise, please come see me in my office. Because there are leaders for individual events as well."

The women nodded.

"The floor is yours, Train," Billy said to A-Train before slapping his back, and heading out the room. As A-Train moved to the center, the women made their way out of the weight room, on their way to another area in the Performance Center.

"Hey Adrienne!" Shouted Shannon who jogged up to Ember Moon to catch up. "Congratulations."

"Thanks girl," said Ember with a smile. "Hey, you're already the champ. You can't win everything, right?"

"Hahahahaha, yeah, guess not," she replied. "Still doesn't mean I don't like to compete. You up for a Burpee Challenge against me tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'm down," Ember responded with a nod. "What's the stip?"

"We won't do it for time," Shannon said. "I don't give a shit who does them the fastest."

"Alright," Ember said after a chuckle.

"We won't do it for it max reps either," Shannon added, and Ember raised an eyebrow. "I don't care how many we can do."

"What the fuck is the stipulation then?" Ember asked through another laugh.

" _Exhaustion_ ," she replied with a devilish grin. "We just go until we can't go anymore. The last person standing while the other person's body gives up, or passes out, wins."

"Loser buys dinner of the winner's choice?" Ember asked Shannon, who nodded to confirm the agreement. "Cool, then it's a bet. Game on!"

* * *

 **Later that night, following Monday Night Raw**

Shannon decided to text Bayley.

 **Me** : Hey, trying to catch you before you hit the road. I'd hate to call you in the middle of you switching to the hands-free device, and make you get into an accident when it wasn't really anything of importance.

 **Pam** : It's like one tap of a button, Shanny! You make it seem like it takes a full five minutes to switch to Bluetooth, when it's built-in to so much stuff nowadays from cars, to earbuds, to stereo speakers. Quit being so damn paranoid.

To be fair, Shannon was like this about Tyler too. And that was before they were even a couple.

 **Me** : I'm being safe, not paranoid. How would I know if you were in the middle of crossing the street, or trying to park? I wouldn't want you to pick up the phone then. I could wait. Remember, just like there's distracted drivers, there's distracted pedestrians, none of which, you should hit. And don't even get me started with those self-driving cars, and how unreliable I think they are.

 **Pam** : ANYWAY…I'm still in the building, and no where near an automobile. :P What's up?

 **Me** : Saw that skit with New Day. Is that going to be a permanent thing? I get you're a babyface, and no disrespect to Austin, and his boys, but the Bayley character is better than that. She doesn't need to be stuck with that act forever.

Shannon was referring to Austin Creed, not "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. She was referring to "Xavier Woods" by his birth name.

 **Pam** : No, it's not long term. New Day's whole thing is about 'the power of positivity' as you know. So after coming back from you taking me out, naturally we'd run into each other, they'd cheer me up, given that I'm 'not cleared yet to perform.' So I'm around, but sad. We help each other feel better about our situations: them not being tag champs, you beating me technically twice if beatdowns (not just matches) count as a victories in your eyes.

 **Me** : So what's the plan breaking away from that?

 **Pam** : Well at Summerslam we saw Ash without saying a word basically make her claim at Raya's title. Once I'm "cleared" I'll "ask" to be added to the mix, given my run on NXT as champ. Everyone would berate and mock me about not being serious since I formed a bond with New Day my second night back, rather than entering the title picture immediately.

Bayley was referring to Ashley Sebera, who competed under the ring name "Dana Brooke," and Saraya-Jade Bevis, who competed under the ring name "Paige."

 **Me** : So we'll watch yet another struggle for you to ascend to the throne? Cool beans. I hope there's twists and bumps in between. It would be too predictable for you to win the Divas Title this early. Someone who hadn't had the NXT Women's Championship before should get it before you, to mix things up.

 **Pam** : That's exactly what I pitched! Seems that's the direction they'll end up going with. For now anyway. Things could change.

 **Me** : Should be fun to watch. I like rollercoasters. :) #FingersCrossed

 **Pam** : Mattias is coming down the hall. You want me to tell him anything?

 **Me** : Nope, Ty will call me later. Leave him be.

 **Pam** : I get it. You and him are going to sext later. You don't want anything racy traced back on my phone. ;)

 **Me** : Hahahaha! I didn't say that.

 **Pam** : You didn't have to. I know you. :P

* * *

 **Wednesday, August 30th, 2017**

 **NXT TV**

The opening match saw Ember Moon take on Asuka. The match ended in a no-contest after reaching a fifteen minute time limit. The fans were moved by the action, and gave the women a standing ovation.

After defeating him at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn and earning his respect, Austin Aries reached out to Rich Swann to be his partner as they competed in a qualifying match for the third annual, "Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic" tournament. They defeated the team of Tye Dillinger and Baron Corbin in a twelve minute contest, which was considered an upset.

A commercial aired advertising the upcoming WWE 2K18, hitting videogamer retailers everywhere mid-November. It was followed by a commercial for "205 Live," the WWE Network show featuring marquee highlights and more elaborate profiles on members of the NXT locker room, who were specifically a part of the Cruiserweight division.

"Ladies and gentleman the following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is your main event!" shouted ring announcer Eden Stiles.

"Whoah, Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah!" The entrance theme titled, "Celtic Invasion" started, and cheers filled the arena.

"Making her way to the ring, from Dublin, Ireland, 'The Lasskicker,' Becky Lynch!" Eden screamed as Becky walked through the curtain and onto the stage headbanging, and raising her hands high with her signature goggles atop her head.

"You know Tom," NXT Commentator Corey Graves began. "I talked to Shannon in the back earlier this evening and never mind being irate, she was downright _confused_ as to why she had to take on Becky Lynch tonight. And I really empathize with her. I mean, I wasn't aware that Becky was Regal's favorite."

"What?" asked fellow NXT Commentator, Tom Phillips in disbelief. "This is NXT, not a high school clique! She's not NXT General Manager William Regal's favorite."

The fans cheered as Becky made her way inside the ring. She stood on the ropes, and roared at them.

"Why are we having this match then?" Graves asked in frustration. "He has to be in cahoots with her! Did anyone ever tell Becky it's not healthy to hold grudges? It's as though she's become obsessed with Shannon every since Takeover: Passion, and wants her hands on her every chance she gets."

" **They say I'm 'cocky.'**

 **And I say, 'what?'**

 **It ain't braggin' motherfucker,**

 **if ya' back it up!"**

"And making her way to the ring, from Baltimore, Maryland, she is the NXT Women's Champion, 'The Diamond Diva,' Shannon Storm!" announced Eden. Shannon, to no surprise, was greeted to a heel's welcome, which was boos.

"You and I both know what happened that night in June," said Phillips. "Becky had every right to seek revenge," Phillips noted, referencing the day Shannon took out Becky, Trish, and Lita in the Attitude Era Invitational, one right after the other.

"But _every_ week?" Graves continued to question in blatant defense of Shannon. "I find it excessive. She needs to be like The Beatles and just 'let it be.' "

"That's right, that's right, I'm the champ now!" Shannon screamed at the fans, as she leaned her back against the ropes after climbing to the apron and doing her diamond symbol.

"Folks, we'll be right back after this quick break and the match will be underway," Phillips said.

The first Cheerleader Melissa vignette from two weeks ago with the Gymnastics setup was repeated in this broadcast. Something was added to it this time: Text that read: "Melly's coming soon."

The bell sounded and before the referee leaned through the ropes to hand the championship off to Eden, Shannon snatched it.

"Shannon with the title! She's got the title!" shouted Phillips. "She quickly swings at Becky...but Becky charges at Shannon shoulder-first, evading the attack with a Spear!"

"Attack?" questioned Graves. "How do we know for sure Shannon was going to strike Becky with the championship? For all we know she was just going to give Becky an opportunity to see the title up close. She has updated it after all. There's White Gold in there now."

"You know _damn_ well Becky knows who the champion is Corey," said Phillips with annoyance. "She was at the last Takeover just like all of us here. It's painfully obvious Shannon was trying to hit her with the title!"

Once Becky speared Shannon, referee Eddie Orengo, finally scooped the title up off the canvas, and delivered it to Eden. When he turned back around, Becky, now mounted on Shannon, was delivering forearms repeatedly to Shannon's face.

"Alright Becky, break!" shouted the referee. "1, 2, 3…"

Becky crouched up and stood on her feet holding her hands up, acknowledging her compliance to the referee for a clean break. Shannon raised one of her gloved hands to the side of her face, reaching for her mouthguard clipped behind her ear and inserted it. She didn't have a chance to earlier because she was to preoccupied trying to get the upperhand on Becky with the sneak attack.

Shannon then started to flutter her eyes, and point at them with her left hand. Becky approached her to commence the attack, before slowing down.

"Uh, what's happening here?" asked Phillips. "Becky looks like she's showing some remorse. There's no love-loss between these two. But my guess is being the competitor that Lynch is, she wouldn't want to fight Shannon with impaired vision. Maybe an eyelash or something got in her eye. She wants to settle it in the ring, but in a fair fight."

"This was _never_ a fair fight," Graves retorted. "It shouldn't be taking place! The same way you whine about wanting more referees, I think I'm owed an explanation on why Regal made this match, and why Lynch won't seek professional help for her issues."

"Thumb to the eyes by Storm on Becky Lynch!" Phillips screamed. "Followed by a stiff kick to Becky's right hand. And she's up! Becky leans forward...another kick to Becky's hand!"

"Shannon knows what Becky Lynch is capable of when she locks in that Dis-Arm-Her Armbar," said Graves while Shannon continued to work the hand with a wristlock on Becky. "Few opponents have continued to compete when she gets it in good. What it looks like Shannon is doing is trying to take out Becky's arm, starting with weakening the hand. She wants to eliminate that from Becky Lynch's arsenal. And if even Becky manages to get the Armbar in, it won't be as effective. That's why Shannon Storm is the 'Diamond Diva' of the WWE! Such a brilliant strategy!"

Shannon stomped on each of Becky's hands after she released Becky from the wristlock. Then she assisted Becky to her feet only to kick Becky in each forearm with her shin. Becky grimaced.

"At Takeover: Respect, I called Shannon Storm 'tenaciously technical,' and I did so for good reason, said Phillips. "Because she is. Never have I questioned her ability to perform and succeed. But her attitude, her gloating, her shortcuts. Those are the glaring issues I have a problem with."

"By blatantly pointing those things out, you _are_ actually questioning her ability to succeed Tom," said Graves. "Because those opinions you have are clouding your overall judgment of Shannon Storm. It's as though you're saying, 'Oh Shannon's good, but not great because of X, or Shannon would be great if Y.' Stop devaluing her. This is professional wrestling, not a merit scale of morals!"

"Shannon now, seeing Becky cover over in a squatting position, measures her up and hits the ropes," said Phillips, who had no comeback for Corey Graves' last statement. "Swinging Neckbreaker from the champion, who floats over for a quick pin. 1..2..but she doesn't get the win."

"Ah, I think Shannon's smart enough to know it would take a lot more than that to keep Becky down," Graves said. "My hunch here is that Shannon went for the quick cover just to see where Becky's arm and hand are at at this point. And as we saw, it's still working. But Shannon's strategy _is_ having an effect. Notice how Becky didn't spring up quickly with her arm and fingers fully extended for the referee to see. She merely pressed up, relying on her shoulders and upper arms to get Shannon off her."

"And look at Shannon now, just grinding those gloves into Becky's face!" announced Phillips in astonishment. "And I'm sure it hurts! Not just because it's a hand to the face, but those gloves also have jewels on them. If Shannon keeps this up-she could cut the bridge of Becky's nose."

"A cut nose wouldn't stop Shannon from competing," Graves mumbled. "Are you implying that would stop Becky?"

"No Corey, I was just pointing out a possibility of what could happen if Shannon kept at it," Phillips answered. "Thankfully Shannon does not...and here comes Becky with a left knee to the side of Shannon's head! Shannon makes it to her feet...as does Becky who punches Shannon in the abdomen with her right fist. And another...a third ti-no! And there goes Shannon back with the arm attack, as she pugnaciously grabs hold of Becky's with another Wristlock, before driving down to the canvas as she delivers an Armbreaker!"

"Graah, Graaah," Becky screamed as Shannon crawled over her for another pin attempt. Becky used the other arm-the right one-to press up at one.

Shannon grabbed Becky's left hand, and dragged her body to one side of the ring. She draped the arm over the bottom rope, stepped on the middle rope for leverage, before stomping on Becky's hand. Shannon repeated the stomp, but for the second time, she stomped on Becky's left arm instead of hand. Becky screamed, and Shannon took a moment to taunt the crowd.

"NX-Me!" Shannon shouted at the fans at Full Sail University. That was a throwback taunt. Years ago when Shannon had her first match against Bayley on the indie circuit before either woman was officially on the NXT roster, but Bayley was on her way there, Shannon shouted that to the audience they were wrestling in front of.

"Shannon with her right hand intersected with Becky Lynch's left," began Graves. "She drags her across the canvas again after releasing her from the ropes. And fans I don't thinks she's going to take her to the community picnic! Crossface! Crossface on 'The Lasskicker'! And to no surprise 'The Diamond Diva' gets the weakened left arm of Becky Lynch between her legs."

"Becky...watch Becky...she rolls through, tilting Shannon over for a Cradle pin...1..2..kickout by Storm!" Shouted Phillips. "And Becky with Shannon's legs exposed, traps them for an Inside Cradle...1..2..kickout once again! And Becky, favoring the arm, suspends her counters as Shannon locks the Crossface back in."

"Do you want to submit?" asked referee Eddie Orengo. Becky shook her head in refusal. "Can you continue?"

"Yes!" She screamed, trying to project her voice as much as she could through Shannon's gloves which were against her mouth, blocking the volume to be heard as prominently as she would have wanted.

About another thirty seconds went by with Becky in the hold.

"Becky, Becky, Becky, Becky, Becky!" chants started to fill the arena from the Full Sail faithful. Fans in the front row patted the barricade wall. Others tried to get a pattern of applause going. And it started Becky up.

"Becky's pounding the mat with the palm of her right hand, trying to ignite a spark from the reception of the crowd," announced Graves seconds before Becky unleashed a primal growl. "She eases herself up...with Shannon's full body weight still wrapped around her left arm like a Boa Constrictor, Becky Lynch makes it back to her feet to nail a Sidewalk Slam on Shannon."

"But once again, no cover made by Becky Lynch," noted Phillips. "I think that maneuver was done out of desperation, to get some separation from Shannon Storm. I suppose I'm right because Lynch is rubbing her arm for relief since she's got a bit of distance from the champion."

"Shannon now is ascending to the top rope; and we remember she got caught quite a bit with Bayley," Graves explained. "From Hurricaranas to Frankensteiners, just about every time she went North, things went South for her at Takeover: Respect."

Shannon dove off the top rope, and landed with a thud.

"Crash and burn for NXT Women's Champion Shannon Storm!" yelled Phillips. "Shannon went for a Diving Leg Drop on Becky Lynch's left arm, but she rolled out of the way!"

Fans cheered and began stomping their feet while chanting "Women's Wrestling" repeatedly.

"And it looks like momentum has shifted as Shannon is in pain, rubbing her tailbone," said Graves, whose earlier excitement dissipated from his voice. "Here comes Lynch on the attack as both ladies are up on their feet. Lynch with a kick to Shannon's glutes...a kick to Shannon's left hamstring...then the right...low dropkick to Shannon's quads...Leg Trip by Lynch, and now the Champions is on all fours!"

"Well all is fair in love and wrestling Corey," remarked Phillips. "And it appears as though Becky Lynch is taking one from Shannon's page book. Storm wanted to isolate the left arm of Lynch, and now Lynch's strategy is to take out Shannon's legs; so she can't lock in the Storm Shield!"

"Inverted Atomic Drop by Lynch!" yelled Graves. "Lynch, rather than dropping Shannon crotch first, bent one of her legs, and planted one of Shannon's knees across her own thigh...the champion falls on the canvas. And now Shannon's the one wincing in pain."

"And the relentless Lasskicker doesn't let up," Phillips said. "Lynch rolls Storm on her stomach, folds her calfs, and steps on her hamstrings...I wonder what she has in mind...She smacks Shannon's obliques, causing her to instinctively sprout her hands up...Becky grabs hold of them while still standing on Shannon's legs...Becky falls backward, pulling Shannon with her. Mexican Stretch on champion, who is absolutely reeling!"

"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!" The fans shouted at the action, remembering the submission maneuver WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, and lots of Luchadores executed in Lucha-Libre before traveling to professional wrestling promotions in North America and elsewhere to showcase the move there.

"Do you want to quit?" asked the referee who squatted down, planting his hands on his own legs, as he stood in front of Shannon. Becky didn't let up on the hold. "Shannon, do you want to give up?"

"Hell no!" Shannon screamed while squinting her eyes through the pain.

Becky kept Shannon in the hold for another forty three seconds before she got back to selling.

"Uh-oh, Becky's left arm is shaking," Graves pointed out. "Her grip on Shannon's wavering...and thank goodness I'm correct! Our champion is spared as Becky Lynch's arm gives out, and releases the submission."

Shannon crawled around to the area of the ring closest to the ropes to pull herself up. When she did, selling the leg attack of Becky, she limped as she walked over to her.

"Shoulder Breaker by Shannon Storm, and well fans, you heard Becky express to you how unpleasant it felt," said Phillips. "Cover by Storm...kickout by Lynch!"

"Glad to work with you again Rebecca," Shannon mumbled before grabbing Becky in a Front Facelock. "It's been fun."

"Likewise," Becky mumbled back.

"Shannon doesn't break her stride though," said Graves. "Looks like she's poised for 'Curtain Call,' a move she debuted at NXT Takeover: Respect against Bayley. And here we go…Standard Vertical Suplex...rolling through with the Northern Lights Suplex...and here comes the Fish-"

"Whoooah!" The audience cut him off.

"Blocked!" Phillips exclaimed in awe. "Blocked by Lynch! Shannon does not land the Fisherman, Belly to Belly, and Butterfly because Becky blocked ⅗ of Curtain Call! As Shannon got Becky in the air for the Fisherman Suplex, Becky countered into a delayed, Tornado DDT on the champion!"

 _Beautiful work Rebecca. Nicely done. Sweet reaction._

Becky, selling the arm once more, took her time sliding her body towards Shannon, and forced most of her weight on her right side as she climbed over. Eventually she made it to Shannon, and hooked both of Shannon's legs with her right arm.

"Referee Eddie Orengo slides down quickly for the count. 1..2...and Shannon gets a shoulder up!" Graves exclaimed with pride. "Our champion is resilient."

" _Your_ champion, Corey," said Phillips.

"I said _our_ champion, Thomas," Graves remarked in defiance. "The last time I checked, she beat Bayley to take the title. She's on our brand, which means she's our champion. That's like saying President Trump isn't our President just because you may not like him. Despite him winning the election last November, being affirmed the votes he needed from the electoral college last December, and sworn in this January. Just because you may not approve of the facts, doesn't suddenly make them not true."

Shannon slapped Becky, as the women made an effort to once again stand on their feet.

"You have to beat me sweetheart," Shannon said before slapping Becky a second time. "I don't have to prove anything to you." A third slap from Shannon's hand struck Becky's face. "You have to beat me! You heard what I said? You have to-"

"Good grief, Becky Lynch nails a devastating spinning Mule Kick to Shannon's abdomen," Graves said, who winced at the sound of the thud. "She follows up by swiftly tucking the hovered over Shannon Storm's right arm her arm between her own legs, and delivers a Gut Wrench Suplex! Cover made...1...2...3!"

"And just like that," Phillips shouted over Becky's entrance music playing. "You said she had to beat you Shannon, and she just did! She gutted it out from nowhere."

The referee grabbed Becky Lynch's good arm, and raised it high before letting her go three seconds later. Becky Lynch stood over Shannon in celebration. She made sure to fold the left arm, to continue to sell the damage from their match. Becky then pounded her chest with a clenched right fist and mouthed off to an unconscious Shannon Storm as the episode went off air.

Shannon sent a tweet out to Becky following the airing of tonight's episode.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "You got me tonight, **AtBeckyLynchWWE**. But so what!? A few times I've been around that track, so it's not just gonna' happen like that. 'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl."

A fan tweeted her back.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtMarkWWEMark** :

" **AtSStormWWE** , you are freaking hilarious. This shit is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!"

Shannon didn't respond to the fan's tweet, but did smile to herself when retweeting it because the fan was correct with the Gwen Stefani song Shannon quoted. It was in fact "Hollaback Girl" from 2005. Seconds later, having seen Shannon's retweet, Becky replied to it.

 **AtBeckyLynchWWE** : " **AtSStormWWE** , Here comes the Ax. And here comes the smasher. The demolition's a walking disaster."

 _Hahahaha, Becky, you Demolition nerd. Classic! A fucking mark like me! I love my NXT_ _ladies._

* * *

 **Monday, September 4th, 2017**

" **Tonight** **on** **the** **season** **premiere** **of** **'Breaking** **Ground** ,' " began the voiceover person promoting one of the WWE Network's top shows. "Breaking Ground," an original series on the WWE Network, documented out of kayfabe, the struggles and triumphs in and out of the ring of a Superstar's pursuit to be a star on NXT, with the hopes of eventually making it to the main roster.

"Carmella, Enzo, Cass, Dana, I'd like you all to come to the center of the room please," requested Paul. He was sitting on a desk in one of the classrooms in the Performance Center talking to talent from a meeting back in June. The four performers looked nervous as Paul stared at them for a few moments with a blank face. They didn't know if he was angry, or annoyed.

"Who are these people to you?" asked Paul to Carmella, Enzo Amorè, Colin Cassady, and Dana Brooke, pointing behind himself to other people on the roster with the thumb on his huge hand.

Dana was silent.

"The locker room," said Carmella.

"Soldiers," Cass replied.

"Naw man," remarked Enzo shaking his head in disapproval to his tag team partner and former childhood rival in interleague basketball play. "It's bigger than that dog!" He sighed. "Those people right there, that's _family_!"

"Well sometimes, we have to leave the people we love to accomplish our goals," said Paul with a smirk, finally breaking the cold stare. "Congratulations, you're going to the main roster."

Members of the NXT roster started applauding and whistling, excited for their brothers and sisters.

"Holy shit," muttered Cass.

"Wow," said Dana and Carmella simultaneously.

"Fuck, I think I just pissed myself," Enzo remarked, and everyone contorted their faces. "Sike, I'm just playing. Thank you Triple H!"

"No, _thank_ _you_ ," Paul quickly stated, before turning his head to Bayley. "You're smiling pretty hard over there Pamela," he said, who didn't have a problem with him calling her by actual name. "Stoked for them?"

"Yep," Bayley said with a nod.

"Just chomping at the bit to hug them, huh?" He asked, tilting his head back in their direction.

Bayley nodded again, but didn't say anything this time.

"Go ahead," said Paul. "We know you will eventually," Paul added with a chuckle.

Paul waited before she hugged all four of the promoted talent, and started to make her way back to her seat.

"You might as well stay up there because you're joining them," said Paul.

The reception the locker room gave for Enzo, Cass, Dana, and Carmella was destroyed by an even louder ovation for Bayley.

The voiceover person returned following recounting this moment in June. " **While** **some** **faces** **plan** **their** **goodbyes…** "

"I'm ready to do this," Bayley mumbled as she grabbed her title, and joked around with some backstage staff before the long walk through Gorilla in August at NXT Takeover: Respect in Brooklyn. Shortly after, the camera shot quickly went to Shannon who was in her street clothes in her dressing room reflecting on what was to come, mere hours before their match.

" **I got a hundred guns, a hundred gun clips.**

 **N***a, I'm from New York, New York!**

 **I gotta' semi-automatic that spits next time if you talk. (You talk!)**

 **And you can't take shit for granted.**

' **Cause life is too short. (Too short!)**

 **I got a hundred guns, a hundred gun clips.**

 **N***a, I'm from New York, New York!**

 **Aha! And this is how we do!"**

"Not everyone gets to do this, be a performer for the WWE," said Shannon who was eating the Sweet Chili flavor of Kameda Crisps with roasted peanuts. Kameda Crisps were a savory rice snack and a healthy alternative to potato chips. These crisps were baked, not fried, contained 0 grams of Trans Fat, 1 gram of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and 2% of iron per serving.

Playing in the background was "New York," by rapper Ja Rule, featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss. Shannon was listening to that driving in her rental car from Central Park to Brooklyn, and then again once she made it to the Barclays Center. It was a part of a special playlist she made on her phone to get her hyped not only for coming to New York City this week, but for her big match with Bayley. The WWE camera crew came to her dressing room to tape footage for the next season of "Breaking Ground." Shannon knew they would, but didn't have them edit her portion of the score. She was fine if her playlist was being heard. The editing crew could just dial the sound down, or replace it with the instrumental version if they found the lyrics too vulgar. Chances were they wouldn't because it was broadcasted on the WWE Network, not a television channel.

"And even rarer is the opportunity to compete against your best friend for a championship," she continued. "I mean, that's rare company, right? Shawn and Hunter have done it. Kevin and Sami. Trish and Lita. Edge and Christian. Flair and Dusty, Piper, Steamboat, Sting, and the list goes on. Tonight I do it with Pam."

" **Fresh faces emerge as new leaders. That and more on the season premiere of the WWE Network's 'Breaking Ground!' "**

* * *

 **Tuesday, September 5th, 2017**

A chime which sounded like a person striking two wooden drumsticks played.

 **"Talk is Jericho.**

 _ **Ba-bay**_!

 **Talk is Jericho.**

 _ **Ma-ma**_!

 **Talk is Jericho!**

 **Talk is** _ **me**_ **!"**

Following the opening moments of the introduction to Chris Jericho's podcast, Saliva's alternate theme for the Superstar played for three minutes and forty two seconds. He used the bridge of the track for the introduction of his "Highlight Reel" interview segment on WWE television, but played the entire song here.

" **I'll open your eyes and make you see.**

 **I'm the king of my world. (King of my world.)**

 **I'll break down the walls around you now.**

 **I'm the king of my world. (King of my world.)**

 **I'll break down the walls around you now.**

 **IN THE WALLS OF JERRRIIICHOOO!"**

"Alright Jericholics, if you're listening to me right now and aren't busy binge listening-not that anything is wrong with that because binge listening to _Talk_ _Is_ _Jericho_ on Podcast One is pure gold _every_ _single_ _episode_ -you'll notice that there was not a show this past Thursday," said Chris Jericho, who appeared to be kicking off his show with a tangent.

"There was not a show on Thursday, because we're recording Thursday's show today on Tuesday, which means if you're not listening to me on the Podcast One live stream currently, this will be posted in your feed in a few days for Thursday's show if you subscribe to my podcast channel. Our regularly scheduled Tuesday show originally planned for today's date is already up for your listening pleasure," Chris explained. "We have to shout out some sponsors. You know what? Do you want to do it?" Chris asked his guest.

They shrugged their shoulders.

"Go ahead and do it," Chris urged them.

"Amazon dot com, the global leader in online shopping wants to reward you for your loyalty to Chris Jericho and the Podcast One family. During checkout enter the password 'P1Y2J' in the applicable bar for a fifteen percent discount. You do not have to purchase anything special or spend a certain amount on a given purchase. Simply enter the code and whatever you buy, even if it's a digital item, the discount will be applied. Once again the code is P as in Peter, the number one, Y as in Yes, the number two, and J as in Jackass," said Shannon, and she handed Chris the piece of paper back.

"That's right folks," said Chris as he adjusted himself in his chair. "If you haven't figured it out by now, or don't recognize the voice, my guest for this episode is none other than the NXT Women's Champion..."

Chris heard Shannon mumble something to him.

"Excuse me, the _reigning_ _and_ _defending_ NXT Women's Champion, Shannon Storm!"

Shannon raised both of her thumbs up to Chris.

"Thank you for being on the show, Shannon," he said to her.

"Of course! Thrilled to be here," Shannon replied. "Who doesn't want to want to be on the Ayatollah of Rock-N-Rollah's show?"

"Assclowns, that's who!" Chris responded defiantly. "You're my first guest to be a reigning champ from NXT by the way."

"Is that so?" Shannon asked raising an eyebrow.

" 'Tis true," Chris affirmed. "I mean I've had Neville on the show, Bayley, Bálor, and others, but they either hadn't won the title yet, or maybe lost it by the time they were on _Talk_ _is_ _Jericho_."

"Ha, that means he likes me more _suckers_ ," Shannon said before sticking her tongue out, even though this was an audio podcast; and the only person who could see her was Chris and his producer in the back. "I'm kidding. Love those folks a bunch. Seriously though, it's an honor to be your guest, under _any_ circumstance. Thank you."

"Sure, sure. I didn't know much about you beforehand because I don't watch a ton of the independent shows out there," Chris replied. "And I'll preface by saying to any of you assclowns who want to bash the comments section of the podcast saying, 'Oh, Jericho sucks! He doesn't watch the indies. He doesn't care about the future of wrestling.' _Stop_ right there you imbeciles! Before I made it to the WWE, I watched. Why? Because I was competing in them myself-whether I was in Canada, Germany, Mexico, _wherever_ until I got to ECW, then WCW, then the WWE. So once I made it, the grind was so rigid with the WWE schedule that it was hard to keep up."

Shannon subscribed to Chris Jericho's podcast, as she did with Jim Ross' _Ross_ _Report_ and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's _The_ _Steve_ _Austin_ _Show_ : _Unleashed_. She was used to the tangents. She didn't mind. She found them quite funny.

"Anyway, getting back to you Shannon. I've been spending some time with you during Tough Enough. The finale's coming up in a few weeks Jericholics on the USA Network. Gotta' squeeze that cheap plug in. And from there, we became friends."

Shannon reached her hand out to Chris. "To be considered a friend of yours Y2J is a huge compliment. No ass-kissing. I mean it."

"Well I mean, you're in the business. You're a good worker. You've got a good attitude. So sure, I'd consider you a friend," Chris confirmed as he shook her hand. "Most of my other friends from the business are either retired or dead. I'm not saying that to sound depressing. It's just a fact."

"Either way, I'll take it," Shannon said with a nod. "It's great to be around 'the best in the world at what he does.' "

Chris smirked at Shannon marking out, and throwing his catchphrase back at him.

"So I wanna' take a moment to explicate to all of the loyal listeners on this pod of thunder why we're doing a show that was supposed to take place last week, uploaded for that Thursday's show, this Tuesday," Chris explained trying his best not to confuse anyone. "So the P-C, or Performance Center for anyone not in the loop, is in Orlando, Florida. Full Sail University-where NXT is taped-is in Winterpark. I live in Tampa. So I checked the NXT schedule, and saw that the gang was 'in house.' In house, not necessarily meaning in Winterpark, but back in Florida period, not doing live events in another part of the country. I see that they are. They're in Pensacola. So I call Hunter asking for Shannon's number."

Shannon started to laugh, and Chris continued.

"Hunter just texts me the word 'no.' And I'm like, 'no'? No, I can't have it? No because you lost it? No because she doesn't have a phone? No what? So at this point, I'm trying to figure out why he's not giving it to me. We had heat my first year in the company, but squashed it three months after our first match together on live TV. And we've been good friends since. We're very close now. A bit of time goes by, and I don't want to change guests. I don't get why I'm being ignored. So this morning, I get in touch with Stephanie, and she gives it to me, which is why we're doing this now."

Shannon brought her right thumb to her face and bit the nail of her index finger, shaking her head. Chris' phone vibrated.

"Speaking of the devil," Chris said with a smirk. He swiped his phone, put it on speaker, and answered the call.

"Hey Trip, what's up man?"

 _Ha, Trips was right! Jericho really does call him Trip without the S._

"Hey Chris, do you still need Shannon's number?" asked Paul.

"No I don't," Chris answered. "I got it eventually."

"Really?" Paul questioned back. "Who gave it to you?"

"Steph. How is she by the way?" Chris wondered with a smile.

"Well, being that I'm on the other side of the country in California, I wouldn't know," said Paul. "The last time I talked to her-which was three days ago-she was just fine."

"Three days? Man, my wife would kill me if I went that long without a phone call," Chris laughed through the phone.

"I don't like calling her if there's only five to ten minutes to squeeze in. She's my wife before she's a colleague," Paul clarified. "She understands. Besides, three days away given how often I see her now is nothing. You and I know very well we saw the wives even less when we were on the road full time. We were lucky to be home five or six times a month. Usually it was close to three or four. Steph can deal."

"Dude, what was up with that text?" Chris asked. "It wasn't the fact that you said no, but it was the fact that no was the only thing you said."

"Sorry man. That wasn't meant for you," Paul responded scratching his beard with the hand that wasn't holding the phone. "It was supposed to be in a group text with Shawn and Austin. I did an episode with Shawn on MRA, and hunted with him some years back. Austin wanted me and Shawn to come on his show and shoot some quail, and some other random animals I'm not all that familiar with, or have a desire to kill. They kept sending me dates, and I turned them all down. Then they made a joke saying since my hair is cut, they'll put a plaid shirt and black skull cap on me so I could be their 'real life Paul Bunyan.' "

Chris laughed and Paul continued.

"It's like they don't understand I'm from New England," Paul said raising his shoulders during the phone call. "Sure the lobster's good in Maine, and the Clam Chowder's nice. But I'm not into that outdoorsy 'Duck Dynasty' bullshit like they are. I like to keep my hands _clean_."

"You and Rocky always were the more manly-posh types," said Jericho. "Especially in 2000 when ratings were through the roof. Austin still-like many of us-was a cheap bastard. But you and Dwayne always booked the fancier hotels like Four Seasons with the great service and more comfortable beds."

"We _deserved_ it and could _afford_ it," Paul said, smirking through the phone. "If I'm getting my ass kicked 300 plus nights a year, I'm fucking worthy of a proper bed in a luxurious hotel. I refused to slum it out like Foley on some uncomfortable ass mattress in a crappy motel . And hey, don't make it seem like Rock and I thought we were better than everybody else in the locker room! Austin _chose_ to splurge on ATVS, rifles, and beer. Whereas my idea of a 'man cave' is tearing down the movie theater in my home, and constructing a deluxe home gym. Anyway, those fuckers were getting on my nerves. I was annoyed and done replying to them."

"Oh that makes since Trip. Because I was wondering what the hell was going on that I didn't get an explanation. I was like, 'Did I piss him off?' We're _both_ married with kids. I know I'm asking for her number, but it's not for a date! I wanted her on the show."

"So did you ever get in contact with her to set something up?" asked Paul.

"Yeah, I'm here with her right now!" Chris shouted. "As a matter of fact, we're recording live at this very moment, and you're on the show. Was she not allowed to be on T-I-J? Have I gotten her in trouble?"

"Oh no," Paul replied shaking his head. "That's alright. Shannon's a fine talent, and she's responsible. She won't say anything to get herself fired."

 _I'm usually not superficial, but was he saying 'fine' in terms of my ability? Does he think I'm pretty? Or both?_

"Sweet. Well Hunter, I'm going to let you go close deals, or whatever the hell it was you were in the process of doing," Chris said removing Paul from speakerphone mode. "If anyone goes down, or you need me to come back and help elevate someone, don't hesitate to call. You know I prefer the house shows, but if you want me to do TV, just let me know. I love ya' man."

"Thank you," Paul said with a grin. "I really appreciate that. Love ya' back, but never as much as Shawn." Chris and Shannon smiled. "Take care, and have a good show."

Chris ended the call.

"It's time for another friendly message from one of sponsors. T-I-J returns on the other side of this commercial break," said Chris.

A commercial for "Naturebox" healthy snacks aired.

"So Jericholics, in addition to being the 'king of the world,' I am also an award winning journalist-"

"From where?" Shannon asked interrupting Chris.

He turned sharply to her and finished his thought.

"It doesn't matter where or what award I received. The point of the matter is I am committed to reporting all the inside details to the fans," Chris said, playfully dismissing Shannon's inquiry of the legitimacy of his prestigious journalism accolades. "I am in Boca Raton, where a NXT live event will take place later today, sitting across from Shannon, who is wearing an ankle stirrup on her left foot. What's going on Shannon? Are you injured? Are you off the card?"

Shannon turned her left foot slightly and flexed her toes between her flip flops. Her gear wasn't on. She was dressed down as it was early in the afternoon.

"No I'm not off the card," said Shannon shaking her head. "I'll just tape it up before I go out there and work through it. I have a torn anterior talofibular ligament. It's the one outside the ankle and connects the talus with the fibula."

"Translation for the people without medical degrees," sad Jericho pointed to himself.

"Psst, I don't have one either Y2J. It's just what I've been told," said Shannon as she looked down at her stirrup. Even though her father was a physician, it didn't mean that she had to be an expert on medicine. And she certainly wasn't or pretended to be. "It's a second degree ankle sprain. I've been dealing with it for about two weeks, and the stirrup's helping hold it in place. I wear it a few hours before and after matches. I've been drinking warm milk with turmeric in it as a natural anti-inflammatory painkiller, and have been relaxing the nerves with Epsom salt in lukewarm water. Onions have strong anti-inflammatory properties to increase the efficacy of not just pain from ankle sprains, but arthritis and jammed fingers. But you don't know me that well to withstand two hours of an onion attached to my foot."

"For that, both my nose and eyes are incredibly grateful Shannon," Chris replied with a half grin. "What happened?"

"We were doing a live event in...St. Petersburg may have been the town. I don't do a lot of aerial stuff. But at a live show, for the fans, there's nothing wrong with showing off a little bit. I had back suplexed ODB on the barricade, and she's hanging out, selling, lying there like a drunk woman," Shannon began.

"Wouldn't had been a lot of selling on her part," Chris said with a chuckle, and Shannon smiled. "The drunk part, at least, given her shtick."

"I imagine it wasn't different from the light buzz you sensed "Stone Cold" had from wrestling him," she replied. "He admits to having one or two before matches and during rides to the next town with a DD. Anyways, I climbed on the ring apron, and my inner RVD came out. You remember when he used to do those spinning leg lariats from the ring apron, leaping to the opponent a few feet away on the barricade?"

"Yeah?" Chris asked in anticipation.

"For whatever reason, my dumbass decided to try a shooting star press from the apron to ODB," she said, and Chris licked his lips. "Now I landed on her abdomen, but because I hadn't practiced it beforehand-it was a spur of the moment thing-I didn't plant the toe of my boot well enough on the landing. Remember, this is a live event. We don't have the barricades on house shows. We have the metal guardrails, and by the time I got to it from the take off, I couldn't get a good grip at the bottom to protect my own self. As I attempt to adjust my boot in one of the slits of the guardrail, the ankle pivots another way. And before you know it, I send us both over, and in the crowd. It wasn't a botch. She was fine, and it didn't look bad to the fans. It's just that I fucked myself if that makes sense."

"Yup, all of the indie folks have to adjust their take off," he said. "I'm all about helping folks who are doing it for the right reasons have an 'in.' I got Viktor of The Ascension a tryout, so he could get in the company. I told Vince, 'man, he's living out of his car. Just give him a damn tryout!' Fast forward a bit of time later, and now he's doing this full time."

"That's awesome," Shannon said. "It's always good to give back, and pay it forward because chances are someone in the business helped you along the way in some capacity."

"Definitely," Chris agreed. "I helped out Styles too. I'm the reason he can use his Styles Clash in the WWE. Because Vince wanted it banned. Thankfully Vince was gone before all the smoke was cleared. The minute I knew AJ was coming onboard, I wanted to work with him. And there were three reasons why."

Chris held up a finger for each reason as he named them.

"One, he's a damn good worker, and deserved to be here. Two, he's a star and tenured veteran, who knows what he's doing. Three, for his first run in the company, other than myself, Owens, Cesaro, and maybe a few others, I didn't trust anyone else working with him without feeling they would tarnish his talent. I'd like to think being a 26, almost 27 year veteran, my opinion is valued. People respect me, and know I'm not a 'total WWE' guy. By that I mean, I didn't go through their developmental system at OVW like Orton, Lesnar, Cena, and so on. I'm one of the few around with a name that matters who wrestled other places before getting here. Fans wouldn't shit on matches between Styles and myself, Cesaro, Rollins, or Owens. But if he was given Reigns or Cena right out of the gate and those folks go over without someone like me at first, given how much people love and respect AJ, well, you know the reception the match would receive."

"Without a doubt," Shannon said rubbing her knees. "There would be cries of burials."

"Getting back to my initial comment with you though about adjusting," said Chris, finally returning to the topic at hand. "Whenever someone new joins the company and they, as the kids say, 'hit me up,' for advice, I tell them, 'before you pitch anything to Creative about character, or any merch ideas, first things first is that you need to get acclimated to the ring.' It doesn't matter if you're a big or small guy, you'll notice a difference."

"Yep," Shannon agreed.

"Especially if you're a high flier where you spin a ton of time _on_ rather than _between_ the ropes," Chris continued. "WWE rings are 24X24. Some indies rings-it all varies where you go-but my guess is that they're around 18X20. People underestimate the difference six feet makes. And you did the hard way, it sounds. So, who are you on show later today with?" He asked.

"Asuka and I are doing battle," she said.

"Good luck with that," said Chris who slapped his knee. "No somersault planchas for you."

"Psst. I know right?" Shannon asked rhetorically. "The woman's a machine. She'll probably give me a stiff stomp on my ankle just to see if I'm joking about it legitimately being bothersome. This should be all healed up in another week or so. You know she ribbed me in Japan? Nearly kicked my teeth out, and didn't tell me she knew English."

"Hahahaha, hell of a talent though," Chris said folding his arms.

"For sure. Hell of a talent and a cool person," said Shannon. "Here's an exclusive to your fans on _Talk_ _is_ _Jericho_. I do not wear a mouthguard to look like a badass. I wear it because Asuka was like _this_ close," Shannon squinted her eyes and pressed her right thumb and index finger together. "To me needing a dental appointment. I'm woman enough to admit that."

"You know I broke my whole foot once, and finished the match," said Chris.

"And you had balls for doing so," Shannon replied. "I'm not complaining by the way."

"In addition to wearing this ankle stirrup, Shannon's also wearing a white 'Y2J' hockey jersey in blue letters," said Chris, and Shannon humorously dusted her shoulders at the article of clothing. "I'm not sure if she's wearing it because she's on my show, or if she happens to be a fan of yours truly."

"Chris, I've had had this for sixteen years. I've taken good care of it. I definitely didn't just snag it last minute at a flea market. See if you look closely," She leaned forward, and turned her arm. "At the right elbow, you can still read the 'only three more months' I wrote with a permanent black sharpie."

"Three more months of what?" He asked. "What happened in '01? Oh, 9-11."

"No. It wasn't anything to do with worldly historical events. It was a wrestling reference," Shannon clarified. "I got your jersey in September of 2001. Well, I stopped ordering Pay-Per-Views when I found out I had a neighbor who would order them, and offered to make VHS copies for me for free. So when I got home from school around five, I had that three hour window to watch Unforgiven before Raw started at nine. Unforgiven that year was on Stephanie's birthday, and people were ribbing her. Rocky ribs her-"

Chris interrupted her.

"I remember that!" Chris exclaimed. "He did that song. It was like, 'Happy Birthday to Steph. You're a ho with big breasts. So take a night off from hooking. If ya' smell what The Rock's cooking!' Hilarious shit."

Chris actually sang "The Rock's" birthday song instead of just reciting it, which caused her to smile.

"Right," Shannon affirmed. "Then she was walking backstage, ran into you, and told you it was her birthday. You ask how old she was. She says twenty five, and you go, 'No Steph, I was asking how old you were, not how many men you've been with in the past hour,' or something like that you said."

"Yep, good times. That was a good period," Chris said. "I always had good promo chemistry with Steph and Rocky. So what's up with the three months comment? You haven't explained that."

"Well I was a fan of yours, but Steph was my girl too," Shannon explained. "So I wrote that on my jersey as I was speaking to the TV screen, although I was vicariously talking to Stephanie. That was my way of saying, 'in three months our guy will be back; and he'll beat both of their asses one more time.' "

"Haha, except that it was four months, not three, because Vince fucked up promoting the return of Trip a month too early," said Chris. "Posters and promotional shirts with Hunter holding his sledgehammer were out. That was one of those rare times when the Vengeance Pay-Per-View was run in December that year, not in the summer. I know Vince knew Trip would work hard, but I'm not sure why he'd think Trip wouldn't need the full eight months to recover. I mean, marks passionately _hate_ the guy, but I'm not kissing Hunter's ass. I've been in the business twenty seven years, and can say whatever the fuck I want. Especially when it's not an opinion, but actual facts. I was _not only there_ in the building. I was _in the fucking match_ that he torn his quad in. I was the one who _he insisted to not change a spot,_ putting him in The Walls, despite knowing his leg was totally fucked up. That was a nasty injury."

"Yeah, " Shannon sighed. "I cried."

"And he screamed," Chris continued. "I don't know if you've read my books. I'm assuming you have if you're one of my fans; but I always say, you know a guy's not selling... _when he's not selling._ You know something's fucked up when 'evil bastard Hunter' is in a fetal position."

"Just terrible," Shannon muttered still shaking her head.

"A lot of people commend John Cena for his super strength, returning quickly from injuries, and I'm not saying he shouldn't be applauded for such efforts," Chris said holding a hand up. "But people need to be reminded-younger fans at least-that Hunter's injury was unheard of at the time. Doctors thought he was _finished, period, end of story._ To come back from that in eight months just shows you how determined he is-and to have the same thing happen to the other leg five years later- _and_ he cuts the return time back by four weeks, coming back in seven instead of eight months? _No one_ should shit on him! He's dedicated. He's always been a great worker, and is a tough son of a bitch."

"I think him missing Wrestlemania 23 that year really motivated him to kick ass in rehab, and shed a month off recovery too," said Shannon biting on her bottom lip slightly. "Missing mania in '07 just gutted him. I wanted to give him a hug at that years Hall of Fame ceremony because you could see that sadness in his face. He looked like he wanted to cry so bad. But he still wanted to pay his respects to the legends. That's all he thought about for the first quad tear: 'get back before Mania.' But he couldn't for the second."

"Probably so," Chris agreed. "But I couldn't elaborate with you there. I wasn't in the company when he tore the quad on the other leg. I took a whole two years off. Trip recovered and came back from the second quad before I returned to the WWE. I returned maybe two or three months after he did. Guys and gals, it's time for yet another word from our sponsors."

A commercial for "Dollar Shave," a company which ran a subscription delivery service of razors with different sized blades aired.

"So I know I said I didn't know much about you before we did Tough Enough together this summer-once again listeners, the finale is soon approaching-but I stand corrected," Chris said when coming back on air. "Cheeseburger, from ROH, is a fan of the show. I love that little dude. He's been a guest on T-I-J before. You had a match with him didn't you?"

Shannon smiled, and rubbed her jaw. "Yes we indeed had a match, a 'Fight without Honor.' It was a good one."

"That's the one!" Chris yelled, pointing a finger at Shannon. "I remember watching it-keep in mind I didn't know you then-and I was thinking, 'who is this chick? And boy, that's a lot of color!' Now, here in the WWE, we stopped doing blade jobs in 2008-main roster at least-because of me. In ROH, do they still do blade jobs, or do you get color the hard way?"

"It's a combination. Blades are used, but we try to get color hard way in the most safest way possible when we can if that makes sense," Shannon replied. "It's funny you bring that up. People were bitching online saying because there was only a thirty pound difference between Burger and me, that the cut wasn't real. But the stitches from the gash on my head were very real. And I still have the scar from the thirty two shovel shots on my back."

"Some fans will always find something to complain about, but what you're saying makes sense," Chris confirmed. "I'll tell you, there are just some weapons, some matches, that it doesn't matter how you try to modify it, shit will _still_ happen. I'll give you two examples. One, Judgment Day 2002. Hunter and I have a Hell in the Cell match. I tell him let's take some wire cutters and trim the barbed wire from the 2X4 strip of wood. He agrees, but it proved futile: we still got pretty bad cuts."

"The second?" she asked.

"Six months later at Survivor Series, we're in the _first_ _ever_ Elimination Chamber match. That steel is _relentless,"_ said Chris with a snarl _. "_ We were fucked. RVD frog splashes Trip from the pod, but doesn't get good height on it to adjust the landing from the takeoff because the roof of the pod isn't that high once you're on top of it. I'm 5'10, Rob might be 5'10½, 5'11 at the most. The minute he lands on Hunter, he crushes the man's throat. I mean when Rob hit, his knee went smack-dab right into the front of Hunter's neck. I was the only one who communicate well with Trip to progress the match because he could not talk. How do you wrestle another half hour after that? Only he could tell you. He and Shawn were the final two, so I had to tell HBK what was up before I was eliminated. 'The Game' was squealing. He had surgery on his larynx for like eight hours, wrapping up the next morning. But he immediately flew out for our international tour to India. We taped the Raw to air that evening in advance."

"I bet Stephanie was _pissed_ ," Shannon said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah. Big time," Chris said folding his arms behind his head, leaning back in his seat. "That's all he talked about on the bus driving through the cities. 'Steph's mad at me because I flew out for the tour against doctor's orders. But my surgery was a success, and I want to be with the guys.' Shortly after, he was back to being himself. He was cracking jokes about Shawn's tights from Survivor Series looking like shit. I tagged in and ribbed Shawn for having a horrible Bob haircut."

"I love The Showstopper, but I have to side with you and Hunter on both jabs," Shannon said with a nod. "Those tights did look crappy, and I agree about the Bob. Shawn's hot with all his locks. You're a 'sexy beast' with your haircut. And Styles is the cutest mofo to pull off the Bob. And I say that with respect to all of your wives. There's nothing wrong with me admiring."

"Thank you, thank you," he replied. "I doubt either of our wives listen to my podcast anyway. Back to what I was telling you though; yeah, Trip was moping about her getting on his ass. He and Stephanie weren't married yet. Shit, they weren't even engaged at that point. They were a couple though."

"I can see it from both of their perspectives," said Shannon with a look of seriousness. "Stephanie wasn't looking at it from a business standpoint of him being scheduled on the card, but as a concerned girlfriend. And Trips, while I'm sure he appreciated her concern was looking at it like, 'Hey, it was serious, but not life-threatening. I had my surgery. This is what I love. Not that anyone is expected to compare injuries with one another; but I don't want to look like a pussy if the boys find out I no-showed after surgery went fine.' "

"Yup, yup," Chris replied with a nod. "I didn't talk shit about him though. Like I said, I've been through the trenches to see him banged up to know the type of soldier he is. We used to have group hugs, and pray with Shawn before matches that no one would get fucked up too bad."

"See it's the little nuggets like that and cool stories that make me love the business, love the locker room, and motivate me to contribute as well. That desire, that will, that passion, that brotherhood of pressing on because everyone's hungry to still be top dog, and lay it on the line for the fans. That makes this so fun. But getting back to the matches at hand, you would've never known any of that happened because they both were excellent Chris," Shannon responded with a light clap of her own. "Let me take a moment to say Y2J that I know Rocky and Austin are Attitude Era poster boys, but I think you and Hunter are very underrated for ring chemistry. I mean, if he was heel and you were face, if you guys switched, if you guys were in tag matches together, or tag matches against each other, man they were always great. It was always painful-a good kind of painful-watching you versus Trips, Trips versus Shawn, or Shawn versus you. It was like watching Lebron James versus Kobe Bryant. So much talent, but somebody's gotta' lose. I'd throw Kurt Angle right in that conversation as well. You guys had a hell of a triple threat number one contender's match before."

"Thank you, thank you," Chris said, placing a hand over his heart. "Alright, so we talked a little bit about some matches, let's talk about you. What do you watch when you're not in the ring?"

"Wrestling," Shannon said simply.

"Hahahaha, right. Well other than that," Jericho replied.

"Uh, I'm a fan of 'Family Guy,' " she said rubbing her forehead, trying hard to recall other programs she'd occasionally view. "I just started binge watching a little of Scandal a few months ago on the road. I'm behind by two full seasons, so no spoilers please, if you watch that too."

"Ahh, 'Scandal,' ok," Chris nodded with a smirk. " 'Scandal,' 'Veep,' 'House of Cards,' all of these political shows seem to be so popular nowadays. Do you see yourself getting involved in politics after your WWE career? I mean, Rhyno ran for office in Detroit last year. Jesse 'The Body' Ventura was Governor of Minnesota. I think Bob Backlund ran for office in Connecticut too."

"No, I'm one hundred percent committed to this," said Shannon. "I double majored in Communications and Political Science in college. So I'm just very familiar with all of the lingo, tactics, and jokes in the show. The cast is outstanding too. Really good actors."

"Fair enough," Chris said, pouting his lips as though he were contemplating the authenticity in Shannon's response. She said she was committed to wrestling. But she wouldn't just be a "wrestling persona" getting her feet wet in politics. She actually had a background in it through school. He had two passions: music and professional wrestling. And he accomplished success in both. So hearing her dismiss politics altogether as a future career was a little weird to Chris.

"This wouldn't be Talk is Jericho, unless we talked about music," he changed the subject, letting the previous one of a post WWE career path go. "As you know, music is equally important to me as is wrestling, so let's talk tunes ba-bay! When we get back from the next commercial break, I want to know what kind of music you listen to."

A commercial aired for the "Uber" driving service.

"I try to dab into a little of everything, even classical," Shannon replied.

"No shit. Seriously?" He asked.

"Yeah, a little anyhow," Shannon said before reaching for a bottle of water, and taking a sip of it. "I wouldn't go back as far as the Baroque period, but when I did have cello lessons, I listened to a lot of Yo, Yo, Ma."

She could've told him that she helped perform Shinsuke Nakmura's entrance music live at the most recent Takeover, but she chose not to. Her character in NXT may be a bragger, but she wasn't.

"Cello?" Chris asked sarcastically. "Are you telling me NXT's bitchy, arrogant, Shannon Storm is a closet Classical prodigy? Like, Peabody Conservatory shit?"

"No way. Absolutely not. Nor can I play twenty seven instruments like Prince could either. Cello was _very_ short lived, " Shannon clarified. "I had no passion for Cello whatsiever. It was something that was forced on me as a kid. And from that experience, I remember enough from the genre, where it still provides a soothing listen to my ears. I'm a percussion girl though. No band or desire to get a recording contract like you. It's just my favorite instrument."

"How hot is that single fellas?" Chris asked to the Talk is Jericho audience. "Shannon Storm is a drummer!"

He didn't know that she was in a relationship with Tyler Breeze. Chris was around for Summerslam, but not backstage for the August Takeover. Even though Shannon and Tyler attended the Hall of Fame Ceremony together for Wrestlemania Weekend, they weren't a couple then. Neither of them had dates for the event, so it was mutually beneficial for them to be each other's escorts. And Sarita López ran a tight ship during her fashion show during Takeover/Summerslam weekend. There were several couples around: Shannon and Tyler, Nikki Bella and John Cena, The Miz and Maryse. Carmella wasn't in the show, but her boyfriend Colin Cassady was. Sarita wanted the group to check any attitude they might have had at the door; because everyone wasn't going to be paired with their significant other throughout the entire show.

Shannon and Tyler didn't broadcast their relationship with millions of photos on Instagram either. Nor did they send cute public tweets to each other every five minutes of every day. For one, there was just no time for that. They were already obligated by the company to have some sort of interaction with fans on social media. They didn't have to flaunt their personal life too. It helped that she was still on NXT, and he was on the main roster.

"Yeah Chris, I'm down with the Rock and Roll," she responded, forming her fingers into the "Rate R Superstar" and WWE Hall of Famer Edge's hand gesture for ring entrances. "I really like the soulful rock ballads the most though."

"So bands like Chicago, Ambrosia, Foreigner, Journey, The Doobie Brothers, Hall and Oates. People like that?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah. The former lead singer from Journey," Shannon started, scratching the top of her head. "His name escapes me right now, but he went on to have a couple of hits as a singles star when he left the group."

"Foolish heart! Hear me calling! Stop before you start falling! Foolish heart! Heed my warning. You've been wrong before! Don't be wrong anymore!" Chris started belting out one of the hits from Steve Perry Shannon was referring to, reaching for her hand and dramatically placing it on his chest as he stood up from his chair.

"Right, that's one of them," she said with a smile. "But I'll head bang too. I'll listen to some Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park. I love Saliva, Puddle of Mudd, and Disturbed. I'll bump some Three Days Grace, Skillet, Guns and Roses. It's funny that I was too afraid to listen to KISS as a kid because of the face paint, yet I could watch Sting matches for days-"

Chris interrupted her.

"What the hell about Fozzy dude?" He asked with irritation.

"Haha, well they say save the best for last right?" Shannon asked with a smile. "True story, and yet another exclusive for your listeners. My mom took me to the November 29th Raw in '04. It was a good show, with a hot ending. It was Jerry "The King" Lawler's birthday, and he tapped out to Flair. It was also the night Hunter defended his World Heavyweight Title in a triple threat against Edge and Benoit. I don't remember if it was before or after your match where this happened: We weren't front row, but like two sections behind. When the show goes on commercial, you shoot some of your new tee shirts from a bazooka. I wanted one, but my mother wouldn't let me jog down the stairs to the next section for a better shot at catching one. Then you promoted Fozzy, and said you were going to perform at Powerplant Live, about a five minute drive from the arena, right after Raw. I begged my mom to let me go."

"Let me guess, your mom wouldn't let you check out me and the rest of Fozzy because it was a school night?" Chris asked as he ran his fingers through the front of his hair. "Raw ends at 11 PM. Our set probably started at 11:30, and we likely played to 1:00 AM."

"Nope," Shannon said as she folded her arms behind her head. "She said she didn't want to hear that ' _noise.'_ "

"Ouch," Chris replied. "I don't think I like your mom."

"You weren't her favorite wrestler either," she replied and Chris made a fist before slowly moving it to his chest, pretending to stab himself. "She found you incredibly annoying. She _really_ started digging you when you cut your hair though. She found you handsome and was glad you 'calmed down.' Her words, not mine."

"I'll have your mother know I was doing my job if she found me annoying," Chris said, giving Shannon a smug look.

"I know that! She just looked at it from a fan's point of view," Shannon responded with a grin. "I looked at it from the the point of view of one of the boys admiring what you did, even though I wasn't one of the boys yet."

"Now you don't get in this business and stay in it for long without criticism," Jericho remarked, taking the conversation in another direction. "Tell me about some of the things folks said about you."

"Well I was told I was too short, something I'm certain you've heard a ton of times," Shannon started.

"Definitely," Chris replied in agreement through a nod. "And for a long time, that bugged me. Because fans of pro-wrestling are used to seeing these 6'5, 6'6 300 pound gargantuan monsters. But if they take a step back, I'm 5'10, 230 pounds. To anyone in the real world, outside of wrestling, they would consider me a big guy."

"This is true," said Shannon. "And 5'10's not bad when you think about people like Adam Cole, Jay Lethal, AJ Styles, Eddie Guerrero, and Naito from New Japan who are all that height. They're still talented."

"They are," Chris affirmed. "And besides, there were people who were shorter than me in the business like Mysterio and Malenko. So how tall are you?"

"I'm 5'3," said Shannon. "And while these people are ragging on me for that, in the back of my head I'm going, 'I'm female.' The average American woman is what, 5'5? So I'm not that far behind. It's not like I'm 3½ feet tall like Hornswoggle."

Chris started laughing.

"Hey Hornswoggle, if you're listening man, this is _not_ shade on you," Shannon clarified. "I was just stating a fact. My point was that height wasn't something I could control."

"What else?" He questioned, wanting to know more criticisms she's endured over the years.

"Another thing I found really stupid that people said was that I was pretty," she said. " 'People aren't going to be focused on your matches. They're just going to look at you.' Silly shit like that."

"That's just flat out sexist and an asinine thing to say! There are attractive people in pro-wrestling of _both_ sexes, of many nationalities and creeds, who are very talented," Chris said defending Shannon passionately. "People _will_ and _do_ pay attention to what's going on in the ring. I'm a secure man, but I'll admit that the women of Japan in the 1990s were putting on better matches than the dudes on more than one occasion. You can be cute and kick ass, male or female."

"I'm with you, and I'm sure Taeler Hendrix, Scarlet Bourdeux, Mandy Leon, and other ladies in the biz I'm cool with would appreciate your sentiments," Shannon replied. "It could've just been a shitty booker at the time who was protesting the WWE's transition from the bikini contests, bra and panties, or 90 second Raw squash matches phase. Or maybe he just said that in an effort to take me to bed with him, I don't know. As you're aware, things can get quite shady on the independents from pay, to management, to overall decorum."

"Indeed, indeed," said Chris after a cough. "I know that's one of the reason's Trish said she started wearing pants when she got better in the ring. You can't put a trash bag over your face for the sexist dudes that come just for eye candy of course. But you can at least cover your body wearing clothes instead of skimpy outfits, encouraging them to focus on what's happening in the squared circle. To your point though, yes, it's a double standard in the business. But it's one that's changing over time in pockets of promotions around the world."

"I've also been doubted to succeed because of the area I grew up in. 'No one really became a huge star from the DMV, except Batista,' was what many of folks in my neck of the woods would say," Shannon said before Chris interrupted her.

"What the hell is the DMV?" He asked. "I don't think you mean the Department of Motor Vehicles. Is it the name of the wrestling school that trained you?"

"Hahahaha, no the name of my wrestling school is Maryland Championship Wrestling, MCW," Shannon corrected him. "They tweaked their name a little bit recently to MCW Pro Wrestling Academy, but it's the same place. MCW has a training facility and their own small promotion. But I wrestled for other indies in the state too. Real quick Y2J, I know this is your show, but could I shout out some places? I promise I'll get back to answering your question."

"No problem Shannon," Chris said while flicking his wrists forward, acknowledging his approval. "It's important to support independent wrestling. We all start from somewhere."

"I agree completely," she said empathically while placing a palm on her chest. "Shout out first and foremost to my home promotion, MCW. Shout out to Adrenaline Championship Wrestling in Denton, Maryland. Shoutout to Eastern Wrestling Association in Dundalk, Maryland. I heard you guys got a deal done with CZW to stream some of your shows through the web service that does their shows. So that's great news. Um, CHIKARA and EVOLVE have a bit of a rep already. So uh, let me think of some others. American Combat Wrestling, Big Time Wrestling, First State Championship Wrestling, and any other regional independent promotion in the Northeast I've ever wrestled for. You all played a role in me getting here. Keep doing your thing of producing and grooming more talent."

"All done?" Chris asked.

Shannon nodded.

"Sorry about that. I got a little carried away, but wanted to give as much rub as I could," she replied sympatheticlly. "Where was I? Oh yeah. The 'DMV' refers to a region: Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Plus Washington, DC."

"Oh, I see," said Chris as he adjusted himself in his chair, and reached for his can of Redbull, taking a few gulps as they were talking for awhile. "Why couldn't they just refer to each state by name?"

"Man, I know!" Shannon exclaimed after a chuckle. "I think they do it because there's a Delmarva Peninsula between the states, but like you, I think it's dumb. I don't like the term either. It's usually the DC crowd that uses it frequently. I _never_ do. There's a referee on the main roster that was trained as a ref at my school as well. Some people think he resembles Teddy Long, minus the mustache.

"Darrick Moore?" Chris asked, interrupting Shannon. "He may have ref'd a few of my matches. Nice dude."

"You bet," Shannon said acknowledging his sentiment. "Anyway, Batista's from the nation's capital, but didn't train in my facility. WWE found him, and he was sent to OVW, their developmental territory at the time, along with Lesnar, Orton, Benjamin, and Cena. Mickie James is from Richmond, Virginia. Stacy Keibler's from Baltimore like me, but a lot of people don't like to count her because she didn't spend a lot of time in the ring."

"Stacy's a really good friend of mine," Chris said with a smile. "I've traveled in cars with her on the road over the years. A couple of times during storms, no pun intended to your gimmick."

Shannon chuckled.

"I don't know why people where you're from didn't consider Stacy a star," Chris continued, while shaking his head. "Yeah, she was a cheerleader before being in the business. And once in the business, mostly a valet. But she was a _very, very_ _over_ valet. And she was in the number one company-not for a cup of coffee-but for a solid six years! Fans may remember those makeout sessions Vince had with Trish. But let's not forget Stacy had some racy moments with him too. Remember that time she wrapped her legs around his neck on a desk? When I main evented Wrestlemania 18, at that year's Axxess, we had a replica statue of just her legs and butt. People loved Stacy! We'd had a lot of fun on Raws when we went off air; or on house shows with her dancing and doing funny segments when Austin was co GM in '03."

"I hear you Y2J, and I think to an extent that's very fair," said Shannon. "Their point I guess is when they think of wrestling stars-and strictly wrestling-this area doesn't come to mind, only the ones that there used to be well established territories in: Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, Texas, California, New England, the Tri-State area, the Carolinas, Canada, places like that. And you're right. You don't necessarily have to be a wrestler to be a star in the wrestling business. We've had legendary managers, commentators, and announcers over the years."

"Anything else?" Chris asked as he scratched his eyebrow.

"I'm sure there's other nitpicky things that will come to mind later, but other than the two I mentioned, the biggest one will probably be the race thing," Shannon remarked. "I'd hear snarky comments like, 'unless you're mixed, minorities only get to a certain level in the wrestling business, no matter how good they are.' It's very annoying."

"I'm glad you brought this up actually because when I had Xavier, Kofi, and E of the New Day on the show a few years ago," said Chris, who rubbed his palms against the thighs of his pants legs. "They mentioned similar comments. I like to elaborate a little more on that if you don't mind."

"It's okay," Shannon said, holding a thumb up. "You can continue."

"Well Big E was recruited by the WWE from his powerlifting background, and wasn't a big time fan of pro-wrestling, but the other two-Kofi and Xavier were," Chris began. "And they'd talk about there being a history of racially charged characters in wrestling for minority workers. Part of their reservation for doing 'The New Day' gimmick was that they didn't want to be portrayed as slaves, or singing and dancing. They wanted to be preachers. But somewhere down the line they started singing and dancing anyway. Now, I'm just a White Canadian from Winnipeg with ties to New York because my dad played hockey there. I'm not going to pretend to know what it's like to be Latino, Middle-Eastern, African-American, or anything else in this country. So the floor is yours on whatever you'd like to say."

"Thank you Chris, and for the record, I'm totally fine with you wanting to discuss this. I'm not at all uncomfortable, so I don't want you to be either," Shannon prefaced before elaborating. "It's a murky subject for many people in those communities depending on how open or close minded they are. I think the time period generations of fans grew up also plays a big deal. Were a lot of gimmicks based on stereotypes for minorities? Yes. But there's stereotypes for _all_ characters in the wrestling business. Not all models are uptight. But that's how we have our 'pretty boy' or 'pretty girl' heels act: pompous and pretentious. Not all rich people are snobs, or inherited wealth without earning their claim to the piece of the pie. But in wrestling, that's how we present them. Not every Texan is a frugal redneck that drinks as much beer as Austin-"

Shannon was interrupted by more laughter from Chris Jericho.

"As I've said before an important thing to keep in mind is the time period," Shannon continued. "During the days 'Junkyard Dog' had the collar around his neck, or when 'Harlem Heat' wore old prison suits for attire before Sherri Martel started managing them and upgraded their look, those were times when the territories still existed heavily; but they were slowly diminishing. While many laws of the 1970s and 1980s were phasing out a lot of the racist and derogatory policies of the Jim Crow era of the United States, these territories had their own subcultures of lingo. There were things they said among each other that were entertaining. That's who we are at the end of the day: entertainers. While it might be _expected_ , because athletes are entertainers, they're _not_ _responsible_ per se to keep up with the times of things socially or culturally."

"I'll piggyback off that comment and add to your point," said Chris, who pointed at Shannon. "There was a time Twitter went nuts when I said in a promo last year for the Usos 'to go to the back of the bus.' People thought I was being racist. There's not an ounce of racist blood in my body, and I was highly offended by that! People think they're smart, and want to comment on the things we say and do in the business. But they fail to understand there's a subculture in professional wrestling, where we're in our own little world, our own little bubble. That term is used for those who party. I drink and play cards with them, so we go to the back of the bus for long rides to cities during overseas tours. The front of the bus is reserved for people who want quiet and want to sleep on the ride to the towns. Before the millennials were here for example, me, Austin, Taker, Bradshaw, and Flair would be in the back, whereas Hunter, Steamboat, Malenko, and the quieter agents would be in the front."

"Yes, that I know," Shannon replied. "And it's a double-edged sword. Some people are quick to judge that wrestling promoters are racist. I don't think that's the case. Perhaps some just don't know how to produce good characters for these people because up until recent times, only a few of those people frequented this line of work. Nine times out of ten, more Latinos will gravitate towards soccer, unless they were introduced to Lucha Libre wrestling at a young age. More African-Americans will be attracted to football or basketball. Pro-wrestling's probably last on their radar for sports. So if a promoter doesn't see a group of individuals regularly, I can see where difficulty arises. But that's when you find better Creative and focus on character traits, not gimmicks, to shed your mind away from stereotypes. That would be my booking philosophy anyway if I had a behind-the-scenes gig."

"What do people mean by the term, 'at a certain level' with minorities in wrestling?" Chris asked. "I'm not sure I understand that. I think there's more sub-classifications in America than there are in Canada. People are people there. There were Black wrestlers I crossed paths with in Canada in my first few years starting out, and we didn't look at them and go 'Black wrestler,' just wrestler, period."

"My understanding is that they mean if you're a minority worker-whether it be Latino, Asian, or whatever else, you may succeed and get signed to a promotion, perhaps even win a title," Shannon began with a sigh. "But you'd never be considered a top guy or girl winning their main prize. If they do give it to you, it's a token moment."

"Bullshit!" Chris exclaimed. "Booker T was a great worker, and deserved to be World Champion."

"I know," Shannon said with a nod. "People were pissed that it didn't happen sooner in the WWE, but they fail to realize Booker wasn't in charge of the final decision making with booking or Creative. Vince McMahon was."

"Ron Simmons-" Chris started.

"Some people don't count him because by and large WCW was number two to the WWF, conveniently ignoring the fact that they were kicking the WWF's ass in the ratings in your years still over there," Shannon said interrupting him. "And in the very early 90s, had better matches. They weren't too concerned with 'the entertaining' direction the WWF preferred going to."

"Rocky-"

"Some don't count him because he's half Samoan and half Black," Shannon cut him off again. "And depending _where_ you go to ask some fans in these communities, they don't even give him _half_ the credit because his father's _Canadian_ Black and not 'naturally' African-American, despite Rocky himself being born in California."

"What the fuck?" Chris replied with a grimace. "I just don't get it. It sounds so stupid to me!"

"Ha, man, I told you beforehand, it gets complicated in some ethnic communities," Shannon said now pointing her finger at him. "For me specifically, I'm color blind to it. The people I grew up watching and loved over time: you, Guerrero, Hunter, Angle, HBK, Savage, Flair, Steamboat, Mysterio, Alundra, Chyna, Rude, DiBiase, and so many others, I loved you guys for what you brought to the table. The talent, the skill, the personality, the charm. It was never about your pigment. Regardless of how much hardware you did or didn't accumulate, regardless of what stats you set, what stats you broke, it still didn't alter my feelings on how great you all were."

"That's very insightful," Chris said warmly. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome Y2J," Shannon reciprocated his warmth with a smile in her reply. "I meant every word. In regards to my own career, independent of what I look or sound like, I know I'm a damn good wrestler. I can't control what happened before me, nor can I control what happens after me. All I know is that I have been chosen to help carry the NXT brand. And that is something that I am both humbled by, and excited to do."

"Even though it's early in your run with the ball, you're doing a fine job at that," Chris replied. "You really are. Oh really quickly, something I'm always curious about from the boys, and by boys, I mean the girls too. I'm just using that as a term of expression," he clarified. "You know, our wrestling lingo. What was the first thing you bought when you got one of your first few paychecks from the WWE?"

"You mean like after the rent and utilities were paid?" asked Shannon were a grin.

"Duh!" yelled Chris. "Come on!"

"Oh man, you don't want to know the answer to that Y2J," Shannon said shaking her head.

"Of course I do!" He screamed. "I mean if it was an excursion at Chippendales, then no. You'd be right. I _wouldn't_ want to know about that."

"Hahahahaha! No, nothing remotely close to that," Shannon replied before mumbling her answer.

"What was that?" He asked. "I couldn't quite hear it."

"I said I bought a World Heavyweight Championship," Shannon said blushing.

"Ha, you bought a title?" Chris questioned with excitement as Shannon could see the glimmer in his blue eyes. "What a fucking mark!"

"Until the day I die!" she replied, widening her eyes in glee. "I already had the $400 replica that's on WWE shop dot com. I won't say on air how much money I dropped, but I got the actual, big ass, gold title that Flair had in the Jim Crockett Promotions before the NWA merger and eventual WCW name change. The same really huge one that Bischoff brought to the Raw brand in 2002 and awarded Hunter with, I got that made for me. Not the smaller one the WWE created for Batista when he defended it on the Smackdown brand in 2005. The exact metal, plating, strap, sizing, jewels, and detailing to an absolute tee of the original that Ric had is what I have. It's just so freaking beautiful. By far, my favorite championship design. I just had to have an absolute authentic one. Nothing eclipses it for me. The Attitude Era title is my favorite WWE championship. But the gigantic NWA title is my favorite wrestling championship design, _period_."

"Ahh man, you're _such_ a fucking fan! I love it," he said still grinning. "You know I had that title too when I was Undisputed Champion. People would always ask me why didn't I bring the belts with me to appearances. And I'm like, 'Jericholics, I'm the Undisputed Champion. I have two championships. They're like twenty, twenty five pounds each. I am not going to carry them at book signings, autograph signings, or talk shows. I will carry them to the arena when I'm defending them.' "

"Hahahaha, that's right, you _did_ have it!" Shannon exclaimed while clapping. "Another true story: When I came to Full Sail, the _very_ _first_ thing I did when I met Trips was have him sign my replica Attitude Era Title. Damn, I need to get you, him, and Flair sign that World Heavyweight Title I bought at some point. And Rocky took it from Booker at Summerslam 2001 too. A lot of names."

"Sure, absolutely," said Chris with a nod. "Whenever you bring it in, I'll do it. I live in Tampa. Before you go, could you play a quick game of 'This or That'?

Shannon nodded.

"Boxers or Briefs?" he asked.

"Is that what I rather see guys in, or are you asking me which of those I would wear on a dare?" Shannon asked in confusion.

"The first one," Chris replied.

"Compromise. Boxer-briefs," she said. "Keep the packages tucked, tight, and snug, gentlemen. Well, until it's time for a pleasurable cardio activity."

"Interesting," Chris responded with a smirk. "Okay. Pancakes or waffles?"

"Waffles," she said without hesitation. "They're cuter. Pancakes look the same. There are so many waffle irons out there shaped in cool, unique designs. It's also fun watching the syrup intricately run to and assemble themselves in the squares."

"Cats or dogs?" He asked.

"I'm a dog person for sure," said Shannon. "I don't have one, but I like them more than cats. More interactive. Cats are a bit conceited to me."

"Dresses or skirts?" He questioned.

"Depends on the day, or what I want to coordinate the outfit with," she replied. "Pants are cool too though."

The interrogation continued. "Ice cream or gelato?"

"Neither. Greek Fro-Yo Chris," she said.

"The fuck is Fro-Yo?" He asked, frowning his face as though something smelled horrible.

"Frozen yogurt," She said with a laugh.

"You couldn't just say that?!" Chris exclaimed. "Freaking millennials."

"My bad Chris. I thought the term was patented for a while," Shannon responded. "I've heard people say that since about '08."

"Bonus Round: Name a word or phrase that annoys you," said Chris.

"I'll go phrase. 'Life or death.' I hate that expression because life isn't the antithesis of death. Birth is. You're born, then you die," Shannon explained. "Another one that bugs me is 'I could care less.' It's contradictory. People use that expression to mean that they don't care. When in actuality, it means you _do_ care, just a little bit."

"We're out of time on this episode of _Talk_ _is_ _Jericho_ , ladies and gents! Shannon," Chris said, reaching for her hand. "Thanks for being here and working out that little mix up. I'd love to have you on another episode. Hunter's phone call ate up some of our time. But I'd like to chop it up with you again. I had so much fun, and it was great learning more about you."

"I had fun as well," Shannon replied returning the handshake. "I'd love to come back. Who knows? Maybe I'll be on the main roster next time around. Possibly even your 'new best friend' like Kevin Owens."

Another commercial advertising DDP Yoga aired. Chris closed the show listing the names of his guests for the next two weeks of episodes, followed by tour dates for his band Fozzy, and ended with the featured single off their latest album.

* * *

 **Later that evening, following NXT: Live**

When Shannon settled back in Orlando, it was just in time for a text from Tyler.

 **Ty** : Hey sexy. Caught the ep of your TV debut as champ. U looked hot. Killer promo. The main event wasn't bad either...Not that I say that in any particular order, of course. :)

 **Me** : I see right through that slickster. But your order is just fine with me. ;) Thanks, love. You gave Joe a good rematch a few weeks back. Tell him I didn't appreciate him going in my purse & stealing my last piece of Winterfresh gum before our number at Sarita's show. Stiff him at least once if you're working live events against each other.

 **Ty** : Hahaha! I'll see what I can do Mark.

 **Me** : You better Rockstar. :P By the way, you're no longer my favorite Canadian.

 **Ty** : Who am I being replaced with?

 **Me** : Patterson. I was watching him work heel against a babyface DiBiase (which sounds weird in it of itself given his heel notoriety) from '79. He worked the arm GREAT. :)

 **Ty** : Oh yeah? Shoot it to me, and I'll check it out when I have time.

Shannon quickly texted him a link on YouTube of the match she was talking about.

 **Ty** : And I'm not worried about Patterson. At least I know he won't be after your pussy. ;)

 **Me** : Hahahaha! Yes, that would still belong to you, since he's gay.

 **Ty** : So I'm the real winner here.

 **Me** : Indeed. I'm gonna' call it a night. I've got an early meeting to attend at the P-C tomorrow. Goodnight babe. Hope your 1st month reign as U.S. Champ is as fun as my title reign has been.

 **Ty** : It is. Goodnight. Love you.

 **Me** : I know.


	32. Chapter Thirty Two: In A Groove

**Author's** _ **Notes for February 26th, 2017:**_ _Unfortunately, the departures to #WrestlingHeaven continue. Rest in power to George "The Animal" Steele. I'm not sure if the the turnbuckle pads are edible up there, but you'll probably give them a bite anyway. Rest in power to ECW legend Nicole Bass. Rest in Power to Ivan Koloff. And rest in power to an announcer who I forgot to mention departed us last month: Jim Fagan._ _For those interested, he was the voiceover person who advertised major promoted feuds, games, and other things for the then WWF in the 1990s. However he was known notorious for the opening they had introducing their television shows and Pay Per Views:_ _ **"The World Wrestling Federation. For over fifty years, the revolutionary force in sports entertainment!"**_ _Any of you old enough to remember hearing that? Yep, that's him._

 _Shout out to_ _ **Beagle**_ _ **Brother**_ _for the assist with one segment in this chapter, and offering a listening ear to consult with regarding another._

* * *

 **September 6th, 2017**

 **Midday**

Shannon received a Twitter notification that she was tagged in a tweet. The tweet was a positive one regarding a trip she took this morning.

 **New Tweet** from user **AtStormyLover87:**

"My girl **AtSStormWWE** was determined to get her free cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte at **AtStarbucks** , and waited for the glitch in the checkout machine to be fixed. Mind you, it was a thirty minute wait, but the cashier lady gave her two free cups for her patience. Not sure if that was legal, but #TheChamp gave her second free cup to me! :) #AwesomeAutumn"

Attached to this person's tweet was a picture a good samaritan took for this fan with Shannon and **AtStormyLover87** , holding their cups up.

First Shannon retweeted the tweet, then she replied to it.

 **AtSStormWWE** : " 'Cause everywhere I go, I'm spotted. And anything I want, I got it, **AtStormyLover87**!"

Another fan replied to Shannon's reply to **AtStormyLover87**.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtWWEFanBoi** :

"#CaramelComplexionWithABodyLikeHeaven, **AtSStormWWE**?"

Smiling to herself in between a workout at the Performance Center, she replied to this user as well. She was happy that the user was correct in their guess of the song she was quoting, which was the "Caramel" remix by R&B trio City High featuring rapper Eve. Shannon had a habit of referencing songs to cleverly depict a storyline angle or her mood partaking in some WWE events. Because she didn't tweet daily, or multiple times in a day like so many others, she figured when she _did_ engage, she could at least entertain the people with her wit.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "You know it **AtWWEFanBoi**! ;)"

And another one came in from someone special.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtDuanegill3** :

"Great show as always **AtIAmJericho** on #TalkIsJericho. Way before the **AtWWEUniverse** knew **AtSStormWWE** as their #ReigningAndDefendingNXTWomen'sChampion...she was just plain 'ol Shannon to **Atrealellsworth** & myself."

The person who mentioned her in a tweet was a retired wrestler and trainer of his own wrestling academy. He gained prominent fame in the Attitude Era as "Gillberg," the WWF's parody of WCW's Bill Goldberg. Gillberg wasn't a long-term signee to the then WWF. He was solely there during the period of time when Goldberg had a white-hot run in World Championship Wrestling. However, while in the WWF, he did win the Light Heavyweight Championship, partake in a Royal Rumble match, and had Paul as "Triple H" do a mega sell of his spear during a WWF Championship match on Smackdown!

Attached to his tweet was an old picture of himself, Shannon, and another independent wrestler who was a tenured local veteran not signed by a larger company. His name was James Ellsworth. Gillberg, James, and Shannon were all Maryland natives, and Shannon competed in matches at both men's Maryland promotions. In Chris Jericho's podcast, he gave her an opportunity to name-drop a few independent organizations. Gilberg must have heard the episode and was tweeting her in appreciation. She replied.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "It's not Thursday, but that is a throwback. Let's pretend I don't have a hole in those boots...or scuff marks by the toes. No one can say I didn't break them in though. And for the record, only I have permission to call **Atduanegill3** and **Atrealellsworth** dorks."

* * *

 **A few hours later**

Shannon wrapped up another run at the supermarket a little while ago, and smiled to herself as she put her groceries away. She reminisced about playing nurse to her boyfriend two months ago when he took some time off the road to rehab the orthroscopy operation of his knee. Shannon shopped for his groceries, supplements, and pampered him as though he were a patient in a far worse condition than he actually was. It was a fun time. But he was back on the main roster now.

Once she finished storing her items, she decided to check up on some emails. She read and replied to five before the email window on her Samsung Galaxy smartphone minimized, and an invitation to a video chat popped up. She smiled at who it was coming from, swiped her finger, and accepted it.

"You've won a championship, yet that still isn't enough motivation to buy an iPhone," said Tyler with a smirk, beginning the video chat with banter. He playfully whined to her in the past about being annoyed that he had to download a special app to Face-Time with Shannon since she wasn't "an Apple Girl."

"Hey baby!" Shannon said excitedly. "How are you?"

"Hi sweetheart," he replied. "I'm fine. I was about to get a workout in at the hotel gym before heading to the arena for the show. But before that…"

Tyler held his iPhone firmly with one hand, and slowly removed something from the pocket of his shorts with his left hand. He waved it at the screen.

"I'm glad the gift's made its way to you," she replied. "Hope you both love and understand it."

What Tyler pulled out from his pocket was a 1.5 oz package of NUT .trition by Planters. Shannon called Bayley the other day, and asked that she buy a pack for Tyler at whatever convenience store they were near when they arrived in the next town for their live event. This was a sentimental gift.

"I do, I do," Tyler muttered after a chuckle. "Pam handed them to me, saying 'Shanny told me to give you these.' And I immediately started laughing as I took them. Then she said, 'You two are weird.' "

"Do you remember that baseball game we all went to around my first or second week in the company, and you offered me your nuts?" Shannon asked, and he nodded. "Aaron started cracking up. I took your favorite ones, and you wanted them back."

"Yep, yep, I remember," He said before glancing at the Planters package once more. "I snagged the bag from you, and you fell across my lap. Pam was bitching about us being annoying, loud, and distracting her from focusing on the game."

"Yeah, I _so_ didn't think you would do that!" She exclaimed. "I didn't think you'd literally pull me over, and aggressively. I thought you'd just accept the fact that I took your favorites. But at the same time, I'm glad you did. Because the horseplaying got sexy after while when it seemed like being friendly and flirty were hard to distinguish. To be honest, I was into you then. Way before we actually slept together."

Tyler blew a kiss at her through the phone, and she pretended to catch it while blushing.

"Me too," Tyler admitted. "Wasn't sure if we were on the same page with the timing though. There are moments where we both could point out when we were giving mixed signals to one another before we got together."

"Thankfully we are on the same page now, and I wanted to make it up to you with that gift," Shannon remarked. "You gave me variety in your nuts, so I was sure to have Pamela grab this specific package for you in my behalf. These have peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and pecans. Now, I believe walnuts are macadamias were included in the stash you shared with me. But hopefully, you find my gesture cute, and forgive me enough to overlook those not being included."

Shannon pouted her lips and made a sad puppy dog face for not recreating the exact type and order of nuts they consumed in January from his Zip-lock bag. He smiled at her.

"Hahaha, I did have walnuts and macadamias," He confirmed. "But that's okay. I can and I will overlook that. Just to make you feel better, I'll prove it."

Tyler bit the top corner of the package, tearing at the seam. He then shook some into his hand, and tossed them into his mouth.

"Helping reduce your risk of heart disease is important to me," she replied with a wink.

"Even more so because your pops is a doc," he said after chewing and swallowing the nuts.

"Nothing to do with my father," she retorted. "Everything to do with my love for you."

"Okay then," he said, remembering a pretty heart-heavy conversation he and Shannon had at NXT Takeover: Passion back in June. He essentially told Shannon to make up her mind with her feelings with her father, so she could move forward. Given her comment when he mentioned him, Tyler figured she wasn't interested in trying to repair that relationship. If that was the case, that was fine. Whether she reconciled or not, he'd support her through whatever decision she made.

"So what are you up to?" Tyler asked while finishing up the nuts, and brushing any residue they left behind off his lap.

"Just going through emails," Shannon said. "I went shopping earlier after spending time in the P-C. I'm sure the gang down here will live tweet as the next episode of NXT airs. But you know how I keep my social media activity to a minimum."

"Yep, it's cute seeing you be a dick-you know without you actually having a dick-to people when you _do_ interact," he said before placing the phone on his thigh, so he could stretch his arms. "But I'm going to let you go so I can head to the arena. I just called to thank you for the present. Bye baby."

"Goodbye sweetheart," She replied, blowing a kiss at him, reciprocating his action from before. Have a good show."

They both swiped their phones and ended the call.

* * *

 **Later that Evening**

 **Airing of NXT TV**

" **The roar of the crowd!**

 **Stomp your feet to the ground!**

 **Give it all to me now!**

' **Cause it goes like, goes like!"**

Following the opening introductory package, which now intricately replaced three seconds of Shannon in action towards the end of the video, where Bayley once was, commentators Corey Graves and Tom Phillips began the episode with a serious tone.

"Thank you everyone for joining us, as you do each and every week," said Phillips. "NXT will air in its entirety, but we want to show you some exclusive footage of an event that took place backstage when NXT was off-air."

"That's right, Tom," Graves began. "Ladies and gentlemen if you can recall, last week 'American Alpha' defeated 'The Revival' in a tag title number one contender's match. Well 'The Revival' wasn't happy, and following our six person tag main event, they sought revenge on Gable and Jordan. Take a look."

The clip showed American Alpha entering their locker room. Jason Jordan made his way inside first. Before he could take a seat properly, he was greeted by a sick thud as his face was shoved into a chair. He couldn't react quick enough to locate his tag team partner, Chad Gable's whereabouts; because The Revival pushed and stacked several production crates against American Alpha's locker room door, trapping him inside.

"Mmmph, bong, umph!" were a combination of the grunts and smacking noises heard while The Revival proceeded to beat Chad Gable down, now that his partner was isolated. One of the members of the camera crew was even driven to the ground by the left elbows of Scott Dawson. As he continuously struck the back and shoulders of Gable, his elbow made contact with a camera person's jaw. His partner, Dash Wilder, used that as an opportunity to really take advantage of the unexpected ambush. He picked up the fallen camera and drove it into Gable's skull.

"Gaaah, Gaaah," mumbled Chad Gable as his face was rubbed all across the concrete floor. Finally, Dawson carefully angled Gable's face so that it was against the production crate. Wilder stomped his head, without Seth Rollins' typical running motion.

"Aaaaah!" Gable screamed in eerie, agonizing, pain as a loud cracking sound echoed well into the the locker room that Jason was still blockaded in.

The Revival left Chad Gable a battered, bloodied mess; meanwhile, Jason Jordan could be heard yelling and aggressively trying to break free from the door. Eventually, he managed to remove the knob, yet still was unable to remove all of the crates barricading him. The assault was very 1986 NWA in how The Revival got color on the hot babyface team in American Alpha with it being _projected_ as an ambush sneak attack; but in reality, not so much, because the assault was foreshadowed last week when The Revival vowed "to get revenge."

"Chad Gable has a suffered a broken nose, mild concussion, and a chipped tooth as a result of 'The Revival's' attack," announced Phillips.

"General Manager William Regal wanted to suspend Dash and Wilder," began Graves. "But we have been informed by a source close to American Alpha that they would like Regal to put a hold on suspending these men until after they get their title shot. My guess is that should 'American Alpha' defeat ™ 61 at a later date, they know exactly who they want to see first: 'The Revival.' "

"Now that you people know, who runs the show…" Shannon spoke before soon growing disgusted. She stole that line from a 2005 promo from Shawn Michaels during his summer feud with Hulk Hogan. She'd have no problem sending him a direct message on Twitter, and mentioning it to him if social media made a fuss about it. Although she felt it was pretty obvious, she never hid who her favorites were. If anyone asked, she'd tell them.

Once Graves and Phillips explained the destruction of American Alpha, and its impact on the tag team title picture, Shannon came out to deliver a promo. She'd been speaking for several minutes before she was interrupted by "Celtic Invasion."

"While it's easy for me to say, 'I hate to interrupt you,' " began Becky Lynch, who was walking down the ramp as her theme music ended. "The thing is, that wouldn't be the truth, mate. I _need_ to interrupt. Someone has to save these people from you bleeding their ears off."

Becky Lynch made her way up the steps, and entered the ring.

"I'm saving them, as well as myself, from yet another 20 minute speech, monologue, incarnation ceremony, or whatever the hell it is that you and a few other people like to do on Monday nights," Becky continued, who caught Shannon's smirk, knowing she was using her fandom for Stephanie and Paul against her.

"Oh, we can go a lot longer than 20, trust me," Shannon replied in response to the jab.

" _Thankfully_ , I'm not interested in listening," Becky quickly said back. "I'm not a big fan of 'Storytime with Shannon Storm.' In fact, what I have to say won't come close to even half the time you've been torturing these poor lads."

The crowd laughed, and Shannon turned to them with an angry face.

"Let me guess," Shannon responded after her glares to the audience disappeared. "I think I have an idea of where this is going. You hate me. You think I'm a bitch. But so do these people, so I guess nothing else is new. You're gonna' talk about how you're tired of hearing me say I'm the best, right?"

Shannon took a moment to physically gloat about her new shirt on WWE Shop dot com, influenced by the last lines of her first official promo as champion weeks ago. Her first name was written in cursive at the top of the shirt on the front side, and her last name in cursive at the bottom of the front side. In the center was a large, generic image of a rectangular smartphone, with the text "3G" written on the smartphone's screen. On the back of the shirt were the last lines of Shannon's promo where she addressed people's feelings about her being champion: Get over it. Get with it. Or Get out. Her infinity S logo was at the bottom of the shirt on the back side.

Shannon turned her back to Becky to show off her "3G's" and pointed at them with her thumbs, similar to RVD, before turning back to face Becky. Becky nodded.

"You beat me last week," Shannon said before temporarily placing the her microphone under her armpit to clap mockingly. She pulled it back, and continued talking. "Yay! Hooray! Congrat-u-freaking-lations. Kumbaya, and whatever else you're expecting these people to verbally acknowledge for your victory. Can you do it again…"

Shannon paused to meet Becky nose to nose, and raised her championship. "With this on the line, _tonight_?!"

The crowd erupted with emphatic cheers. The two women continued to pierce each other's eyes with daggers as their stares intensified. After another thirty seconds Shannon feigned throwing a punch at Becky, but opted to instead leave the ring with her championship, tossing her microphone to ring announcer Eden Stiles on the way out. This caused the audience at Full Sail to boo.

"What's it gonna' be Beck?" mouthed Shannon, who shrugged her shoulders, and raised her hands while she walked backwards up the ramp. Only the audience members in the front row could audibly hear her words since she no longer had the microphone.

"You're on!" shouted Becky Lynch, who still had her microphone. She received a huge pop after accepting the challenge. "I've kicked your arse before, and I have no problem doing it again. Can you weather the lasskicking, Champ?"

"Deuces," Shannon replied, holding the two fingers closest to her thumb on her right hand up, while the others were folded, forming the "peace" sign. "Deuces," was a slang term for "See ya' later, or goodbye."

"There you have it folks," said Tom Phillips. "Storm threw down the gauntlet, and Lynch accepted!"

"How _charitable_ is Shannon Storm, Tom?" Asked Graves. "The woman just gave a title shot to Becky Lynch!"

"I don't think she _gave_ Becky anything Corey," said Phillips. "Becky earned the title match when she pinned Shannon right on her ass, plain as day, in the middle of the ring last week. And she very well could do it a second time with the top prize of the women's division up for grabs."

A commercial aired advertising Unforgiven, the upcoming September Pay-Per-View for the main roster, near the end of the month.

When NXT returned to broadcast, Bobby Roode took on NXT Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann, obviously in a non-title match because the men represented different weight classes. Newly signed Cedric Alexander joined Corey Graves and Tom Phillips on commentary for the match. Roode picked up the victory with the Roode Bomb following a distraction from a returning TJ Perkins. When Perkins entered the arena, he brought along the Cruiserweight Classic trophy and medal he was awarded by Paul last year. He did not physically intervene in Swann's match with Roode. But he did make it very clear to both Swann and Alexander, since he was back from his neck injury, if anyone was getting a shot at Swann's silver plated, purple strap, it was him, firmly believing his CWC victory qualified him for the number one contender's spot.

Shannon was walking backstage with a smirk on her face and her title draped over her shoulder. Moments later another camera angle zoomed in quickly on someone. The mere sight of them made her smile abruptly transform into a frown.

"You've got something to say to me?" Shannon asked with an attitude.

"Yeah, _I_ _do_. My cousin said to keep an eye on you," Nia said with a nod. "He also said not to let the politics get in the way."

"Well uh, you'll have to excuse me. I don't exactly keep up with the Polynesians in the business, nor do I have any of them on speed dial," said Shannon as she rubbed the side of her jaw with her grin slowly, and arrogantly, reemerging. "Seems like they're popping up in every wrestling company nowadays. So tell me, which cousin imparted such wisdom?"

"The one _everyone_ knows," Nia said before a pause. "The Rock."

The crowd cheered. Savelina Fanene, who competed as "Nia Jax," too, was a heel, but the imposing, monster kind for the women. The rumor going around was that the company was trying to build her as the next "Awesome Kong," who once leaving TNA, became "Kharma" in the WWE. By being the largest woman in the locker room, Nia certainly had the look to do so; but she was nowhere near the caliber of a wrestler Kong was. If this was the plan, it would be a long term project. But because Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was mentioned, cheers were expected when she said his name.

"Well since Rocky isn't here, why don't you give him my best?" Shannon asked Nia.

"Sure thing," Nia responded smugly.

"Oh, and before you go..."

Shannon didn't finish her statement. She blindsided Nia with a smack to the face. As Nia stumbled, Shannon pushed her to the ground, clobbered her in the back, and stomped her a few times. Then she grabbed a glass punch bowl from catering, and smashed it across Nia's body.

"I don't give a damn about anyone in the Samoan Dynasty," Shannon said angrily as she left Nia on the floor, and a few of the trainers ran to the scene. Shannon grabbed her title that fell during their exchange, and left the camera shot.

She rushed back to attack with more kicks, crushing pieces of glass from the punch bowl that were smashed surrounding Nia as she returned. "Just bring it!" Shannon screamed. "He said that too right? Huh, Nia?!"

A fan was live-tweeting during the broadcast of the NXT episode. They tagged Shannon in the tweet, and reflected on the previous segment.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtI'mASmartMark** :

"Of course you don't care about the 'Samoan Dynasty,' **AtSStormWWE**. Anyone with a brain in their head knows you're a **AtTripleH** girl. ;) #ThatHeelIsLoyal"

Shannon didn't respond to the tweet, but read it and found it funny.

The next match saw the team of Apollo Crews and Cedric Alexander defeat the "Prime Time Players"-Darren Young and Titus O'Neil-to qualify for the Dusty Rhodes Classic. Young and O'Neil had been on the main roster for several years now, and were the only ones left from the Nexus stable without some form of success. While some felt Wade Barrett underachieved, he had a bits of pushes as a singles star. Skip Sheffield was eventually repackaged into "Ryback" and had a World Title push when CM Punk was champion. He also had an Intercontinental Title reign, like Barrett. Daniel Bryan had success winning tag, midcard, and World Title Championships. Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel had a couple of tag title reigns as members of 'The Corre'. O'Neil and Young hadn't won the tag titles as a team, and when separated, they floundered as singles stars. They figured it was only a matter of time before they were on the chopping block to be released from the company. So before that happened, they asked for a demotion to NXT to hit a reset button yet again, to see if they could get some steam there. Paul acquiesced, and they would work under the second brand's tag team division.

Earlier Paul booked Bobby Roode vs. Rich Swann in singles action. It was also an opportunity for an interpromotional weight class match up. With Crews and Alexander, he essentially did the same thing, but as a team. On the surface Apollo Crews was a beefy, strong wrestler, but athletically, he was just as dynamic as the cruiserweights. So he felt pairing the two men together would be both complementary and well-received by fans. The finish came when Cedric and Darren were the legal men. Cedric nailed Darren with the "Lumbar Check" before tagging Apollo, who pinned Darren with the standing moonsault.

" **I'm gonna' love ya' until you hate me!**

 **And I'm gonna' show ya' what's really crazy!**

 **You should've known better than to mess with me honey.**

 **I'm gonna' love ya', gonna' love ya', gonna' love ya',**

 **like a Black Widow baby."**

Iggy Azalea's 2014 hit "Black Widow" featuring Rita Ora was the theme blasted in the Full Sail Arena on the titan tron screens to recap the feud between Shannon Storm and Becky Lynch. First played the chorus above. During those lyrics, highlights of Becky and Shannon's non-title match from last week were on display.

" **First we're both down to play. Then somehow you go astray.**

 **We went from nothing to something, liking to loving.**

 **It was us against the world...it's like I loved you so much.**

 **And now I just hate you. Feeling stupid for all the time that I gave you…"**

Then highlights from the rise and fall of Shannon and Becky as a team during the Attitude Era Invitational were shown.

" **I'm gonna' love, love, love, love, love, you until it hurts!**

 **Just to get you I'm doing whatever works!**

 **You ain't never met nobody that'll do ya, how I do ya'.**

 **That'll bring you to your knees: Praise Jesus, Hallelujah!"**

Then highlights of Becky going on a rampage, attacking Shannon in between her matches with other women on the roster during the progression of Shannon's feud with Bayley appeared.

" **I'mma' make ya' beg for it, plead for it.**

' **Til you feel like you breathe for it…**

' **Til it's got you gasping for air, and you lean forward…**

' **Til I'm everywhere you be at. I can't fall back, go quick.**

' **Cause this here is fatal attraction.**

 **So take it all, or I don't want shit!"**

Finally it showed highlights of Becky and Shannon in matches against other people with a strong showing. The video package culminated with still shots of the women on the main titan tron and a bold font with the text, "Up next!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the NXT Women's Championship," shouted ring announcer Eden Stiles excitedly.

Becky made her way to the ring first. Shannon followed. Her gear was gold and black tonight. She was thinking about wearing gold-accented gear for every title defense; or at least perhaps every Takeover match going forward, given her rise in stock in terms of being a relevant player in NXT. The problem with that idea however, was that she didn't know how long Paul wanted her title reign to be. If she started getting gear in every color possible intentionally paired with gold and no other color scheme when there was no long reign in tact, that would be embarrassing. Just because Shannon gloated about holding onto the championship for a long time in a promo, it didn't mean that would be the case. That was just her being a heel, speaking in character. She didn't write the show. She didn't call the shots. He did.

"Pop!" was the noise heard as Becky lunged at Shannon with a slap to the face.

"And here we go fans!" Shouted NXT commentator Tom Phillips. "Shannon Storm and Becky Lynch not wasting anytime here, getting things started before the bell rings...look at them exchanging rights and lefts!"

After about forty five seconds of Becky and Shannon trading slaps and fists with each other, referee Drake Wuertz finally called for the bell. He waited that long because he wanted the match to start off hot, and have the reception from the crowd reflect it.

"Knee to the gut of Shannon Storm by Becky Lynch," began fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves. "She follows up with a European Uppercut...and another...a third one now! This is not the way the champion wanted to start things off."

"I'm sure it wasn't Corey, but Shannon talked herself into this match, and she'll have to back it up in the ring tonight," said Phillips. "Look at her, hunched over and stutter stepping. Uh-oh, Becky's got hold of Shannon's dangling left arm and is tucking between her legs. Pumphandle Suplex on Storm, shades of what happened last week! Could lighting strike twice for 'The Lasskicker?' Wuertz rushes down to make the count!"

Shannon kicked out of the Pumphandle suplex at one. The crowd popped at Becky's execution of the move before Wuertz made the count. It wasn't that they didn't see her hit before, but they remembered that's what ended the match the two women had last week. Becky beating Shannon wouldn't be an upset. The two women were great wrestlers. But Becky beating Shannon two minutes in would be. The ladies snagged the fans' hearts from their chest with the tease.

Becky then, who still had her goggles on her head, removed them and placed them under Shannon's, throat choking her.

"Oh come on, ref. How about showing some impartiality here?" asked Graves. "Drake Wuertz let Lynch choke Storm a full ten seconds before he started a very lenient, slow count, warning her of a DQ if he got to five!"

"You didn't seem all that concerned when Bobby Roode and Samoa Joe were choking Becky Lynch with a robe several weeks back," Phillips quickly responded. "Why the sudden change of tone now?"

The referee took the goggles from Lynch, and handed them to ring announcer Eden Stiles. While doing this, Becky choked Shannon some more, this time with left knee under Shannon's throat.

"I said Roode and Joe were showing Lynch how glorious the robe was," Graves clarified. " _You_ used the word 'choke' as to what they were doing. Shannon now, grabs Becky by the waistband of her shorts and drives her into the middle of the rope to evade the choke."

Shannon coughed for a few moments and rubbed her neck before slowly crawling towards Becky. When she did, she made it to her feet, and placed one foot on Becky's upper back. Becky started coughing at this point as the weight of Shannon's foot drove her neck under the middle rope further.

"Uuugh," were the audible noises heard from Becky as Shannon placed her second boot on Becky's upper back. She was safe with Becky with her placement. Her foot wasn't too far up directly on the back of Becky's neck. Nor was it too low to give the camera a bad spot and not project a great sell.

"Shannon's got both feet both on 'The Lasskicker'!" shouted Phillips. "Standing on Lynch and pulling the top ropes for leverage. Oh this is bad. She could do damage to Lynch's spinal cord. And there's been a laundry list of Superstars who have come back from neck injuries."

"1..2..3! Shannon get off her, or I'll disqualify you," warned referee Drake Wuertz.

"So!" She screamed at the referee. That was a bit of foreshadow.

"And we don't have to wait for a break because Becky Lynch angled her body forward just enough; and reaching back with a swipe of the arm, Backbody Drops Shannon over the top rope, who lands on the floor mats outside," explained Graves.

The referee began a count on Shannon, who was outside, while Becky managed to recover from the choke. The count was stopped at four when Becky rolled out of the ring to retrieve Shannon and toss her back in. Becky guided Shannon up by pulling Shannon's hair. Once up, Becky starting striking, going low.

"I guess Becky Lynch wants to pick up right where she left off last week with the leg attack on Shannon Storm," Phillips said. "Kicks to Shannon's hamstrings...quadriceps...back to the hamstrings...Storm, down on one knee and Becky runs the ropes...Chop Block by Becky and Shannon goes down!"

"Down, but not out," Graves replied with a grunt. "Lynch lifts Shannon in the air, and drops her down with a Knee Crusher. Cover, 1...2...and Shannon gets a shoulder up! What's on Becky's mind now as the two women rise? Lynch with a firm grip of Shannon's left leg and pivots diagonally for Leg Wh-no! Countered into Whirlwind by our champion!"

"I think Becky Lynch had a Leg Whip or a Leg Lariat in mind," Phillips noted, who squinted at his monitor as the replay popped on his scream, and the fans at Full Sail went "Aaah." "But Shannon kind of used Becky's momentum against her. As she attempted to whip Shannon across the ring from the left leg, Shannon nipped up driving her right knee into the side of Becky's jaw. That caused Becky to relinquish her hold on Shannon's left leg, and Shannon drove that one into the back of Becky's head for the enzuigiri. You're right Corey, that's Shannon's Whirlwind maneuver. A bit modified, but there it was."

Shannon thought that was a cool spot she and Becky went through. Typically, Shannon's high knee/enzuigiri combination known as "Whirlwind," to fans was done from a running position. She'd have both feet firmly on the canvas, standing, before taking off and running the ropes. Once running back towards the opponent, she'd jump into the opponent's face, colliding her knee with their cheek. This was a swift, two part maneuver. As the right knee connected with their face, the left leg mid-air would kick the opponent's head for the enzuigiri, before gravity brought her back down to the ground.

With Becky though, given that she was taller than Shannon, the ladies thought it would be nice if Becky gave Shannon a "boost." Essentially, instead of jumping up to get Becky with the move, Becky on the rotation of the countered leg whip, would propel Shannon up, almost like a rocket launcher. The height would make for a good visual, and would make the fans react strongly. They did.

"Shannon's not going for a cover here though," said Graves who looked on intently at the action. "She wraps her legs around Becky's waist like a Boa Constrictor...and just hammers and hammers and hammers Lynch's shoulders with elbows. Lynch isn't the only one who remembered what happened last week. Looks like Shannon wants to come back after Becky's arm."

"Watch the hair Becky!" Shouted referee Drake Wuertz when Becky reached behind for Shannon's ponytail. "Release the hair!" Becky unclenched her grip, and complied.

Becky reached her left arm back up again. This time, it wasn't to pull Shannon's hair, but to to escape.

"Becky with a Snapmare Takeover to the champion on one arm!" yelled Graves. "And she follows up with a stiff shin kick to Shannon's back. Another cover now: 1, 2, and Shannon gets the shoulder up again. Becky returns to the ropes...running leg drop across the chest of Shannon Storm!"

Becky did a succession of running leg drops to Shannon's chest. After five, she decided to do a sixth one, across Shannon's thighs. Shannon screamed.

"Lynch with the right leg of Storm," Phillips began. "Trying to turn Shannon on her belly possibly for a ½ Boston Crab...blocked...Shannon literally kicks Becky's behind with the opposite leg to push off...Becky on the return swipes at Shannon with a Sliding Clothesline…"

"Counter by the NXT Women's Champion," announced Graves, happily. "Becky went for the Sliding Lariat, and Shannon caught that arm she was working on earlier, trapping Becky with a Hammerlock."

Shannon kept the hammerlock on Becky for about twenty seconds before Becky made it to one knee, and tried fighting back.

"Becky drives a few elbows into Shannon's abdomen," Phillips started. "Shannon's grip almost wavered. Becky with another elbow, and Shannon puts an end to that nailing a Back Suplex on Lynch while still in that Hammerlock position! Becky landed right on her arm as Shannon slammed her body to the canvas."

"That's our champion!" yelled Corey Graves like a sports agent advocating for their client. "Shannon's a smart, powerful technician. One that can transition from maneuvers to holds in seconds. She needed to stop Becky's strikes, but didn't forget about that arm. So what does she do? Slam Becky right on it from the Hammerlock position...Shannon hooks the leg...1, 2, kickout by Lynch!"

"Shannon is ascending to the top rope, and I have no idea why," said Phillips who raised his eyebrows in confusion. "She seemed to be having success with continuing where she left off with Becky's arm...whoops her leg slips a bit on the middle rope before she makes it completely on the top...and Lynch caught sight of it. She hurries to Shannon, and places Shannon's legs on her shoulders. Electric Chair...no...Victory Roll! Shannon countered with the Victory Roll...Wuertz with the cover...hey, she's got one hand on Lynch's tights, and another on the bottom rope! Not this way. 1..2...and the match continues as Lynch kicks out somehow."

If the fans were paying any attention to the promo package introducing this matchup between Shannon and Becky, they were in for something special.

"Shannon gets a hand full of hair of Becky and forces her between the legs before raising her high on her shoulders in a Powerbomb position," began Graves as Becky locked her ankles firmly against Shannon's thighs, while Shannon had her arms across Becky's chest. Seconds later Becky's arms folded into a ninety degree angle as Shannon's hands went to Becky's face before dropping her knees- first to the canvas. "Widow's Peak! Widow's Peak on Lynch. Shades of Victoria."

Iggy Azalea's song "Black Widow" promoted this match. Shannon and Becky wanted to incorporate that theme of betrayal not just with their feud overall, but the idea of spiders into their match itself.

So when they got to talking about spots, before they even entered the arena to tape this episode of shows, Shannon made a call to Victoria, who she met in Chicago when she was still wrestling independently and having tryouts for ROH and Shimmer the same weekend. The two women hit it off that evening, and Victoria even gave her some tips about working through injuries.

On Shannon's most recent phone call with Victoria, she asked if she could get permission to use her finishing maneuver, the Widow's Peak. Shannon made it very clear to Victoria she wasn't trying to claim the move as her own. She was asking specifically for a spot in this particular match, and in this particular rivalry. Victoria understood Shannon was coming from a place of respect, and appreciated that. She gave Shannon her blessing.

"Shannon's rubbing that thigh though after lying on the canvas a bit, and not capitalizing on that offensive maneuver," noted Phillips. "It's almost like it took something out of her as well by doing it. Becky was out like a light when she hit it. She's crawling, and crawling, and crawling over to Lynch...hooks the leg...1...2...no!"

Shannon hated to see other wrestlers use legendary wrestlers' finishers as their own. She thought it was disrespectful, and tarnished the prestige, significance, and power of the move when multiple people did it. So to protect Victoria's legacy, she and Becky agreed to be slow on the sell. Shannon would stay down for several moments before even attempting a cover. And Becky would sell the move, landing with deep agony, making a desperate, dramatic kick out. If Victoria hit the Widow's Peak on any of them, they'd lay down, and get pinned without question immediately. They'd protect Victoria's finish as being a dominant one. A game-ender.

"Dammit!" Shannon yelled when she didn't get the pin. She walked over to the side of the ring in front of the commentary table, and leaned forward against the ropes, buying Becky time. She wiped some sweat from her forehead, before running the fingers of her gloves through her head, as though to indicate non-verbally to the fans that she was trying to regroup. It was nearly time for Becky to get her spot in with respect to the song used for their matchup.

A second or two later Shannon turned around and saw a weakened Becky was in a corner diagonal from Shannon, adjusting herself. Shannon shook off the "burn" from her leg, and raced towards Becky.

"Aaaah, Aaaaah!" Shannon screamed, as Becky raised her legs over and around Shannon's shoulders, sitting on her back for a second, before latching her legs around Shannon's arms. Once that was done and Shannon came across with Becky, her arms were trapped against Becky's legs on the top rope. Becky draped herself over the top rope, so that her face was just slightly above the ring apron. She grabbed both of Shannon's calves, and stenched them in through the bottom ropes, with her elbows pressing into them.

"Tarantula!" exclaimed Graves. "Lynch has got the Tarantula on Storm. Shades of the Japanese Buzzsaw Tajiri!"

This is what made working the match and calling it alongside Becky fun for Shannon. When Shannon pitched doing the Widow's Peak to Becky per her conversation with Victoria, Becky reminded Shannon about last summer's Cruiserweight Classic held at the Full Sail Arena, where NXT filmed. In addition to The Brian Kendrick, Tajiri was another one of the veterans Paul called to participate in the tournament with the younger talent. So between taping matches for the Cruiserweight Classic and NXT, Becky caught up with Tajiri several times. Combine that with the fact that both women competed in Japan before landing in the WWE, they had Tajiri's respect and blessing to pull out it his notorious submission for this match specifically.

It was awesome that the proverbial stars aligned for them to get those signature spots in.

"Rope break Lynch, rope break!" yelled Drake Wuertz, who reminded Becky she couldn't win with a submission on the ropes in the WWE, because a rope break was the medium used to suspend a submission. Becky didn't relinquish right away, but did when the referee made it to two of his five count.

Once Shannon was released from the Tarantula, before Becky pulled herself back up and over the ropes, Shannon pushed her off the ring apron. She collided with the announce desk, planting her forearm out on the landing. Becky did so both for her own safety, and for the sell of what she and Shannon agreed to revisit from last week: the arm. Shannon exited after the referee's count of six. This made him have to start a new count.

"Shannon slides out the ring in the pursuit of Becky Lynch, who may have banged up that left arm even more since it said hello to our announce desk," explained Phillips. "Becky is trying to crawl away, and just as she gets a hand on the apron skirt draped at the bottom of the ring, Shannon pulls her back."

"Front Facelock applied now and Shannon delivers a Standard Vertical Suplex...and now a Northern Lights," Graves began. "...to a Fisherman Suplex not stopping for a second is the NXT Women's Champion who is apparently giving us her 'Curtain Call' on the outside!"

As Shannon completed the fourth suplex in her new signature 'Curtain Call' which was a Belly to Belly, she noticed from her peripheral vision, a group of fans forming their hands into the gesture that Paul tweaked for her to use to figuratively signal the move. That made her happy.

 _I don't even have to do the gesture all the time apparently. Fans are picking up on it. Nice. Hopefully, this isn't just a Full Sail thing, and it'll get more over with other crowds too._

"You ready?" Shannon mumbled with her head bent and her chin resting on Becky's back as she positioned her at her crotch.

"Yeah, do it," Becky muttered between Shannon's legs as her arms were hooked.

"Good Lord, Shannon just completed 'Curtain Call' above our heads and into the stands!" Shouted Phillips. 'The Diamond Diva' didn't skip a beat nailing four of the five suplexes on the outside. But on the fifth and final one-the Butterfly-she released Becky Lynch on the toss. She landed right into the crowd!"

"Holy shit! NXT! Holy shit! NXT!" Holy shit! NXT!" were the chants following the ladies hitting the spot.

"That's payback if you ask me Tom," said Graves. "Don't you remember a few months back when Becky attacked Shannon? _I_ _do_. I believe Shannon had a match against Emma that ended in a no-contest. Why? You didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway. Becky, like a _coward_ , crawled from under the ring, and blindsided Shannon. The ladies brawled for a bit. And before all was said and done, Shannon was Exploder-Suplexed through our announcers' table!"

Shannon bought a few seconds of time allowing her to rest, by taunting some fans with signs favoring babyface Superstars. After that it was time to check on not just her opponent, but friend. Anything could've happened on that bump. Just because the crowd went nuts for it-which is what Becky and Shannon hoped for-it could've went bad. The local wrestlers unsigned by the company-posing as security-could've bobbed or weaved the wrong way, even though they were informed this spot was happening, and in their section. That was why they were there in the first place. As fellow wrestlers, they were in the loop of what to notice if either woman was in trouble an audible had to be made.

Shannon rolled back in the ring on the referee's third count. It was currently at eight. Shannon broke it again, and he began his fourth when she left.

"You can't touch this!" Shannon shouted to a fan who touched her as she made her way to the barricade, and climbed over it to greet Becky. It was the best thing she could think of in character at the time. It might've been a great song by MC Hammer, but for her, it reigned true. They couldn't grab her when she had to attend to someone.

"You alright?" Shannon asked through her mouthguard as she crouched down over Becky, grabbing a head full of her hair.

"No more hurt than any other bump," she said as she slowly pushed her feet forward into Shannon's abdomen. "Other than some Pepsi spilling on me, which makes it look like I pissed myself, I'm okay." Becky grabbed Shannon's shoulder blades and monkey-flipped her over.

"Becky can't make do with the soft drink, but at least she's taking advantage of the ice cubes that came in the cup as she applies them to her arm," Phillips remarked, making light of Becky's surroundings...Becky's up on her feet now, shaking some feeling back into her arm, and is making her way back over to Shannon...kick to Shannon's back..."

"Shannon pushes Becky as she staggers backward," said Graves. "Trying to get some distance. But Lynch is right on her...European Uppercut again to the champion...Whoah, Exploder Suplex on Shannon _over_ the barricade by Lynch! Talk about giving someone a lift! No Uber driver required."

As another round of "Holy Shit, NXT" chants commenced, Becky used that time to climb over the barricade, and slide in the ring. She had to break the count, which was at seven. Then she went back out to grab Shannon.

"You okay?" said Becky to Shannon when grabbing her leggings, just before tossing her in the ring.

"Yeah, it was fun dumping someone over something for once," she mumbled under Becky's hair, veiling the movement of her lips. "Everyone's always tossing me over shit. Back to business as usual."

Becky rolled Shannon further in the ring, stopping when she was in the center. She pinned Shannon, but Shannon got a shoulder up at two and three-fourths. Becky simply rolled over, and the referee started a double count.

No one was really gassed, but they were pushing twenty minutes or so in the ring, and both needed another moment of rest. Not a ton, just some seconds, which they got with Drake Wuertz' lenient count.

"Here they come, both stirring at about 8 and ⅔ on referee Drake Wuertz's count," Phillips noted. "Who wants it more? Shannon's got Lynch on her shoulders...Weather The Storm! Picture Perfect WTS! Cover made..."

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6," yelled the audience who counted along with Phillips. But the one person who's count officially mattered was not.

"No referee! We have no referee!" yelled Graves. Dammit, Lynch took him out with her foot. There's a spin before Shannon leaps for the cutter. Becky took Wuertz out!"

Shannon got on her knees and turned to her right, looking at the "unconscious referee."

"You've gotta' be fucking kidding me!' She screamed while shaking her head in disbelief of why her victory wasn't declared. She got up with a limp, and headed over to him. "C'mon, get up! Wake up!"

"Um Shannon, slapping the referee is not going to do him any favors or make up 'wake up' any faster," Phillips replied in response to Shannon's tactics. "He's already knocked out. You'd just be knocking him out more!"

Shannon looked over to the crowd, who were booing. Whether they were booing because the match wasn't over yet, the referee's inability to make the official count, Shannon slapping him, or simply because they hated Shannon, wasn't completely clear. It could have been one, several, or all of those things. Shannon added another reason to the list.

"Whatever," Shannon muttered before crawling over Drake Wuertz' body and lowering her crotch on his face. She grabbed the middle ropes with both hands and began face-fucking him. The booing grew louder.

 _My artistic interpretation of 'Suck It,' marks._

"Could she be anymore lewd?" asked Phillips. "I mean, seriously? Just go ahead and call the show N-Triple X-T. I apologize in behalf of Shannon Storm to our younger viewers. That is totally unacceptable."

After fifteen seconds or so, Shannon nudged Wuertz out the ring, pushing him with her boots. He fell to the floor mats, but still remained "unconscious." When Shannon turned around, Becky was revived, retrieved Shannon's legs, and locked in a submission.

"Cloverleaf on Storm!" yelled Graves and the crowd popped. "Lynch's leg gameplan is in full-swing. Center of the ring with no rope in sight...and Shannon's screaming...eyes shut tight thriving in pain...and she's tapping, she's tapping!"

The pop of cheers grew larger.

"But there's no referee," Phillips reminded his broadcast partner, who was clearly disappointed. Twenty seconds of the cloverleaf locked in was applied. Referee Eddie Orengo ran down the ramp, walked briskly around the side Wuertz was lying on, and slid in. Shannon conveniently stopped tapping when she saw him make his way down the ramp from the corner of her eye.

"Oh this is not right!" screamed Graves. "This is not fair! Shannon had the match won with the WTS! It's not her fault Wuertz didn't get out the damn way at the right moment! He knows this is a contact sport! And you're going to tell me just at the right time-it's just a _coincidence_ -that Orengo comes running down here? I bet he's in Becky Lynch's back pocket just like GM Regal is!"

Shannon released a growl doing a pushup, before pressing forward and beginning her crawl to the ropes. Becky released her, and leaned forward for something else. Possibly another pinning situation with a unique cradle. But that didn't work.

"Not sure if Becky was thinking simultaneously as she moved toward Shannon, and didn't for sure know what she wanted to do next, but unfortunately for her, Shannon countered into the Storm Shield," Phillips explained. "But she's holding the middle ropes behind her back for leverage, and _blatantly_ in front of the referee no less!"

"Shannon, let go of the ropes," said Orengo.

She did not.

"Shannon, let the ropes go now!" He screamed.

She did not.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5," Orengo counted. "That's it, ring it!"

Shannon finally let go of the ropes, and released her legs from Becky.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match as a result of a disqualification, 'The Lasskicker' Becky Lynch," announced Eden Stiles.

Remember earlier in the match when Shannon was choking Becky and referee Drake Wuertz warned Shannon about disqualifying her? She said, "So!" That was the foreshadow. Shannon was the heel. She didn't care about a damn disqualification. She knew she'd still be champion.

Becky Lynch however, _did_ give a damn.

Her theme music, "Celtic Invasion," died down as she stared at Shannon across the other side of the ring who was smirking. The music stopped completely at this point. Becky, in character, realized that Shannon got disqualified on purpose.

"Whoah, Becky charges at Shannon, forcing her into a corner, and is just throwing haymakers!" exclaimed Graves. "The match is over. Quit being a sore winner!"

"Thumb to the eye of Lynch by Storm," said Phillips. "And she tosses Becky shoulder-first into the ring post...with Becky down, Shannon leaves the ring and grabs her title. But she's not departing the Full Sail Arena. She reenters the ring with the NXT Women's Championship in hand."

"Shannon's measuring Becky, demanding she turn around," Graves started, whose excitement was returning. "Shot to the head with the face of the title! And she kicks Becky over for good measure."

For the next eighteen seconds, loud, crackling, smacks from the leather strap striking Becky's back were heard repeatedly. Shannon didn't stop until she saw the welts and scars appearing on Becky's back, drawing blood. After another six seconds of whips-and Becky screaming-by twenty four seconds, she got the sufficient amount trickling she liked.

"What is Shannon's problem?" asked Phillips, who clenched his headset, and shook his head in disbelief. "You've been implying Becky Lynch may need professional help both before and during this match. But maybe _Shannon_ does. She sexually harassed a WWE official. She intentionally got herself disqualified, and now she just lacerated the back of 'The Lasskicker!' "

Shannon was inspired by WWE Hall of Famer Sting and Vader for this post-match spot. There was a "Non-sanctioned" strap match Sting had vs. Big Van Vader at Superbrawl III in WCW that she remembered, and wanted to replicate a bit of it. In the match, which was a good one, but in a brutal way, Vader repeatedly beat the piss out of Sting with the leather strap shared on each man's wrist. He continuously hit Sting in the back until he bleed. Big Van Vader was the heel; and in addition to his large, imposing statue, this act made him even more convincing of being such.

While the blood trickled across Becky's back, and the audience growing silent, Shannon dropped the title on the canvas a few feet away from her. Then she exited the ring a second time since their match finished.

Shannon was relieved that she wasn't getting her back messed up anytime soon, as she recounted her "Fight Without Honor" match against Cheeseburger in Ring of Honor. Becky took the whips like a champion, and didn't complain about it during pre-production meetings either. Becky was thrilled that it was just the title, and if her back was getting fucked, was glad it wasn't with a shovel, sink, or something else shitty. Especially if it wasn't for a Takeover or Pay-Per-View.

"Out of my way!" Shannon yelled at Eden, who rushed out of the area, where the small side table was that contained the ring bell and microphones. Shannon reached behind the table and pulled out a blue and white cooler. She walked over to the commentary table and placed it there. Then she opened it up, and pulled something out. It was huge. It was cold. It was sharp. It could do damage. But that was the whole point.

"Good grief, look at the size of that damn icicle!" exclaimed Graves as Shannon rolled back in the ring, with an interesting, yet poignantly wise weapon in her hand.

"Shannon, poised, and waiting for Becky to rise," said Phillips as the crowd gasped. "Without remorse Shannon's just staring at Becky grab on her legs, trying to pull herself up with Shannon's kneepads...Shannon with a left hand on Becky's chin...and hammers the skull of Lynch with the icicle with the right. She collapses. And now the front of Becky's epidermis is crimson too. My God, Shannon Storm may be sick!"

Some people underestimated the strength of ice. Yes it could temporarily make you sore when you fell on it after a nice snowstorm. But with the right amount of force, and depending on how big, strong, and thick it was, it _was_ sharp enough and _could_ cut skin. Shannon went for the area of the forehead wrestlers mutilated themselves with during bladejobs. She had Becky's trust, and thankfully got color safe, on the first try.

"Shannon Storm is not sick, but _still_ the NXT Women's Champion," Graves said as Shannon flipped Becky on her back and the blood from that part of her body smeared on the ring canvas. Shannon walked over to her championship, picked it up, and walked back over to Becky. Her fallen foe had a slow stream of blood run from her forehead to the left side of her cheek.

"Let the storm rage on," Graves continued, alluding to the 2014 Oscar-winning animated film smash hit, "Frozen." "The cold never bothered her anyway!"

The NXT episode concluded with Shannon standing over Becky raising both the icicle and championship high in the air-one in each hand-with an evil grin at the crowd, who booed.

 _First Nia, then Becky. Two beatdowns in one night, and I'm still standing! God, I love being a heel._

Shannon Storm was arrogant. But she could get menacing too. Fans saw a bit of that when she "invaded Monday Night Raw" and crashed Bayley's debut. Shannon wanted to explore that some more, and peel another layer of the proverbial onion back. "Stunning Steve Austin" wasn't taken seriously. But "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was, and respected even more during his memorable match at Wrestlemania 13 against Bret Hart. "Hunter Hearst Helmsley" had heat as a Blueblood. But "Triple H" was the top guy who would become a ruthless bastard, and taken seriously by everyone, especially in his match against Cactus Jack at the 2000 Royal Rumble. She wouldn't stop being arrogant. But Shannon also needed to show her ability of ruthlessness to fans. She succeeded.

After Shannon "screwed" Becky Lynch in their Championship match, she received tweets from fans: one of praise, and the other of apparent disapproval.

 **New tweet** from user **AtFightGirlsFight:**

" **AtBeckyLynchWWE** and **AtSStormWWE** are on last for the second week in a row. And they stole the show. #PPVWorthy #LovedTheFinish"

Technically if you counted the mixed tag match with Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Finn Bálor, it would be the third week in a row. In real life, Shannon appreciated the kind words. But she responded to the tweet in character.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Correction: when you're in the main event **AtFightGirlsFight** , that's not called 'stealing the show.' That's called 'doing your job!' #IDeliverLikeFedex"

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtDoubleUDoubleUE** :

"Ur rain as da nxt wamanz champ $ux monk33 a$$. Ukan't drah."

This tweet just visually irritated her, and she responded to it as herself. The fan's opinion on her talent, they were entitled to. But the spelling errors and text-speak bothered her. It bothered her immensely.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Hey **AtDoubleUDoubleUE** , I'm drawing people into wanting to see me lose, genius. Just like right now, I'm drawing people away from you butchering the beautiful English language. Please, I'm begging you, #WeatherTheGrammar! You might be a mark. But you're not a smark. Keep your chin up. Not because things will change in time; but because I rather see **AtShawnMichaels** superkick it!"

 **New** **tweet** from **AtILuvWrestling** :

"You're a jerk, **AtSStormWWE**!"

 **AtSStormWWE** : " **AtILuvWrestling** , I know."

It wasn't even a full month into her reign and she was getting flack. But that was just fine. She wasn't supposed to be liked anyway. People were talking, so that was good. She received a text from one of the few people's opinion's that mattered the most to her.

 **Trips** : Hi Shannon. Nothing's wrong. I received a report from WWEShop that your latest shirt, the 3G one: 'Get over it. Get with it. Or Get out' is a top ten seller on the site this week for the NXT brand.

 **Me** : Really? Wow. That's great. :)

 **Trips** : Yep, and it's ranked #25 overall from shirts across the main roster and NXT combined.

 **Me** : Thanks for the cool stats Trips!

 **Trips** : You're welcome. You're working hard, and I'm appreciative. But there's a caveat to it.

 **Me** : I'm listening.

 **Trips** : We want all Superstars to have the opportunity to make additional money. Not just from the guaranteed pay in their contracts, but merch sales as well. The caveat is that you're a heel. Heels don't want people to like them, even though some fans still will. And true, old-school, serious heels shouldn't want people to buy their stuff anyway, regardless of how cool it is. For that reason, your two shirt designs from the spring: The one with WTS initials surrounding the storm cloud, and the one with the Superman crest, with your nickname sparkling on the back, those will be pulled down as of next week.

 **Me** : As an individual, less cash for me. But being a heel wrestler, you as a booker of a heel, and being one yourself, that mindset makes total sense. I completely understand and respect that.

Paul was right. Over the course of his career with the WWE, he had racked up quite the load of merchandise from shirts, to jerseys, DVDS, pendants, signs, hats, license plates, stickers, foam hands, posters, etc. However, most of the times the merchandise he had available in heavy quantity and variety were during his face runs. And there were only really two or three. Maybe three and a half if you count that awkward period once he jobbed to Hulk Hogan at Backlash 2002, losing the Undisputed Championship to him.

Sure, as a heel, the WWE made some really well-designed tee shirts for him. Both as a singles performer and during the original incarnation of Evolution. But new designs weren't cropped practically every other month to be shoved in arena stands and the store in Connecticut. Maybe a few times a year during his notorious heel runs. And since wrestling part-time, solely during Wrestlemania season.

However, when Degeneration-X was turned face-by the fans-in the summer of 1998, his merchandise quadrupled. They were popular and in demand. There was so much DX merchandise that even he and his stable mates couldn't keep up with it. When DX made a return in 2006, there was no transitional period of a turn. Because of the nostalgia, they were _instant_ faces. Additionally, the internet was a much bigger deal then. It was significantly different than it was during the 1990s where Superstars had hotlines and time slots to plug merchandise for the then WWF on the Home Shopping Network.

By the mid to late 2000s, WWE Shop expanded the content and sphere of merchandise they made: stationary products, books, home decor, and the list goes on. Practically anything the Consumer Products department at WWE Headquarters could think of, a DX logo, catchphrase, or symbol was put on it. And because DX were babyfaces, they _could_. They were cash cows. WWE Superstars only make 25% of the money sold from their merchandise. The company profits off the remaining 75%. Admittedly, that's terrible and disproportionate math if you are a wrestler on the bottom of the WWE totem pole. But if you are popular, receive quite the amount of pushes, and have a lot of merchandise, you _love_ that math. Because this is on top of your guaranteed contract. 25% per item available could add up really quick. Especially if the company ships out several different items of yours to vendors all at once, versus just one or two for everyone else, a la Roman Reigns and John Cena.

 **Trips** : Very good. I'm not surprised you understand. You've got a mind for the business. And you told me when we met in person that Shawn and I were your Flair. Naitch came from the Mid-Atlantic Jim Crockett territory of the NWA wing. And I'm a mark for that throwback style.

 **Me** : Pro-heel territory booking. Babies do the chasing of the high profile antagonists. Bad guys are the stars.

 **Trips** : Exactly. He had to be pompous, condescending, and in your face for heat, in addition to being a great worker. He couldn't accomplish that with a million pieces of merch out there.

 **Me** : I'm nodding in response.

 **Trips** : Hahaha! The point being, you'll still make money. Just not a ton by way of merchandise unless you're a face. Anyways, solid start to your title run. I like what I see. Take care.

 **Me** : Thank you once again. Bye Trips.

* * *

 **September 7th, 2017**

 **Midday**

Shannon decided to text Sarita López. Shannon was surprised in June when Sarita recruited her to be a part of her future fashion show in August. But since agreeing to participate, they started to become quiet friendly following the show's success last month. Kim Kardashian-West, and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were some of Sarita's closest friends in the fashion industry. They had a history. But now that Sarita was several years removed from the Hollywood life, the WWE was her new family. And she was becoming attached.

 **Me** : What happened after the show? Me and Tyler just kicked it alone the rest of Summerslam/ Takeover weekend after our matches and segments.

Sarita sent Shannon a bunch of emojis mixed with arrows, the plus sign, and other unfamiliar symbols in between them. Shannon had not the slightest idea of what Sarita was trying to say. And she wasn't about to do a Google search to download a PDF to decode what they meant.

 **Me** : What the hell does that mean? Words please.

 **Rita** : We all went out 4drinks. Certainly needed them w/Enzo's wild ass. Wanted Tequila, but Randy suggested champagne 4celebrating my line's launch. So while the rest of the crew were knocking the shots back, we were poppin' bottles. Armand de Brignac. He let me keep the pink bottle too. :)

Sarita texted a picture of the Ace of Spades' Rose bottle of champagne Randy Orton purchased. De Brignac, which was owned by Cattier, made the Ace of Spades line the finest line of the brand's champagne. Though it was dominated by Pinot Noir, it also contained a balance of freshness and concentrated fruit. But more importantly than the specificity of the composition of the alcohol, the choice showed Randy was observant. At least enough to make a good impression to Sarita. This replaced Cristal as rapper Jay-Z's favorite champagne. Sarita was best friends with Kim Kardashian, who was married to rapper Kanye West, who was best friends with Jay-Z. So chances were even if Sarita hadn't had a glass of Ace of Spades, she would at least be familiar with the brand, and thus impressed by Randy's selection. It wasn't like he didn't have the $4,000 to drop on the bottle.

 **Me** : "We?" I saw the way you two were eyeing each other at the event. Or was that just for show?

 **Rita** : No...we hooked up...a couple of times. ;) He played "Makin' it last all night" by MiMi & JD.

 **Me** : Who?

 **Rita** : Girl, Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri! Ugh, get with it!

 **Me** : Dude, I can decode wrestling jargon. No one gave me a crash course on celeb nicknames.

 **Rita** : Anyway, once he put that on, those lyrics got to me, and I was done.

 **Me** : I knew it! I saw that spark. So is that it?

 **Rita** : Nope, we're an item now. :)

 **Me** : Aww, yay! Now we both have blue-eyed babies.

 **Rita** : LOL. Ur so stupid. Speaking of blue-eyed babies, the week after next is NY Fashion Week, and I'm borrowing yours.

 **Me** : Go on.

 **Rita** : Total Divas' producers call, not mine! I ended the show w/a preview of my fall line, remember? So I'll present the full line at NYFW. TD's following me there & their ppl said since Breezy is the wrestler w/the modeling gimmick & GQ cover, they wanted him 2attend.

 **Me** : No worries. It's cool. Have fun.

 **Rita** : Good. I told Randy & he understands. RU & Breezy public? It could swerve fans on the show.

 **Me** : The boys know. Not sure about the execs in suits. We have plenty of pics, but that's just on our phones, or in our cribs. I only have Twitter, and besides a random, ambiguously flirty-sounding tweet here and there, he doesn't really interact with me on social media. I don't like that oversharing stuff people do. It's annoying.

 **Rita** : Ahh, ok. I mean, it helps that I mixed ppl up n my fashion show. So, who knows if fans know? I'm sure those that do know will go batshit crazy online when they c ur boo escorting me.

 **Me** : Hahaha! Hey girl, do you. I hate Total Divas, but if it helps boost ratings, kudos for you.

 **Rita** : Thanks 4the support mamí. Wanna' c what he chose from my collection?

 **Me** : Yeah.

Sarita texted a picture of what Tyler planned to wear from Sarita's line as her date to New York Fashion Week. It was a three piece black suit. The pants were solid black and single pleated. He had a single breasted, gold and black sequined jacket with side vents, and a trimmed lapel. Both his five-buttoned shirt and standard neck tie were in solid gold. The vest was in solid black, and the shoes were black loafers, accented in gold.

 **Me** : :D He's got great taste. It helps that your line is hot, so he was in good hands to pick stuff out. I've noticed his talent for marrying classic with contemporary, but doing it nicely without shitting on the other. I love that about his formal sense of style.

 **Rita** : Alright, well TTYL. Gotta' catch up w/Nikki, Renee, and the others in the cast.

 **Me** : Deuces.

* * *

 **Later that Afternoon**

Tyler sent a text to Shannon. He caught her at a good spot. She finished a post-workout shake about an hour ago.

 **Ty** : Hey boo.

 **Me** : Boo? That's a new one. I thought I was your Mark? :P

 **Ty** : You're both. ;) I miss you. :(

 **Me** : I miss you too. :(

 **Ty** : This is us.

He attached a link to a YouTube clip of the music video "Love, Sex, and Magic," by Ciara featuring Justin Timberlake.

 **Me** : Meh. I'm not a fan of JT. He sounds like a karaoke performer with a recording contract who truly believes they're a big deal. JC Chasez was always the superior singer in N'Sync. Hollywood just found JT more marketable with personality and style, so made him a star. Lyrically, he's had some nice songs, but vocally, he never tickled my fancy. I always looked at him as the Rhett Titus of music: he tries so hard to be cool, hip, and talented, when he's mediocre at best, in my opinion. I'm more of a Robin Thicke girl if you were trying to entice me with the whole "soulful, White boy with swag" spiel. "Lost without you," "For The Rest of My Life," any ballad of his really. I like when he sings in the upper register.

Six minutes went by before he texted her again. She thought the conversation was over. But it wasn't. When her phone vibrated again, he sent another attachment in his message to her. She thought maybe he gave himself a handjob, and was revealing the evidence. But it was something better.

 **"It's your body. Get loud if you want to.**

 _ **Yell**_ **if you want to!** _ **Scream**_ **if you want to!**

 **Just let me love you. Lay right here, girl.**

 **Don't be scared of me.**

 **Give you sex therapy. Give you sex therapy.**

 **It's your body. We'll go hard if you want to.**

 **As** _ **hard**_ **as you want to! As** _ **soft**_ **as you want to!**

 **Just let me love you. Lay right down there.**

 **I'll be your fantasy.**

 **Give you sex therapy. Give you sex therapy."**

With Shannon revealing that she was a Robin Thicke fan, he decided to surprise her. He did a quick Google search of other songs by the artist, stopping when he found one that he thought "sounded sexy." When he did, he looked up the text to the lyrics and recorded an mp4 of himself singing them, before attaching the file to his girlfriend.

 **Me** : Oh...my...God. You definitely need to start singing to me when we make love. I know your band does their little thing on the side, and you enjoy that. But damn baby, with such a hot falsetto, you could be an indie singles artist! I'm a sucker for the high notes! When appropriate though, no overkill. :P Fuck, now I'm hot, bothered, and needy like you! :0

 **Ty** : LOL. I mean you got a taste of it when I did Prince's '99 the night we first slept together.

 **Me** : Yeah, but that was a cover. Some people rehearse covers repeatedly. So much so to the point where it sounds like they're imitating the artist, rather than giving it their own flair. You know what I mean? I think true vocal artists can alter registers if their talent's legit. This mp4 is just you straight up, not choreographed.

 **Ty** : Thanks. You like it?

 **Me** : Love it. :+) I like some of Jesse McCartney's stuff too.

 **Ty** : Do you just have a thing for dudes with blue eyes? Both those guys and me have blue eyes. The next thing you'll say is that Leo DiCaprio is your favorite actor because his eyes are blue too.

 **Me** : Hahaha, stop it! This is just like that time when you startled me during an outdoor workout, before getting on me about White rappers. I swear these are just coincidences! If you're talented, you're talented. And if you're hot, you're hot. I don't care what you do, or what color your eyes are.

 **Ty** : Mmhmm. Whatever you say Mark.

* * *

 **September 9th, and 10th, 2017**

 **Mexico City, Mexico**

Shannon was in Mexico for two days. She was going to compete in two of the most successful Mexican private wrestling companies. The first, would be in the eighty three year old promotion, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. This wrestling promotion, popular South of the border, was prominently referred to as CMLL. Its English translation was known as the "World Wrestling Council." The second would be in the twenty four year old Asistencia Asesoría Y Administración. Translated to "Assistance, Assessment, and Administration," but commonly referred by fans as AAA, it was a lucha libre promotion that broke away from its CMLL parent company, in an effort to form its own identity.

On the ninth, Shannon defended the NXT Women's Championship in the CMLL promotion against Panamanian second-generation luchadora, and current CMLL World Women's Champion, Daly La Caribeña. The next day she defended her title against Canadian professional wrestler, and current AAA Reinas de Reinas Champion, Taya Valkyrie. The matches were good as each woman represented the top of the food chain for their respective promotion.

Shannon was both grateful and thrilled about Paul's commitment to establish a rapport with independent promotions around, not just those in America, but across the globe. It also gave Shannon more international experience. She learned from her time doing an event in Mexico with Lucha Underground last fall, and in Japan with Asuka last spring before she ultimately signed with NXT. This was just another notch under Shannon's belt.

Unfortunately, Shannon got a relatively bad cut in one those matches. One of Valkyrie's signature moves was a moonsault. Sometimes she performed them to the outside of the ring. Coincidentally, one of those times Valkyrie repeated the move outside was during Shannon's match with her in AAA. Shannon took a knee to the face as Valkyrie's knee brace nailed her on the landing, generating color. Valkyrie didn't break Shannon's nose or jaw. However Shannon was lacerated on the left nostril of her nose and received a cut even deeper right under her left eye on the orbital bone.

Paul had this match stopped after fifteen minutes. From a fan's perspective, he could understand the audience's disappointment. But he wasn't looking at it from their vantage point at that particular moment. He was looking at it from a promoter's point of view. This wasn't NXT, or the main roster of the WWE, _his_ companies. This was an international promotion. He was all for expanding those relationships, but wasn't willing to risk having his talents go "all out" if they were in bad shape. It was something different if they were home in a venue on a card in total control by the WWE, complete with their agents, their coaches, and their medical staff. As a wrestler, he fully understood the term, "Shit happens sometimes." Because it definitely did. And he experienced it himself. But in hindsight, having a talent wrestle an extra ten minutes, untelevised, in an outside promotion go from "banged up, but not hurt," to "potentially injured" just to shine, wasn't worth it.


	33. Chapter Thirty Three: Steady Course

**Author's Notes for March 12th, 2017:** _Congratulations to Rick Rude making the WWE'S Hall of Fame class this year. Obviously, if you're reading this story, you know I already had him in with my earlier Wrestlemania/Spring Takeover chapter. Whether in fiction or real life, it's well deserved._

 _Shoutout to Chris Jericho for a certain spot in Shannon's match this chapter that's reminiscent of his against Chris Benoit at the 2001 Royal Rumble. I totally wasn't thinking about it when writing the chapter. But as I was reading this back making edits, it put a smile on my face while it popped into my memory._

* * *

 **September 12th, 2017**

 **Orlando, Florida**

Shannon texted her boyfriend.

 **Me** : Pam said you were in town for a few hours before taking a flight out to the Cuba tour later.

 **Ty** : Yeah, I'm home, for now. But I've got to get on the plane in a little bit.

 **Me** : I need to come by quick for something. I'll text you again when I'm outside your door.

As soon as Shannon told Tyler she was on her way, he unlocked his door and turned out the lights of his loft apartment off before running upstairs to his bedroom. He had something special on his mind.

When he came back downstairs, there was a smirk on his face as he grabbed his smartphone to text her back.

 **Ty** : It's open. When you get off the elevator, come straight in.

 **Me** : Okay.

Fifteen minutes went by, and Shannon entered.

"Hey bab-what the hell?" Shannon asked. "Did you forget to pay the electric bill? Did you lie to me about being home?"

"That's strange," Shannon muttered while continuing to make steps in the living room. "Usually that stereo is always on. Seldom does he remember to turn it off."

Tyler used his smartphone, which was synchronized as a remote to various appliances, in addition to the lights. He dimmed them and played the 1996 classic Contemporary R&B song, "Pony" by Ginuwine, over the speakers.

 _What the-?_

 **"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yea-yea-yea.**

 **Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yea-yea-yea.**

 **Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yea-yea-yea."**

Before she could finish the sentence in her head, Tyler emerged holding a lavish, black, wooden swivel bar stool from his kitchen. His loft had pastel walls and a light Dolphin Grey colored carpet, which made the classic stool a natural fit for his modern kitchen. It made for a high-contrast, contemporary space.

He grabbed her hand when he made it to where she was in the living room, and guided her to sit on the stool. The seat was padded with a black upholstered cushion and wrap-around foot rest, to complement its wooden decor of the same color. So she would not only be sturdy and secure, but quite comfortable for what he had planned.

He slid back to the center of the room, and danced as soon as the song's lyrics began, lip- syncing them:

" **I'm just a bachelor,"**

Tyler removed and unzipped his baggy white hoodie, revealing his white tank top.

 **"looking for a partner.** "

He pointed to her, before gripping his red baseball cap with a silver capital M in the center and a black brim. While holding the hat, Tyler spread his legs shoulder width apart, doing two slow hip rolls, followed by two quick pelvic thrusts.

 **"Someone who knows how to ride,**

 **without even falling off."**

Tyler made a quarter turn, stretching his arms completely out, pantomiming driving a steering wheel, squatting as he did the spin.

 **"Gotta' be compatible."**

Still from the squatting position, Tyler span, doing two full rotations as he dipped with two more pelvic thrusts, then a running slide on his knees. On his knees, he grinded upwards twice, caressing his own chest with his hands.

 **"Takes me to my limits.** "

Still on his knees with the red cap, he leaned forward and did five quick pelvic thrusts in succession, crawling backwards with his ass sticking out each time, before doing a one-armed back handspring, so he was now standing back on his feet.

 **"Girl when I break you off,**

 **I promise that you won't wanna' get off."**

Tyler slid again back to the center of the room, removing and tossing his tank top to the floor. Then he did two chest pops. And the chorus of the song commenced.

 **"If you're horny, let's do it!"**

Tyler did a corkscrew flip, landing hands first on the floor, stretching his legs out and pointing his feet completely straight, doing two-and-a half slow grinds to it.

 **"Ride it. My pony."**

He slid forward facing Shannon, and sat on the floor. Now sitting on the floor with his legs spread wide, he did five more quick pelvic thrusts.

 **"My saddle's waiting.**

 **Come and jump on it**!"

Tyler stood up, did a delayed, arching, matrix spin and squatted. He then jumped high in the air, picking up his tank top on the way down, and stuffing it in his grey, baggy, sweatpants. After rubbing it against his crotch for five seconds, he snatched it out, tossing it at Shannon, who caught it. Then the second verse began.

 **"Sitting here flossing."**

Tyler pulled up his pants a little bit before pop-locking, pivoting his hips, and doing another dip. He angled his legs in a side lunge, much like HBK's traditional in-ring pose, minus the flexing of the arms. Rising back to his feet, he turned away from Shannon, and did a backflip.

"Shit. I don't have any singles," Shannon mumbled, enjoying the performance.

The music was still going, and Shannon wasn't sure if he could hear her from the distance.

"Fuck it. Come get it," she continued as she stuck a $20 bill in the cleavage of her blouse, enticing Tyler to approach her.

Though he couldn't hear what she said, knowing his woman, he acquiesced, lowering his face, and picking up the bill with his mouth. Before continuing the routine, he grabbed Shannon's hands and placed them on his chest. While she caressed his abs and with the money still in his mouth, he grinded against her body as close as he possibly could without knocking her off the stool.

 **"Peepin' your steelo."**

Eventually, Tyler made his way back to the center of the room, and danced some more. His back was turned, so he couldn't spot Shannon's pout due to his departure. That was okay though. He would be back soon enough.

" **Just** _ **once**_ **if I had the chance,**

 **the things I would do to you."**

He walked over to Shannon, picked her up while still sitting on the fifteen pound stool, and squatted her for a few reps. With her legs against the bars and her feet on the footrest, he tossed the stool in the air, catching Shannon against his shoulders on the way down. She gasped only for a second because she wasn't expecting it. She wasn't afraid though. With all of the "pleasurebombs" Tyler gave her, she trusted him. When the twenty nine inch stool fell to the floor as he caught her, Tyler pushed her body even closer to him, so that her crotch was completely at his face.

 **"You and your body: every single portion."**

Tyler tightened his grip on Shannon's hips, carried her away from the fallen stool, and carefully placed her on the floor.

" **Sending chills up and down your spine."**

She turned his cap backwards, so she could see his face better.

" **Juices flowing down your thighs**."

He kept his face at her crotch a few more seconds before crawling upward, grinding his pelvis directly against hers four times, a mixed variety of slow and fast. The chorus repeated.

 **"If you're horny, (yeah) let's do it!**

 **Ride it, (yeah) my pony.**

 **My saddle's waiting.**

 **Come and (yeah) jump on it!"**

Tyler stood back up to remove his white Nike sneakers, and grey sweat pants, revealing only his black knee pads and red thong. With Shannon still on the floor, he crawled back over to her, putting his crotch directly over her face this time; and thrusted slowly on her twice. He repeated the thrusting, but went five times fast this go around.

" **If we're gonna' get nasty baby,**

 **first we'll show and tell,**

' **til I reach your ponytail…"**

The song continued for another minute and a half. By the time Tyler was finished his hat was now on Shannon's head, and his thong joined the tank top and shoes on the floor. The only thing covered were his knees at this point.

"Well that's certainly a sexy way to be greeted. Thank you," Shannon said smiling.

"You're welcome," said Tyler.

"It's like I have my very own _Canadian_ Channing Tatum."

"Oh I wouldn't go _that_ far," Tyler said after shaking his head. "It took me hours to master that routine from _Magic_ _Mike_. I would study bits and pieces of that three minute routine in between long drives, and days off. I wouldn't dare say I have instinctive rhythm like Tatum. There's a reason I picked a routine from the first movie and not XXL. I can't just dance to any random song like he could, at least not yet. For now, I'm just a good student."

"Fine, you can be my _Tenacious_ _Tyler_. Or maybe _Tantalizing_ _Tyler_. How's those for stripper names? Either way, I'm impressed by your dedication," she said after applauding. "So what made you do it?"

"I wanted to surprise you," he said nonchalantly while shrugging his shoulders.

"I buy a little of that," Shannon said before rolling her eyes. "But what's the _real_ reason?"

"Alright, alright. You got me," Tyler said after laughing. "What guy doesn't want his woman doing a strip tease for him?"

Shannon didn't respond, figuring that was a rhetorical question.

"The way I saw it, me doing it first is like a down payment of sorts," Tyler continued. "Instead of me begging you for a dance, it would encourage you to return the receipt _willingly_. At least that's my hope."

"Oh you'd never have to beg me for a strip tease. I'd totally do it without question. But shit," she said, while running her fingers through her hair. "I was going to just do it at random. Because you went through the trouble of pulling out all the stops, down to Tatum's actual outfit and song from the film, I'll have to do something special. I'll think of something to put together. I'll definitely make it worthwhile, for sure. I've got you."

"Good. I look forward to it, _whenever_ it happens," He replied. "What the hell did you come by for anyway?"

"I don't even remember anymore," Shannon said staring at him. "But since you're already vulnerable and naked at my disposal," she said smirking. "I think I found a _new_ reason."

"Well like the song says Mark," Tyler started, returning Shannon's smirk. "Come and jump on it!" After learning from a previous text conversation that she liked hearing him sing to her, he sang the lyrics back, rather than reciting them.

An erection was brewing. He was turned on that she was so turned on. Sometimes just a change of location or introduction to something different could spark sexual desire for two lovers.

Because he had a flight to catch, she did so without hesitation.

Shannon lunged at Tyler, clenching his neck and he caught her. He raised Shannon to his waist, and they began to make out. Her soft lips met his. They reciprocated pecks back and forth before Shannon's lips parted slightly. That was his proverbial "green light" to probe her mouth with his tongue. She hadn't seen him in three weeks, and they had to make it count.

Shannon grabbed a fist full of his hair as the kiss deepened.

Shannon reached her left hand downward in search of Tyler's growing member. It was semi-hard, and she would help speed up the process by giving him a handjob during their liplock. Her hand rubbed his cock up and down, giving it a gentle squeeze every five seconds or so. He moaned into her mouth with pleasure at the sensation.

While they were kissing Shannon tried to wrap her legs around Tyler, but there was one problem: she couldn't. She had a pencil skirt on, whose narrow, chic form just made that a difficult task. Tyler could read her efforts though and happily gave her an assist, by reaching for the ending hemline at her knee and raising it all the way to her waist. Appreciating him "freeing" her during her moment of being in heat, she instantly wrapped her legs around him, and he cupped her ass.

Tyler put making out with Shannon on hold as his lips descended from her mouth, to her cheeks to her neck, to her shoulders, and then her chest. He wanted the puppies. Shannon removed her fingers from behind his neck, and brought them to her own body. She pulled her tube top up and over her head, and Tyler thanked her with a smile. He wrapped his right arm around her waist, holding her tightly, while his left took her top from her, and threw it on the floor. That same arm went against her back, and popped her bra open with one finger.

"Aaah," Shannon gasped and elevated her neck in pleasure as Tyler buried his face in her chest, welcoming her breasts into the equation. He encircled his tongue around the nipple of the right one, while cupping the left one. Then he sucked on the entire right breast, before making his way over to the left one to do the same. She closed her eyes and moaned when he rubbed her nipples rapidly, before nibbling them.

Tyler massaged her womanhood across her panties for a few moments. He didn't need to reach under her skirt because he already pulled it way up to her waist. There wasn't a dry spot in sight as he maneuvered his finger across the cotton material. Tyler pulled her panties down and lowered Shannon back to the floor, giving her a chance to step out of them.

"Wooo!" Shannon yelled after being forced over a couch. As soon as she stepped out of her underwear, Tyler quickly span her around and pushed her over the piece of furniture. She didn't hit her face as her forearms helped her brace for impact, catching the anterior portion of the couch. He wanted to bang her from behind apparently.

"I missed you Shannon," Tyler said huskily against Shannon's right ear while he traced the back of her upper thighs and then buttocks with his fully erected penis. The anticipation made her even more wet, and she spread her legs awaiting his entry.

"I missed...oh shit," Shannon whined as Tyler didn't waste time going inside her. "The both of you too," she finished her sentence.

Tyler started pumping in and out of Shannon slowly for a solid two, three minutes before his speed increased. When he saw her ass moving in a circular motion up and down against his shaft he smacked it.

"Oh yeah," Tyler mumbled through a grunt as he squeezed Shannon's hips and began to pound her even harder. Thumps and slapping noises filled the room for minutes as his testicles flopped against her rear. The faster he went, the more jiggly her breasts became as they bounced atop the couch from her bent position. He reached one arm up, tracing her stomach, and continued it on a path North, until his hand had one of her breasts in its grasp. He massaged it.

"Mmmm," Shannon moaned some more as the speed of his strokes were matching the intensity of his stride. "Oh yes, baby."

"You want this cock?" Tyler asked while gritting his teeth against Shannon's neck, resting his chin on her shoulder as he continued to penetrate her.

"Aaah...ye...yes," she answered while raising one of her arms up to grab the side of his face with her hand. He allowed it.

"Take it baby, take it!" he yelled as he smacked her ass again. He felt his balls tensing up so slowed down his speed, giving Shannon deep, but long strokes. While doing so, his fingers rubbed her clit aggressively.

Shannon's whimpers and squeals kind of fused together and Tyler found that so sexy. He didn't let up playing with her clit, and she let out a really loud moan. His balls tightened up more, and he reached his peak. He grabbed hold of both of her legs, pulling them backwards, toward him. He placed them around his waist and crossed her ankles with one of his hands.

She had to clench the couch tightly to maintain her own balance. But he had other ideas. With her legs backwards and crossed around him, he reached for her hands and parted her arms wide, positioning her body as a human crossbow as he became more aggressive with his stride.

Shannon started to release on his cock, and he growled as he came after her. He drilled Shannon for another three minutes unloading his blast inside her core.

After several moments of heavy panting, Shannon rotated her head at about a 35○ degree angle and perched her lips up, urging him to kiss her. He did. Once they caught their breath, and he removed his cock from Shannon, he cuddled her from behind and started laughing.

"What's so funny, Ty?" Shannon asked, legitimately curious. They just had sex. But she missed the joke.

"I have two epiphanies," he replied. "The first is that I'm so glad you got that IUD because I'm out of condoms. And the second is that I realized I'm developing some fetish for fucking you partially clothed. This is what-the second or third time now? Last time I did you with your dress still on in that one restaurant. And I never got the skirt off you here."

"You didn't need to," She responded with a grin. "You're on borrowed time. You've got a flight to catch."

* * *

 **September 13th, 2017**

 **NXT TV**

NXT TV kicked off this week with NXT Tag Team Champions TM 61 defending their titles in a rematch against the opponents they defeated them for it: Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. There was a "leave town" stipulation added by TM 61 that Gargano and Ciampa agreed to. If they were to lose to TM 61, they would have to go to the bottom of the tag team title picture and work their way back up to contention, rather than rest on their laurels of popularity. TM 61 made quick worth of "Team DIY," who were unsuccessful in recapturing the titles. The match went ten minutes.

This was done for two reasons. The first reason was because Johnny Gargano was going to marry his fiancée Candice LeRae of PWG this week, and would be off television for a while for his subsequent honeymoon. The second reason was because creatively, Paul was on the fence about his plans for the two gentlemen. The two talents had the tools to be on the main roster, but _depth_ was an issue. If a promoter was quick to call people up from their developmental territory to their main promotion, they'd risk the chance of a huge talent drop off. The first thing Paul reminded himself about was that injuries could occur at any time. Should there be another issue in 2015 when so many Superstars were out with long term injuries, were there enough people around-and with star power-on the main roster to sustain itself? That was part of the problem of why after a period of time, the Raw and Smackdown brand splits were no longer successful. Having durability was important. The toughest wrestlers weren't invincible to going down to injury. It happened to everyone.

Another issue of concern was adaptability and leadership. When Superstars are promoted from NXT to the main roster, there has to be someone-or some people depending on how many are leaving-at the ready to replace those who will depart. Not just in terms of a physical body taking up roster space, but _quality_ _talent_ ready to carry the load. The process of rebuilding and reloading a brand wasn't always easy, but something absolutely necessary to retain the purpose, success, and reception NXT created over the years.

After this opening contest, a graphic appeared on the screen advertising a number one contender's match for the NXT Heavyweight Championship between Finn Bálor and Bobby Roode. Also advertised was a match between Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Heavyweight Championship. These contests were locks for the upcoming NXT Takeover: Fight. The crowd's reaction to the matchups was positive. Seconds later an advertisement showed the four men would however swap opponents tonight. This episode of NXT TV would see Bálor vs Joe, and Roode versus Nakamura in singles action. The pop for these matches was sustained by the audience.

Following that announcement, there was a backstage segment.

"You wanted to see me General Manager Regal?" asked Shannon who entered William Regal's office.

"Your presence was requested by me, yes," remarked Regal. "Say, do you fancy disrespecting people?"

"Disrespect?" Shannon asked with a raised eyebrow. "Who have I disrespected?"

"Nia Jax," said Regal, who never lost focus, and continued to stare at Shannon.

"When has she been relevant, or _worthy_ enough to even require respect?" Shannon said, managing to pack an insult into a question.

"She has been feeling rather swell lately," Regal continued. "Getting better and better by the day."

"You know, I'm just going to help myself to your fine tea," she arrogantly replied, ignoring Regal's update on Nia. She walked further into Regal's office to a small coffee end table, grabbed a cup, his tea pot, and did as she said she would.

"In fact, rather than being blindsided again by yet another attack-" Shannon interrupted Regal before he could finish.

"I wouldn't call it an _attack_ ," Shannon responded with a laugh in between sips. "I smacked and kicked her around a couple of times. She's a big girl. She should've saw it coming."

"I've decided to book her in a match against you in three weeks time," Regal once again attempted to speak to Shannon, hoping he wouldn't be interrupted this time. "October 5th…" he paused. "At NXT Takeover: Fight."

"Oh, the beverages from your side of the pond are just exquisite!" Shannon shouted, raising her cup to Regal, referring to the tea, and yet again pretentiously disregarding what he was telling her about Nia.

She was continuing the angle of disrespect Regal was alluding to: by not only deeming Nia unworthy of respect, ignoring the idea of being in a match with her implied Shannon didn't visualize her as suitable competition.

"On behalf of all Americans, I truly apologize for throwing your tea into the Boston Harbor over 200 years ago," Shannon said.

Regal, dissatisfied with not only Shannon's thoughts on Nia, but now in his view, undermining and refusing to acknowledge his position as an authority figure, began to smile. Because he was not done.

"Oh, and Shannon, that match contested between you and Nia Jax will be for _your_ ," said Regal, pointing to Shannon's title around her waist. "NXT Women's Championship."

As Regal was providing details of the match, Shannon was in the middle of her final sip of tea. She spat out its contents on one of the walls in his office. Then her chest heaved as she made a hideous grimace.

"And you will be fined for your lewd behavior with referee Drake Wuertz from your previous title match with Becky Lynch," he added. "On the bright side, he could've pressed charges for sexual harassment instead. I believe there's a window of time, where he could change his mind and move forward with that though."

"I take back _every_ damn thing I said," Shannon now pissed, responded, storming out of Regal's office, tossing her cup back in the room before she slammed the door. The cup shattered in pieces. "Your tea sucks!"

Following this segment the Bobby Roode-Shinsuke Nakamora match took place. The match went ten minutes before there was a run in from Samoa Joe. Joe attacked Nakamura, so Nakamura won the match by disqualification.

After the Roode-Nakamora match, a brief commercial aired for Season Two of Camp WWE, an adult animated series, which featured Superstars Paige, Nikki Bella, John Cena, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, The Big Show, "The Nature Boy," Ric Flair, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. With Vince McMahon no longer Chairman of the company, and Mark Henry retired, Naomi and Kevin Owens were added to the second season, replacing those characters.

When NXT TV returned, Shannon came to the ring to deliver a promo. She wasn't in street clothes, but her actual gear.

"Give me the freakin' mic!" Shannon yelled at Ring Announcer Eden Stiles between the ropes after her music ceased.

"Bayley's out of the way. I embarrassed Becky…"

"Is she hearing herself right now?" NXT Commentator Tom Phillips asked his broadcast partner. "It wasn't like she retained the championship in some _extraordinary_ fashion. She got DQ'd on purpose, and assaulted Lynch afterwards!"

"Shut up Tom, and let the woman speak!" NXT Commentator Corey Graves yelled.

"So at the moment, I'm pretty fucking bored. Kidman, Road Dogg, I know you're in the back. Come on guys. You're talented and well-respected vets. Surely, there's some competitor you could whip up for me. I realize the GM is playing favorites here giving Nia Jax a title match with me, despite her not doing a damn thing to earn one! There's nothing I can do about that. At least I know where he stands."

Shannon left the center of the ring, and walked to a corner. She hopped up and laid her body against the ropes, like many other arrogant Superstars-both and past and present-had done. She spoke with her head propped against the top turnbuckle pad.

"As of now though," Shannon said, still speaking but looking at her wrist, feigning a watch being there. "I'm right on schedule, and you're out of time. I want a match, and I want a match now!"

Shannon dropped the microphone to the ring canvas, before jumping down. When she did, the main lights in the Full Sail Arena went out. On the largest titan tron, pieces of vignettes that were promoting a future talent to the brand reappeared. The cheerleaders surrounding gymnastics apparatuses in vignette one divided the room for a certain cheerleader in particular to do her routine. She landed in an NXT ring, and placed her pom poms at her face. White spotlights began to circle the arena and the crowd "wooed" in anticipation at the ominous, but forthcoming reveal.

The yellow, black, and white pom poms from the second vignette with the letters scrambled up, were slowly straightened out. They spelled "Melissa."

Seconds later the full lights returned to the arena. The cheerleaders who were extras in the vignettes were audibly heard clapping in a syncopated rhythm to the spelling of a variation of Melissa's name.

" **M-E-L-L-Y! M-E-L-L-Y! It's Melly! Hey, hey, it's Melly!**

 **R-E-A-D-Y! R-E-A-D-Y! She's ready! Yeah, yeah, she's ready!"**

Music started soon after. CFO$, when composing the entrance music for this Superstar, were inspired by Toni Basil's "Hey Mickey" song from 1981. In the original song, "Hey Mickey," was yelled in some of the popular parts, especially during the introduction with a strong drum solo, before other instruments joined in. In CFO$'s version, they decided to have a bass guitar play together-not before or after-the same notes in the same keys of the bass and tom-tom drums of the theme; instead of the drums beginning the track on their own. They also decided to remove the keyboard portions during the hook of Toni's version, opting to instead to replace them with trumpets, violin, and added scratchy effects. CFO$ felt this would be something unique, and not your typical music you'd expect a cheerleader to come out to with just applause and quirky chants. It still had an upbeat tempo, but had its own rad, edgy spin to it.

One of the infamous lines in Toni's song was "Oh Mickey, you're so fine. You're so fine. You blow my mind. Hey Mickey!" Melissa had the text "Melly's coming soon" in one of her vignettes, so wanted that spelled out in the initial and middle portions of her WWE entrance music. It was cool, so CFO$ had the cheerleaders record the audio for the pet name. It wasn't the first time a name-spelling occurred in a theme for a wrestler though. In Women of Wrestling, known to its fans as WOW, the promotion had a tag duo known as "Team Spirit." These wrestlers' names were "Patti Pep" and "Randi Rah-Rah." For their entrance, P-A-T-T-I, and R-A-N-D-I were chanted out with spunk.

"The following contest is a _ladder_ _match_ , and it is for the NXT Women's Championship!" shouted Eden to the crowd's ovation.

Referee Eddie Orengo moved behind Shannon, unbuttoned the clasp at her waist, and removed her championship. Then he looked up towards the roof of the arena, and made a gesture with his hand for a cable to be lowered, so he could attach her title to it.

"Wha...no! No!" Shannon yelled, looking ahead at her approaching opponent. Then she turned around to the hard camera while Orengo gave the thumbs up to the hidden stage crew members in the production truck responsible for physical mechanics of equipment used in the show. That was his signal for them to raise the lever attached to the cable up, since Shannon's championship was securely on it.

"Kidman, Roadie, this is _not_ what I meant," Shannon continued as her title ascended, and a few spare referees jogged down the outer areas of the ramp. They were carrying ladders and quickly assembled them around parts of the arena, before exiting once again. "I did _not_ ask for this!"

"And introducing her opponent, from Los Angeles, California, making her NXT debut, Cheerleader Melissa!" Eden continued.

Melissa entered the arena with black pom poms and received a pop from the fans, who about after fifteen seconds in, were bobbing their heads and applauding to the beat, yelling out "Hey Melly" during appropriate moments in her music.

" _Demand_ and you shall receive Shannon!" yelled Phillips. "Keep running your mouth, and someone will answer the call."

"This is not fair!" Graves shouted. "Shannon meant a normal match. She needs time to prepare for something of this magnitude! Regal is once again trying to screw her over! She defended her title last week on NXT against Becky, and later in the week South of the border in Mexico. She's already proven she's a fighting champion. Come on Regal! Shannon has no idea who Cheerleader Melissa is, or what she's about."

Bullshit. Corey was doing his job playing it up in character, but they were aware of Melissa and the caliber of talent she was. In fact, when Melissa would visit the group during house shows a few months ago before she officially signed to the company, Shannon gave her the nickname of "Camelion," praising Melissa for her fantastic ability to adapt to multiple character changes. Whether she was she was Cheerleader Melissa in Shimmer and Shine, Raisha Saaed in TNA, or Mariposa in Lucha Underground, Melissa did them all well.

The bell sounded and Shannon unwillingly inserted her mouthguard. The two women locked up, beginning their opening sequence in a collar and elbow tie up. Melissa gained the upperhand, and took control with a hammerlock on Shannon. Shannon bent over and reached an arm between her own legs, grabbing Melissa's left leg to counter out of the hammerlock, causing Melissa to fall.

"Cheerleader Melissa's on the canvas early on," began NXT Commentator Tom Phillips, but she brings Shannon Storm down with her through an inverted Drop Toe Hold."

"Welcome aboard Camelion," Shannon muttered to Melissa. "Hopefully for good this time," she added, alluding to Melissa participating in workouts with Ivory, Molly Holly, and Jazz, and even having a tryout match against Victoria on Heat in 2006, but not getting signed by the WWE.

"Thanks girl," she mumbled.

"Whoah, Shannon plants her head on the canvas, and arches her neck up bridging out," NXT Corey Graves began. "Cheerleader Melissa is trying to get up from her back touching the mat. Meanwhile Shannon's trying to escape Melissa by arching her neck up with this 'bridge-out,' rolling onto her stomach."

"Melissa's 'clamping' though," Phillips quickly noted. "She's wrapped both her arms around Shannon's waist while interlocking her hands. Shannon's gotta' get an arm, hand, or wrist of Melissa to break away from the clamping."

The fans started booing because thus far, they weren't getting what they expected. This was a ladder match, but these ladies were grappling. It gave the women heat, which of course played well in Shannon's favor being the heel. But, it also did wonders for Melissa too. While the word "cheerleader" in front of Melissa's name could give off the impression that Melissa was a happy-go-lucky wrestler for those unfamiliar with her work, that wasn't always the case. Ironically, she got the name starting out being a heel.

While training at her father's tag team partner, Billy Anderson's school, she aligned with Shane and Shannon Ballard, two brothers with a hockey gimmick. Because they were doing a sporting gimmick and were in need of a valet, Melissa was targeted for the role. She would work heel under a cheerleading gimmick. The concept was quite brilliant. As a cheerleader, fans would presume Melissa merely served as pleasant eye-candy, not so much wrestling. Well not only did she wrestle, doing high-flying moves that would generate pops from babyfaces; but did them while interfering in behalf of her heel stable mates.

Paul, like he did for several of the independent talent he brought in since 2014 minus the exception of Hideo Itami, allowed her to keep one of her infamous ring names. But he didn't want her heel on NXT. Not now anyway. He wanted her to be a babyface. She could be tweener at times. Down the road perhaps, there could be talks to turn her.

"Melissa now releasing the clamp on Shannon," Graves announced while squinting his eyes at the action. "Still has her left arm around Shannon, but has planted her right hand behind her firmly on the canvas...arching her pelvis up into a 'Rolling Hip Heist'…"

"And Shannon still hasn't escaped through the bridge, but is making some sort of effort now," Phillips added. "She's not striking or anything like that. Just using the mass of her body, kind of is wearing Cheerleader Melissa down by having her shoulders and side of her head into the jaw and collar bone area of her opponent. Melissa's budging now and pivots!"

"The slight movement allows Shannon to take advantage...and she seizes the opportunity to retrieve the planted arm of Cheerleader Melissa, tilting her now face-first on the mat," Graves explained. "And she follows through with a 'Top Position' Half Nelson. Shannon got her left arm under Cheerleader Melissa's right, and locked her hand at the back of her neck."

A little bit more booing occurred.

It was Shannon and Melissa's idea to begin the match this way. They even gave Graves and Phillips a quick cheat sheet with names of positions and terms for some of the things they'd do. They both had amateur backgrounds before committing to wrestling full-time. Shannon's was longer because she competed in amateur wrestling in a junior high league not affiliated to an actual school, then her high school, and college before solely getting her professional training down the road. Melissa Anderson on the other hand, had been training for professional wrestling since the age of fifteen. She also did a little of amateur wrestling when she was physically in high school. She finished her last two years communicating online with teachers, long before doing such a task became the norm for millennials of today. Melissa graduated high school, completing and submitting course work over email, while she dedicated her teen and young adult life to getting a strong string of experience in the world of professional wrestling under her belt. She honed her skills further through the tutelage of Robert Thompson, Christopher Daniels, Daniel Bryan, and Mariko Yoshida.

The point of the matter was that both ladies had ties to the amateur wrestling world before professional wrestling. And to fuck with the fans-and with each other for a bit-they decided to shoot a little and demonstrate that for the NXT faithful. Not a ton, just enough for a reaction.

"Cheerleader Melissa wrenches her left arm up towards Shannon's chin, and breaks from Shannon with a one-handed Jawbreaker!" shouted Phillips.

And back to business they went.

Shannon grabbed her chin and rubbed it as she stuttered stepped a few feet away from Melissa. Melissa rubbed the back of her neck, showcasing the impact of the half Nelson Shannon stitched in moments ago. A second or two later Shannon walked toward Melissa, who was on a single knee about to get up, and grabbed her skirt from behind.

"Shannon with an anterior Waistlock on Cheerleader Melissa, who makes it to both feet," Graves started. "The gloved hands of Storm are still locked. German Su-wham, wham, wham goes Melissa with elbows to the face of the NXT Women's Champion, blocking what I presume was going to be a German Suplex attempt!"

"And as Shannon unclenches her grip from Cheerleader Melissa, she is now able to face Shannon, turning forward and delivering forearms to Shannon's face," said Phillips. "And it looks like to the same side Shannon was the recipient of elbows. NXT Live went to Mexico earlier in the week folks. Shannon's got some stitches under that gauze on the left side under her eye, and a small bandage across her nose. Cheerleader Melissa could be trying to open it up."

"That's what I was alluding to about the injustice Shannon has been enduring time and time and time again!" Graves screamed. "From you throwing shade at her with ass-backwards compliments. Nia Jax getting a title match at the next Takeover. To now: she's being forced to defend her title again, even though she did against Becky Lynch already. And against a newcomer to the brand in a freaking ladder match no less!? And we had a tour of Mexico where she got a little banged up!"

"Put up or shut up Corey Graves," said Phillips as Melissa Irish whipped Shannon into the ropes, and on the return planted her with a Samoan Drop. "This may not be Smackdown!, but Shannon was talking plenty of smack before this match was announced. She's gone from challenger to champion, which means she's now the bull's eye. Deal with it partner."

Shannon rolled out of the ring and began walking towards the commentary table. She continued to walk past Corey Graves and Tom Phillips. She stopped at the small table Eden was seated near the ringbell and microphones, and made a bee line.

"Shannon Storm is looking to high tail it, and I can't say I blame her," said Graves as Shannon turned a corner, and proceeded to go up the entrance ramp. "But Cheerleader Melissa does not want her to checkout. She unceremoniously greets the champion with a Stinger Splash across the back into a ladder!"

The impact of the collision into the ladder caused it to topple over and knock a few others to their sides, like a domino effect.

"And Cheerleader Melissa follows up with a front Russian Leg Sweep on Shannon," said Phillips. "First her sternum, and now her face. Not a good day in the office for 'The Diamond Diva.' "

Melissa left Shannon down on the entrance ramp, while she took a few moments to carry ladders-two at a time clutched under her armpits-from the entrance area, and surrounded them around the ring directly. She brought about four down, before coming back up the ramp to grab two more and tossed them inside the ring. While Melissa was transporting ladders, referee Eddie Orengo noticed Shannon tap her face near her eye. There were no count outs in ladder matches. So he exited the ring, removed his latex gloves from his pants pocket, put them on, and pursued Shannon.

"Shannon, what's going on?" he asked. "Talk to me."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she mumbled while crawling on all fours. "It didn't open up too much. Just bruised blood underneath the gauze. No heavy, fresh color."

"Alright," he muttered to Shannon. "I'm headed back." Orengo left Shannon and reentered the ring, informing Melissa that Shannon was okay. Once she saw Shannon make her way towards the skirt of the ring apron, Melissa ran the ropes and attempted an aerial move, but was intercepted.

"Access _denied_ for the challenger," Graves said, who's tone improved from the somber one he displayed earlier. "Cheerleader Melissa went for a Topei through the ropes and was hammered by Shannon, who quickly grabbed one of the ladders from the outside. Pretty clever on her part if you ask me. She didn't even have to do all the work. Cheerleader Melissa's foolish idea to 'decorate' the ring with the ladders basically gave Shannon the assist. All she did was pick one up to guard herself, and there Cheerleader Melissa went, right into it!"

Melissa went backwards, carrying her momentum instead of exiting the ring with the topei, inside, reentering it. While Melissa was selling, Shannon grabbed her pom-poms and taunted the crowd.

"I am _sick_ of dives!" Shannon shouted to the fans, and threw Melissa's pom-poms at them.

On the surface casual fans would assume that was a low blow on Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling stars, The Young Bucks. It wasn't. They were her friends, and she was in a stable with them when at the promotion. Shannon knew Matt and Nick could were high fliers who _could_ work. They weren't just highlight real spot monkeys, like mainstream fans accused them of, who didn't see them wrestle at other independent shows. She wasn't with them any more though, and needed heat.

"Hashtag: no more dives!" She yelled at more fans.

"Hey Melly! Hey Melly! Hey Melly! Hey Melly!" the audience shouted, trying to sike Melissa back up into the match.

"I don't understand why Cheerleader Melissa didn't take advantage of Shannon Storm mouthing off to the people in the Full Sail Arena," said Phillips. "This is a ladder match. The only way to win is to climb up, and reach the title. She had an opportunity to do so with Shannon's back turned...oh, but I think I figured out why as she invites Shannon back inside the ring with a Snap Suplex onto a ladder!"

Shannon contorted her face, and curled her legs around. Taking back bumps on a ladder wasn't fun. It was, but it wasn't. You, the wrestler, did what you did on a regular basis for the fans. The body you, the wrestler, had wasn't always forgiving. But Shannon got that one out of the way.

"Cheerleader Melissa's now opening up the legs of the ladder she just suplexed Shannon on," Graves started with nervousness in his voice. "...And she's rolled Shannon's body inside of it. She's basically made the champion a human ladder sandwich."

"Cheerleader Melissa headed for a corner of the ring," began Phillips, who shook his head in confusion. "Again, why is she still not climbing atop for the championship?! Moonsault from the challenger on the champion who was just mutilated by being inside that ladder!"

The crowd started chanting "Hey Melly!" again, and referee Eddie Orengo lifted the broken half of the ladder off Shannon's body, while she remained lying on the bottom end.

Melissa grabbed the second later that she put in the ring several minutes ago, carried it to the center of the canvas, opened it securely, then began to climb up it.

"First attempt in the match to retrieve to the NXT Women's Championship, and it's by the challenger, Cheerleader Melissa," Graves stated. "And she's not wasting any time either, ascending up the steps at a decent pace...Shannon, get up! ...Whoops, Cheerleader Melissa's boot got caught up in one of the steps, and that slows her down a little."

"And here comes Shannon who makes her way to her feet through the aide of the ropes," Phillips replied as the audience's volume increased since both women were making movement. "Whoah...whoah...Shannon's pushing the ladder and Cheerleader Melissa's still on it!"

"Shannon just knocked Cheerleader Melissa off the ladder," Graves announced. "Quite the nasty trip down. She will have to break her fall somehow...the tip of her boots grace the top rope, and she lunges for Shannon...Springboard DD-no-countered into Weather The Storm by our champion! Storm just countered a would be DDT from Cheerleader Melissa into a WTS onto the fallen ladder. And that's the second one in the match that's been completely destroyed!"

"Need more ladders!" shouted the fans in Winterpark, Florida while the ladies were resting for a few moments.

Melissa was the first of the two women to stir. Shannon started crawling seconds afterward.

"Punch thrown by Shannon Storm, but it's blocked by Cheerleader Melissa," announced Phillips. "STO on the ladder as the champion goes down, reaching for the back of her head. When it's skull versus steel, steel wins all the time!"

Melissa dropped to her knees, and slid out of the ring to retrieve another ladder from the outside. While doing so, Shannon rolled over. Eddie Orengo took that as an opportunity to kick out the broken ones to the opposite side of the ring that Melissa was getting a fresh, stable, and fully-in-tact ladder from.

Once Melissa retrieved the ladder, she folded it, pushed it in the ring horizontally, and reentered the ring herself. Then she picked the ladder up again, set in it position in the center, unfolded and straightened it out vertically.

"Up the ladder again is Cheerleader Melissa, who is climbing at a slower pace," began Graves.

"I'm not sure if it's because she's exhausted from being in the match, or if she wants to be wary of Shannon's movement. Truthfully, it's probably a bit of both."

Melissa made it about halfway up the ladder before Shannon got up and started climbing it too.

"And here comes Shannon on the other side trying to catch up," said Phillips whose voiced was muffled by the screams in the arena from the fans, who were hyped to finally see both women on the ladder for the first time. "Kick to the knee through the ladder by Shannon Storm. She's desperate here, trying to do what she can to stump the debuting Cheerleader Melissa, who has had an answer for the champion throughout the contest...they're both still climbing..Cheerleader Melissa with a fingertip on the title! They both climb up more: Melissa for a better reach, and Shannon just to keep stalling until she can get an advantage for herself to recapture the championship."

"Stepping on the last ledge from each person's respective side," stated Graves with anticipation in his voice. "...Shannon Storm reaches across and gets an arm around Cheerleader Melissa for a Front Facelock...Perfect Storm! Perfect Storm! The champion nailed her Super Falcon Arrow from the top of the ladder! And both women hit the canvas hard!"

"You just killed her! You just killed her! You just killed her!" shouted the audience, still in awe at the moment for the defeat.

Normally when Shannon did the super falcon arrow, she did so with an opponent already perched on the top turnbuckle pad. She'd jump from the ring canvas to the top rope in a flash, just like Shelton Benjamin. She wasn't going to jump from the ropes to the ladder. That would be risky. Shannon trusted her agility and judgment call from the ring canvas to the top ring ropes. With proper balance, there was some give there. Ladders however, could be unpredictable. So rather than risking the chance of the ladder tettering when she jumped, causing the spot to be rushed and botched terribly, she told Melissa she'd just climb to the top of the ladder slowly to hit it. So that's what happend.

"We're almost through," Shannon mumbled over Melissa through her hair once they landed. "You're big spot's coming."

"I've got it," Melissa answered. "We're good."

"Stay down!" Shannon yelled at Melissa while getting up and rubbing her back with her left hand. She walked over to the ladder, readjusted it and attempted to climb it for herself the first time.

"Shannon's going upstairs now," Phillips stated. "She's taking her time with it too. I guess she remembered Cheerleader Melissa slipping earlier when she was climbing for speed, rather than stability... What the-?"

Tom Phillips was stumped when saw moments later not only Melissa stirring and beginning to climb the ladder, but climbing on the _same_ _side_ as Shannon.

"Shannon's got a finger on it...what is Cheerleader Melissa doing climbing on _Shannon's_ s _side_ of the ladder?" asked Graves. "Does she think she can leap frog from Shannon's body, to the title somehow? Shannon's got a hand on the title...pull it Shannon! Cheerleader Melissa raising a left leg across Shannon's shoulder, and that causes Shannon to suspend her quest for the championship...now a right leg across Shannon's shoulder...I guess Cheerleader Melissa is going to try to jump over Shannon at this point."

The crowd at Full Sail University roared.

"Dear Lord!" exclaimed Tom Phillips at the sight of what he just witnessed. He and his broadcast partner Corey Graves had to leave their seats. "Cheerleader Melissa gave Shannon Storm a Franksteiner from the top of the freaking ladder to the outside! Storm just went from retaining her championship to a 15 feet drop from a ladder, crashing and burning through our announce desk!"

 _I hope you're proud Mick. I appreciate your Hell in A Cell matches. All of them._

"Please don't die! Please don't die! Please don't die! Please don't die!" The fans screamed both in shock, and in entertainment. When Melissa did the reverse hurricarana on Shannon from the ladder, she landed on the black floor mats outside the ring, while Shannon hit the commentary table, breaking it.

This was a much needed second moment of rest for both women.

"This is a shame!" yelled Graves. "Nevermind the announce desk. I don't mind doing commentary standing up. I'm concerned for the welfare of our champion. This match shouldn't had been booked anyway. Can we get someone to check on her?"

That last statement was a bit of a worked shoot by Graves. They did want to check on her. Eddie Orengo visited her again, and bent over her body after stepping over pieces of the table.

"Hey, hey Shannon," he spoke while snapping a finger in front of her face. "Where are you?"

"Under _you_ ," Shannon said lazily. The lights seemed a little brighter than they did before to her.

"No, that's not what I mean," he shook his head. "Physically, what's happening where you are?"

"A match," she replied. "With a ladder...finish approaching."

"Yes, that's correct," he responded and proceeded to check on Melissa.

He wanted to know if Shannon suffered her second concussion. He was supicious that she might had at first. Her eyes weren't glossy, but she was slow to speak and stared at him a little. Shannon was aware of her surroundings and what was happening. But the fall did have an impact. While she landed sternum first and protected herself with her forearms, the force of taking a bump that high up at her size with that intense crash temporarily knocked the wind out of her.

Orengo didn't make a call to end the match, sensing the ladies were fine. _Fine_ , for what their vocation of choice was of course. The average person certainly wouldn't be. He'd simply give them more minutes to gather themselves. Knowing the finish was on the way, he facilitated their process by moving even further away the remaining unoccupied ladders near the entrance ramp. Then he pushed the broken ones he kicked out earlier all the way to the now destroyed commentary table.

"Well there's not going to be a call for a stoppage because it is a ladder match," noted Phillips. "No fall to a finish. The first person to pull the title down wins. It's that simple."

Eventually both ladies got up, and reentered the ring. Melissa set up the ladder.

"Nothing fancy here," Graves started with a shake of the head. "They're just both sucking it up and climbing up the ladder...it's a foot race to the top...Cheerleader Melissa with a three fingers on it-"

"Boo!" the audience yelled when Shannon slapped Melissa in the face, preventing her from snatching the title.

"Yeah!" the audience screamed when Melissa punched Shannon at her eye with the welts covered by gauze.

Slaps, punches, and forearms were exchanged between the two for the next thirty seconds.

"Cheerleader Melissa's got a full hand on it!" shouted Phillips. "She's gonna' do it...but look at Shannon! She's interlocked her legs with the challenger."

"Storm Shield through the ladder!" yelled Graves wildly. "Now Cheerleader Melissa is trapped. She has no leverage advantage to arch up, and snatch the title down...she's wiggling...she's wiggling...and Shannon pounds her nugget against Cheerleader Melissa with a headbutt, knocking her both out and backward, dangling from the ladder!"

"And now Shannon, with an unconscious Cheerleader Melissa motionless and hanging on _literally_ by her boots," began Phillips. "Has the ability to freely go for the championship...and does."

"Here is your winner, and _**still**_ NXT Women's Champion, Shannon Storm!" yelled Eden Stiles following the ringing of the bell, and Shannon's theme "Cocky" by Kid Rock began. Shannon kissed her championship, and hugged it tightly against her chest.

"Once again, Shannon disappoints you and every other person in this arena that doubts her," Graves said while looking up at Shannon, who was still on the ladder and applauding her.

The decision to make the bout a ladder match and against Cheerleader Melissa was one Paul made to elevate both talents. For Shannon Storm, it was yet another roadblock for her as a heel to endure: with an already advertised title defense against Nia Jax forthcoming, an impromptu title defense put a seed of doubt in fans' minds that perhaps she wouldn't be champion by the time Takeover arrived. And for Cheerleader Melissa, by having her debut on the brand not only against the champion, but in a ladder match with the title on the line, was also a big deal. It showed viewers new to her that she was a strong member of the women's roster, and a star in her own right. Her losing didn't hurt her. Because she was booked strong in the beginning by getting a title match-and a special one at that-on her very first night. This was smart, strategic, mutually-beneficial booking.

* * *

The main event of the night was Finn Bálor versus Samoa Joe. It ended with the same finish as the Nakamora-Roode match: a run-in. Bobby Roode ran in and interfered in the match, causing Bálor to take the victory via disqualification.

People could watch content on the WWE Network at their leisure whenever they wanted. But there were still programs scheduled to stream at certain points. Some of the talent live-tweeted during the airing of regularly scheduled NXT episodes on the WWE Network.

Most times Shannon read along, but didn't always respond to things. But she got a tweet from one of the boys following the conclusion of tonight's episode.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtScottDawsonWWE** :

"Did #The Revival here you right in your match tonight, **AtSStormWWE**? Sick of dives? So are we, girlfriend. #NoMoreDives #DoneWithDives"

His partner tweeted her too.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtDashWilderWWE** :

"Marry me **AtSStormWWE**. #NoFlipsJustFists."

She replied to them...playfully.

 **AtSStormWWE** : " **AtDashWilderWWE** and **AtScottDawsonWWE** , #WeatherTheRevival? Set a date boys. ;) Polygamy isn't legal here, but we can find somewhere where it's accepted. I expect a ring from both of you though. I mean, you are the #TopGuys after all.

A fan tweeted Shannon, but it wasn't one of hers.

 **New** **tweet** from **AtI'mABellaTwinGuy** :

" **AtSStormWWE** , statement made. But I still don't like you."

She replied, tweaking lyrics to the song "Hate it or love it" by rapper "The Game" featuring 50 Cent, in the process.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Hate it or love it. The #AlphaFemale's on top. And I'll keep shinin' homie, 'til my heart stops. Go 'head and envy me. I'm NXT's MVP. And I ain't going nowhere. So with a middle finger in the air, you better get to know me **AtI'mABellaTwinGuy**."

* * *

 **September 16th, 2017**

Sarita López sent out a group text to Bayley and Shannon.

 **Rita** : Ladies, I'm thinking about getting these 4Randy. Thoughts?

Attached to the message was a pair of fishnet, tight boxer briefs.

 **Pam** : Definitely do it. They r cute!

 **Me** : I second that.

 **Rita** : Cool. I don't have a lingerie line. My swimwear is the closest thing 2it. I might b nspired 2create a lingerie1 down the road. Men & women collection, of course. U kno how I do.

 **Pam** : We'll support it.

 **Me** : Yep.

 **Pam** : Real quick, real quick, Shanny have you been on Twitter today?

 **Me** : Per usual, I'll peep here and there and laugh at some stuff people say to myself. Have I interacted on there, today? Nope. Why?

 **Pam** : Fans on Twitter who rewatched the replay of Takeover Brooklyn III on the network are showing up in my notifications. They're saying you landed right on your head on my reverse rana, and it was scary to watch.

 **Me** : Ha, that's because I did. If you delayed the rotation on that Frankensteiner by an inch or two in the takeoff, I probably would've broken my neck. But I'm good. We killed it. I'm happy about the match, and loved every second being out there with you. No bad blood over here. I know you're not reckless.

 **Pam** : Okay, because nothing seemed botched to me, and it went great. You didn't have any indication of a concussion or any other fuck-up. And if you did, you know I would've apologized. Anyway, right back at ya'. It was fun. I'm sure you loved finally "beating" me. Every match we've ever had together WWE, or otherwise, you always lost. :P

 **Rita** : Helllllooo! I'm still here, wanting opinions!

 **Pam** : My bad.

 **Me** : Our bad.

 **Rita** : It's just a thought atm. Neway, what's up w/u n Aaron, Pamela?

 **Me** : What is this, "Check on your man" day? Do we need to formally file reports to you too?

 **Rita** : STFU smartass! I wanna' kno how ur boys r.

 **Pam** : He's fine. Still on the West coast & recently signed with PWG. When u were n San Diego, my house show group was in Fresno. I snuck him in my hotel, & drunk ass Sheamus walked in on us getting busy.

 **Rita** : The hell? Y wasn't the door locked?!

 **Pam** : It should've been! IDK WTF Aaron didn't. Anyway, when it did go down, it was good.

 **Rita** : Damn. & U Shannon?

 **Me** : I have a Canadian Channing Tatum.

 **Pam** : What?

 **Rita** : TF?

 **Me** : He stripped for me girls. Did the whole Magic Mike shebang right before your main roster tour of Cuba.

 **Rita** : Can he move?

 **Me** : Yes! Not at first. He'd tag along as company when Pam and I went clubbing, but didn't really dance. Well, one night he did.

 **Pam** : That was when they 1st smashed. ;)

 **Me** : Ha, Pam will get you up to speed with that story. Getting back to what I was saying, he knows I hate cardio (Yet another story Pam can fill you in on). So he started doing some dance workouts with me, and developed rhythm over time.

 **Pam** : Was it sexy? :D

 **Me** : Very. Part of what made it so hot was that it was unexpected. He did it a couple hours right before catching his flight. The effort and anticipation got me. :)

 **Rita** : Aww, that's so sweet. :) Alright chicas, updates over. TTYS.

* * *

 **The Verizon Center**

 **Washington, D.C.**

 **Later that evening on Smackdown!**

Zack Ryder opened the show cutting a promo. He talked about being offended that "Long Island Iced Z" wasn't invited to be a part of the Summerslam-Takeover week festivities, and even more upset he wasn't on the Summerslam card. That was a work. Being a New Yorker, without a doubt Sarita would've asked him to be a part of activities on her end. Collin Casady and Enzo Amorè were from the area, and they were involved. In actuality, Ryder had been working on a film for WWE Studios and got injured on set, so wasn't available to participate or compete.

But he finished his promo, issuing a challenge to whomever walked out the curtain, vowing to take his frustration out on them. Roman Reigns came out. But he was defeated by Ryder with the Rough Ryder.

Following Ryder's celebration for the upset victory, the cameras showed Roman walking backstage, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head in frustration. He stopped when he saw two people most fans found annoying.

"What do you want?" Roman asked with force.

"Nothing," said The Miz with a smug look, and his wife Maryse smiled. " _Absolutely_ nothing. You lose your United States Championship to a model. And now you just lost to a dweeb like Zack Ryder? I want nothing from you. You're worthless to me."

The Miz and Maryse laughed as they walked away from the camera shot.

Roman continued to walk backstage. He stared at the ground with his head down while walking. That is until he was stopped again.

"Chin up, Big Dawg," said Sarita López, who appeared in the next live shot and literally raised Roman's chin with a manicured finger. "It's not about how we start, but how we finish."

"Thanks baby girl," he replied and walked off. Sarita smiled as he left her.

* * *

 **Ten minutes Later on MizTV**

"My wife and I are A-listers. We're very important, very busy people," said The Miz. "We don't have time to pander to you dorks about the latest on John Cena, Seth Rollins, or any other person who we don't deem awesome. But what we _are_ interested in is learning why a certain member of the roster is even here. My guest for this edition of MizTV is Sarita López."

"Roc Me Out," Sarita López's theme began, and out she came to enter the arena and eventual ring.

"Now before you thank me for being on the show, and talk about how much of an honor it is, let's just cut to the chase shall we?" Asked The Miz. "Why are you here?"

"Because you invited me asshole," Sarita replied, and Maryse mumbled "Watch your mouth," defending her husband's name.

"Cute, very cute," he responded with a smug face. "But that's not what I mean, sweetheart. You've come off a pretty amazing fashion show last month. You exploited WWE resources to launch your clothing line empire. Yet, you're still here. And what I'd like to know is _why_?"

"Um, did Miz forget he was at the same fashion show, along with his wife modeling Sarita's selections?" questioned Smackdown! Commentator Mauro Ranaullo.

"Because I worked for everything I got in life, _including_ this job here," She remarked with passion. "I have and will continue to succeed in both worlds. I've had better matches in my time here than your wife speaks clear English. I don't think your wife could handle today's talent pool of women in the WWE since she left, and came back."

Maryse slapped Sarita, and Sarita started to make a lunge for her. But The Miz grabbed her, and prevented her from doing so. He got her in position for the Scull Crushing Finale, but Roman Reigns ran down the ring, scaring the couple off. MizTV ended with Roman asking if Sarita was okay before tossing parts of The Miz's set outside the ring.

Sarita, Maryse, The Miz, and Roman were a few pieces of an undercard feud brewing on the main roster.

* * *

 **September 18th, 2017**

 **WWE Performance Center**

 **Orlando, Florida**

Tonight was the finale of WWE: Tough Enough on the USA Network, the reality television competition series where contestants vied for an opportunity to become WWE Superstars. The winners would receive a $250,000 contract for one year. Many of the winners failed to remain in the company that long, and for those who did earn multiple opportunities for contracts, chances were they weren't victors.

Maven Huffman and Nidia Guenard were the male and female winners of the first season of Tough Enough. After undergoing further training, Nidia was very over as a heel redneck valet for Jamie Noble during her first year in the company. However once she was turned babyface and traded to the Raw brand from Smackdown!, she floundered. Maven had a bit of a push winning the then WWF Hardcore Championship, had intercontinental, and World Championship matches, and was even in a high-profile traditional Survivor Series match in 2004. He lasted in the company four years before his release. His most notorius memory was being on the receiving end of an entertaining brawl from The Undertaker after eliminating him from the Royal Rumble in 2002.

The only notable winner with tangible success was John Morrison, who won the competition in 2003. Most of the people who had longer stints in the company: Ryback, The Miz, Melina, and others were contestants. Some made it to being finalists. But they weren't winners. The end was the beginning for some people, apparently.

All previous contestants eliminated this season were invited back to the Tough Enough Barracks, which was essentially a minimalist residential facility to house the competitors. From the barracks, they would travel to the Performance Center to be reunited with the four people who made it to the end of the show, and cheer them on in person as a winner would be announced.

Paul was in the Performance Center in one of the conference rooms, along with judges The Big Show, Chris Jericho, Shannon Storm, and host "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. They were discussing amongst themselves how the show went, who they were impressed with based on who remained, versus who departed. Their conversations came to a close when time had elapsed from the voting period on the WWE App.

He opened a door, and gestured for the four finalists to enter the room he and his colleagues were in. The eliminated contestants soon followed, and the cameras went live.

"Over 10,000 applicants submitted entries to be a cast member of Tough Enough," said Chris Jericho.

"2,500 were selected for pre-auditions," said the Big Show. "Of the 2,500 selected, 150 were chosen for screen tests, character evaluations, and physical examinations."

"From those 150, a panel of us, as well producers, road agents, and talent scouts determined which final 12 would be the contestants on the show," said Shannon.

"We worked your carcasses with various skill tests, endurance tests, in addition to other obstacles put in your face," said Austin. "But it was not up to us to decide who from the 12 of you stayed, or left. That was up to the fans watching live on USA, and voting on the WWE App."

"And so it comes down to this," Paul began with a cold stare. "For 12 weeks-and it should've been a lot longer than that-you've been pushed. From drills, to bumps, weight training, conditioning, wrestling training, to even having a match live on the network for the fans to see…"

Sami Zayn was sent down to the Performance Center to have a set of matches with the two male finalists, and Natalya was sent for the ladies. The matches, which were five minutes each, were held twenty minutes before the voting window on the WWE App opened.

"To be completely honest, none of you are where you should or could be," he continued. "Is that to be expected? Hell yeah, because _we_ ," he pointed to himself, the judges, then host. "Didn't become who we are in three damn months. We weren't inside the biggest wrestling promotion in the world in 12 weeks. That's an insult to us. But it's up to the fans who decides your fate. Jenna, Eva-Marie, Josh, Patrick, step forward."

The eliminated contestants howled as the four finalists left the group and walked up to Paul.

"Those of you in the back, this may or may not be your final time seeing these four," he went on. "There are no true gurantees in this business. You may not be contacted by the WWE ever again. As for you finalists, whoever wins, really, I mean _really_ appreciate the opportunity that you'll be given. One that so many other people want, but unfortunately don't have. Don't blow it, and crap on them."

Paul pulled out a card from his black suit jacket with the winners' names on the left and right side.

"With millions of votes casted on the WWE App, the people have spoken," Paul said as he read one name from the card. "Your female winner of this season of Tough Enough is...Eva-Marie."

The eliminated contestants applauded, and producers ran in with a large rectangular check with her name printed on it, so she could have her picture taken with Paul. The judges scratched their eyebrows on that one, not believing the fans made the right call. But again, it wasn't about what Chris, Shannon, Austin, and Big Show thought.

"One more to go, one more to go," said Paul who held his huge hand up to quiet down the former cast members. "The male winner of this season of Tough Enough is...Patrick Clark."

The applause and cheers for Patrick were slow for the cast members, but quick for the judges. The cast members thought Patrick was arrogant, and wanted him eliminated long ago. The judges knew he was the most qualified of the contestants, and saw his passion for the business.

Producers jogged back out with a large check for Patrick. He was overcome with emotion. Soon after he took his picture with Paul, he threw his arm around him for a hug. Paul accepted, patting him on the back and talking him through it.

"I'm very proud of you Patrick," Paul said. "You're young. You've got heart. You'll need further grooming, but _without_ a doubt man, you belong here. Congratulations."

"Thank you so much sir," Patrick responded. "It's truly an honor."

"My pleasure," he replied back before patting him on the shoulder, and gesturing for him to greet the judges, just like Eva-Marie did when Patrick was having his private moment with Paul.

"Congrats dude," said Chris offering a handshake. "You were my favorite from day one."

"Absolutely deserving kid," said Big Show, who pulled Patrick in for a hug.

"It's was you versus everyone else son!" exclaimed Austin. "Shit, I'd vote for you a 1000 times if I could!"

Shannon opened her arms wide, encouraging a hug from Patrick. He gave her one.

"Congratulations kiddo. One less person McDevitt's a hard-ass on," she said alluding to she and Patrick coming from the same professional wrestling training academy, MCW Pro-Wrestling.

"I like it that way," he replied with a laugh as he wiped a happy tear away from his face. "The old-school way."

"That's the best way," she confirmed. "Welcome aboard."


	34. Chapter Thirty Four: Having Fun

**_Author's_** _ **Notes for April 3rd, 2017**_ _: I'd like to take a moment to join many others in sending my condolences to Good 'Ol J.R. (Jim Ross) who tragically lost his wife Jan, last week._

 _Another person we lost in March in the business was "Outlaw" Ron Bass, who died from a burst appendix. Per reports, by the time he realized something was wrong and got to the hospital, it was too late, and the toxins from the burst appendix poisoned his body. For those unfamiliar with Bass, he wrestled from the mid 1960s to the late 1980s. A few memorable things during his career were a feud he had with "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes in Florida, as well as one of his last appearances in the WWE being on a Saturday Night's Main Event show. In that show, if memory serves me correctly, he had a hair match against Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake which he lost; and subsequently, his head was shaved. That might had been one of his last televised appearances in wrestling period, too._

 _2017 hasn't been a good year thus far with so many of "the boys" departing us for #Wrestling Heaven. But we can cherish the memories and neat stories we heard about them over the years._

 _To all of the boys and girls who performed during wrestling's biggest weekend: kudos to all those involved (including announcers and behind the scenes folks). I'm sending well wishes of luck to everyone kicking off their fresh shows this week as a result of this weekend's events. Whether fans liked outcomes or not, your efforts were viewed by millions and I would presume appreciated by most._

 _To all the fans: whether you were in Orlando for Wrestlemania, in Orlando, but skipped out on Wrestlemania in lieu of other wrestling events (PROGRESS, ROH, other indies putting things together for Wrestlecon, etc), or watched Wrestlemania at home, I hope you had fun. If you boycotted the current WWE product and preferred watching Wrestlemanias of years' past in honor of it being "Wrestlemania Weekend," I hope you had fun doing that too. If you didn't watch any wrestling at all this weekend, that's fine as well._

 _I wonder if we'll see a certain #BayBay from Panama City, Florida make an appearance at NXT, Raw, or Smackdown this coming week._

 _ **A word on "The Phenom" known as The Undertaker:**_ _To all of the proud, "Deadman marks," my heart aches with you. I completely understand. I cried for Ric in 2008. I cried for Shawn in 2010. I cried for Edge in 2011. And I cried for Shawn, Hunter, and The Undertaker in 2012. My only regret for the Deadman marks is that it didn't come sooner. Not because I was in a hurry to see "The Phenom" leave. No, not at all. But because there's four quality Wrestlemania matches I'm partial to that The Undertaker could've declared his "Last Ride" prior to the one witnessed this year. My point is that for a premiere event such as Wrestlemania, in my opinion, his fans deserved better. However, we cannot change anything. Rest in peace to a Booger Red, Big Evil, Lord of Darkness, American Badass who for almost twenty seven years prided himself on phenomenally #DiggingHolesAndTakingSouls. You owe us nothing Undertaker. Your body belongs to your family now. Heal up, and enjoy the rest of your life._

 _Things didn't get real for me until he broke kayfabe, removed his gear, and greeted Michelle. Part of me wonders if Hunter did his leather vest and chopper entrance as an artistic homage to his very first Wrestlemania match against The Undertaker in 2001. The more and more I think I about it, in retrospect, I tend to believe so. If it was indeed the case, that was quite slick and classy of Hunter to do. That match from Wrestlemania X7 was excellent, and I think many fans would agree._

 _Once again_ Deadman marks, my heart aches for you. I know for damn sure probably in the next year or two I will be doing the exact same thing for Triple H. Especially if he too, goes the classy route as The Undertaker did at Wrestlemania. He'd probably get on his knees and bow to the ring canvas before walking up the ramp to leave his tape, pads, crown, and sledgehammer on his throne of the Wrestlemania set. Man, I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it. So I better stop pitching ideas for the inevitable.

Without further ado, here's the update.

* * *

 **September 19th, 2017**

On Monday Night Raw, per their encounter on Smackdown a match was announced between Roman Reigns versus The Miz for Unforgiven at the end of the month. In addition to this match, a contract signing to grant Dolph Ziggler a rematch against AJ Styles was interrupted when Kevin Owens vowed he "wanted in." Seth Rollins then entered the ring preempting him from making the contest a triple threat, and the two separate bouts were made official for the Pay-Per-View instead.

Shannon promoted house shows on Twitter.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Just defeated Summer Rae and Cheerleader Melissa in a triple threat match at #NXTStLouis. When will you ladies learn? 'I am #1. It don't matter if you don't like it. Now, take this here down and write it...what does it take to be #1? #2 is not a winner, and #3 nobody remembers!' "

A fan replied, recognizing the lyrics from St. Louis rapper Nelly for his song "Number 1." They decided to reply with more lyrics to the song.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtDirtySouthGrappla** :

" 'Mad 'cause I'm hot. He just mad 'cause he not! You ain't gotta' give me props. Just give me the rocks. Give me the yachts that keep my fans coming in flocks. Until you play the Superbowl, keep ya' mouth on lock.' I guess you can replace 'Superbowl' for a sold-out Takeover at the Barclays Center **AtSStormWWE**? "

She didn't reply to the fan, but retweeted their reply. Even more important than the lyrics they tweeted were a few of her favorite bars from Nelly in the same song: "Ayo, I'm cocky on the mic. But I'm humble in real life. Taking nothing for granted, blessing everything on my life!"

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Tomorrow I'll be bumping tunes from **AtYelawolf** for #NXTBirminhgham."

She received a tweet from-and this would probably make Tyler likely get on her again-another White rapper. His song, "Get the fuck up," was the official theme song of rapper 50 Cent's crime drama "Power" on the Starz Network. It also served as a theme song for Madden 12, the NFL's annual video game produced by EA Sports.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtYelawolf** :

"Appreciate the love, **AtSStormWWE**. Have fun in the 'Heart of Dixie.' "

Before she closed out the app for the day, another one popped in from a fan of hers. The fan made a tribute video with Shannon's in-ring highlights to rapper Jadakiss' song, "The Champ is here." They attached it to their tweet and tagged Shannon in it.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtStormGirlFan** :

"Made this for you, **AtSStormWWE**. Do you have a name for your fans? Beyoncé has a Beehive. Ariana Grande has the Ari Army."

Shannon responded to the fan, partially in character, partially out. The question wasn't really something she found all that important.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Great work on the vid **AtStormGirlFan**. Very impressive. Aren't Beyoncé and Ariana music pop stars? I'm a pro-wrestler, kiddo. One, I wasn't aware that I was required to create such a label for those who follow myself. Two, I doubt there's enough people that like me to consider my following 'a fanbase.' And that's something I'm completely fine with for the record. Three, given it never crossed my mind, I have no freaking idea for what fans ought to call themselves who 'like' me. #ShannonSection? #MembersoftheStormShield? Whatever. Knock yourselves out."

* * *

 **September 22nd, 2017**

 **WWE Performance Center**

 **Orlando, FL**

 **11:00 AM**

"This place is so massive Mr. Matt!" exclaimed Tatiana Evans, referring to A-Train, by his real name per his request. She was far too young to have seen him on WWE television as Prince Albert, and A-Train. And she wasn't quite watching professional wrestling back in 2012 during his return as Lord Tensai and eventual pairing with "The Funkasaurus" Brodus Clay for the "Tons of Funk" tag team. All he was to Tatiana was "Mr. Matt, one of the training guys." He was wrapping up a tour of the WWE Performance Center to the girl.

"You're right, it is huge," A-Train agreed with a smile. "It's a 30,000 square feet state of the art facility. From multiple rings, to green screens, live-stream enabled cameras to feed Superstars' progress to the executives of the company, commentary booth rooms to practice announcing, and the latest and greatest in gym equipment, we are second to _no_ _one_ , when it comes to grooming and creating the best Superstars in the world. And we have a great staff across departments who all do their part to keep NXT, and the WWE as a whole flourishing."

"Mr. Triple H did a good job," she said as A-Train led her and her parents to a conference room, and opened the door for them to enter.

"Hahahaha, yes Mr. Triple H did," A-Train replied. "But again, many people wear hats and contribute. Some you met in person, some weren't in today. Alright, we'll I'll leave you three here, and someone will come get you in about five to ten minutes or so to escort you the airport, so you can board your flight."

Typically fans who wanted to gain access to the facilities had to pay a $2,000 fee for a tour. But Tatiana's mother submitted a request to the WWE through their Make-A-Wish partnership for her daughter to meet her favorite Superstar, who was Shannon Storm.

Tatiana, whose name was pronounced "Tot-tee-anna," was a little African-American girl who suffered from a type of hereditary blood disorder called Sickle Cell. It was a disease that resulted in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells, often leading them to take form in a sickle-like shape. Children as young as five to six months could experience health problems from the disease such as anemia, bacterial infections, stroke, and spurts of physical pain referred to as "sickle-cell crisis." People with Sickle Cell disease did not typically live long lives, as they had an average life-expectancy of forty to sixty years old.

Well, not only would Tatiana get a tour of the WWE Performance Center, but a whole lot more. Paul and Stephanie, on behalf of the WWE, paid to fly Tatiana and her family to Florida to get a tour of the training facility. They also purchased tickets for her family to attend the year-long open Universal Studios theme park in Orlando. They even upgraded the tickets to the "Blue Man Group" package. This allowed the family in addition to visiting all rides and attractions in the seven-themed areas surrounding the blue lagoon (Production Central, New York, London/Diagon Alley, World Expo, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone, and Hollywood), but tickets to a performance by the world-renowned artists. In addition to witnessing the comedy, theater, rock concert, and dance party all wrapped into one by the Blue Man Group, they'd have meet and greet access to the performers behind the paint before the show.

Tatiana would also get to meet Shannon. When Paul and Stephanie contacted Tatiana and her family, they informed her over webcam during a Skype call about being one of the "Wish Kids" selected this month. They mentioned the round trip flight to Florida, and then back to their home state. They mentioned covering the hotel. They mentioned covering expenses for the WWE Performance Center tour. They mentioned entry to Universal Studios, plus the Blue Man Troup bonus. But they intentionally neglected the part about Shannon meeting Tatiana's family. This was why A-Train left them in one of the conference rooms.

There was a knock on the door.

"I guess that's the shuttle driver to take us to the airport," said Jacob, Tatiana's father.

"Okay, well you better get it," said Mariah, Tatiana's mother, who nodded her head forward for reassurance and Jacob proceeded to get up.

Tatiana and her mother continued the small talk conversation they were having while Jacob walked over to the door, grabbed the knob, and turned it open. When he did, he quivered his lips tightly forming an "O" at the center of his mouth. While he didn't want or necessarily mean to, forming his lips in that fashion allowed a whistle sound to come out. He backed away a few feet, and folded his hands behind him, inviting the person to enter.

* * *

"I swear I thought Hunter was lying to me when he said I had fans who weren't adults," Shannon began as she entered the room with a grin granting her very first Make-A-Wish. "I thought for sure it was a joke."

She was wearing a black one-shoulder asymmetric dress with Robin Egg's Blue trim in the lining of her silhoutte. On her feet were a pair of black lace-up sandals with tassels. They had 4" inch heels, and Robin's Egg blue Crystals. Around her neck was a "Ocean" Crystal choker filled with Blue Topaz stones. She had a matching bangle set and ring on her right finger to accompany the necklace. Her hair was up in a side twist bun.

Tatiana immediately recognized the voice, turned her head in amazement, hopped out of her seat, and ran towards Shannon.

"You're...you're," Tatiana began in shock.

"Hi. My name is Shannon, and you must be Tay-Tay," Shannon answered, kneeling forward with a squat, while reaching a hand out to the young girl. She did some snooping and found out what Tatiana's nickname was.

"Mmhmm," Tatiana responded. "You're my favorite!"

"That's what I've been told," Shannon replied. "Thank you. That means a lot to me. Coming from someone your age, it's both a surprise, yet a compliment at the same time."

Tatiana didn't shake Shannon's hand. She chose to hug her tightly instead.

"Tatiana, not so snug sweetheart," Jacob started with a look of concern. "She's got on a dress."

"It's okay…" Shannon started, after rubbing Tatiana's back then reaching her arm out to Tatiana's father, pausing because she didn't know what to call him. Obviously, she knew his and Mariah's name. But it didn't mean they wanted to be formally called that here. Thankfully, he picked up on Shannon's hesitation.

"Jake, you can call me Jake," he responded, while accepting Shannon's handshake.

"I'm Riah," Mariah responded seconds later, following suit of her husband and accepting the handshake.

"You don't look so happy to see me anymore," Shannon said as she looked back down at Tatiana, and rubbed her arms as though to console her. "What happened between now and five seconds ago?"

"I just remembered somebody has to take us to go back on a plane," Tatiana remarked with a pout.

"I say you just spend the rest of the day with me," Shannon replied, winking at her parents briefly, before returning her focus on her young fan. "How's that?"

"Mommy, Daddy, can we?" Tatiana asked excitedly.

"If it's okay," Mariah began. "I mean…"

"I guess there will be another shuttle," Jacob said.

"Don't worry, I've got that handled," Shannon responded. "So is it settled then Tay-Tay?" She nodded with a smile, and Shannon continued. "So tell me a little about yourself."

Shannon stood up, and reached for Tatiana's hand, guiding her back to her seat. Shannon leant against a table.

"Um, my friends call me Tay-Tay. I'm seven years old. I'm in the third grade. I was born on Turkey day-" Shannon had to stop her fan who was speaking a mile a minute.

"Turkey day?" Shannon questioned. "You were born on Thanksgiving?"

"Uh-huh," Tatiana replied with an emphatic nod. "On the leap year. Sometimes it's the day after. Depends on the year."

"Cool," Shannon said. "That's very neat. So we kind of have something in common. I have a late birthday too. Mine is an exact week before Christmas. It doesn't matter if it's a leap year or not. It's always seven days before Christmas. Kinda sucks being born in the butt crack of the calendar huh?"

Tatiana laughed.

"What else?" Shannon asked, rubbing her thighs through her dress.

"And I'm a big fan of the double u double u e," she replied extending her arms wide. Shannon smiled at Tatiana pronouncing the WWE the same way Michael Cole did. He annoyed her to no end saying it like that. She was only seven. So Shannon could let that slide. "That's how I learnt about you!"

"We know the WWE has a great relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and she had a pretty rough eighteen months," said Jacob. "Not just from the treatments she gets for her Sickle Cell, but the bullying and such from kids who don't understand what she has, how it can affect her, that sort of thing."

"She's been watching the WWE for about two or three years now and enjoys it," Mariah added. "She likes a lot of superstars, but once she saw you, it was like the other people took a back seat. I think she likes to see people that look like her," Mariah raised her wrist and pointed at her skin. "And kick butt too."

"That's not the _only_ reason, Mommy," Tatiana said with a bit of an attitude.

"Oh yeah?" Shannon asked with a raised eyebrow. "Tell me what the other reason is."

"Because you're brave," she answered. "You don't let what people say about you matter. And you're not afraid to tell them off...even if they're bad words you say most times...a lot of bad words."

"For the record, you should not say any of the bad words I say," Shannon warned, pointing her left index finger at her young fan. "I only say them when someone really, really, really makes me angry. And I tend not to care much of their opinion of me afterwards. That keeps me focused."

"I wish I knew what to say when people make me mad," Tatiana said with a dejected voice. "Well, not really mad, but _sad_."

"What do people say that makes you sad?" Shannon asked, folding her arms.

"It's not everybody," Tatiana began. "Just some people at school tease me. Like, for my Sickle Cell I have to get blood transfusions to fight it. Well sometimes kids call me 'druggie' because I have to get poked with needles a lot. Some kids call me 'vampire' because of all the blood I need."

Shannon knew a little of this information through Paul beforehand, but she wanted to hear Tatiana express herself. When Paul mentioned a month ago that Tatiana was a Sickle Cell patient and wanted to meet her, she accepted granting the wish immediately. For one, Shannon knew the disease was one that involved blood, and one of Shannon's hobbies was donating hers to the American Red Cross. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what she did in February when she had to sit out a few days of house shows after she had her first concussion. Second, Shannon knew that September was Sickle Cell Awareness month. So the scheduled timing was perfect for the visit.

"Well I've got your back," Shannon said with a grin. "I'm a regular blood donor. Maybe I've helped you a time or two, and you never even knew it."

"Really?" asked Tatiana excitedly, before running over to the table to hug Shannon. "Thank you!"

Tatiana, and all other people who suffered from Sickle Cell disease require blood transfusions every twenty eight days to survive. The blood that goes to the Sickle Cell patients often comes from donors who share the same ethnicity, as it must contain certain unique properties that are not present in every donor.

The American Red Cross collects blood donations for patients like Tatiana, who may require up to 144 units each year. Because there can be 60,000 to 100,000 people newly diagnosed with Sickle Cell disease every year in the United States, the need for blood is always constant.

"I don't know for certain, but I imagine it's possible Tay-Tay," said Shannon. "I try to donate whenever I can. Usually whole blood, but if there's time for me to give plasma or platelets too, I would. I have to be selective about how much and what I donate though, given the nature of what I do as a wrestler. Because I push myself to the limit physically, I have to be mindful of losing too much. I have to build the body back up to avoid fatigue."

"So you're not going to donate anymore?" Tatiana wondered, not quite sad, but on the fence nonetheless.

"No, no, no," Shannon remarked with a shake of the head. "I'll continue to donate. Let me try to be a bit more specific so you can understand better. If I'm doing a double unit of whole blood let's say, that's a lot of units, and takes a ton of iron away from my body. So I wouldn't be able to donate any more whole blood for another six months since I did a double donation. If I did a regular whole blood donation, which is a smaller amount, six weeks after if I wanted to and if there was time in my schedule, I could donate platelets from my red blood cells. If I tag plasma on top of that, I'd have to replenish my calcium because quite a bit of it leaves your body from that type of donation process. Blood, like the rest of our body parts, can be complex and has all sorts of components within it."

"Bottomline, Shannon's doing her part as best she can to help people like you live, baby girl," said Jacob, who kissed the top of her head.

"But in terms of the bullies who are mean to you, with no understanding of what condition you have, or what you go through on a monthly basis to remain alive, I say you should try your best to ignore them. Focus on music," Shannon said.

"What kind of music?" She asked.

"A motivational playlist," Shannon answered. "Songs that make you feel better about yourself. Songs that make you feel special. Songs that make you want to succeed. Songs that give you inner power to get through something rough. It doesn't matter who the songs are by, or what category."

"You have a motivation list?" She asked again. "What songs?"

"Sure," Shannon replied. "It's what keeps the confident side you like about me so much, strong. As for what songs...do you know anything by Eminem?"

"Nope," Tatiana said.

"Nas, Tupac Shakur, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, Run DMC, or LL Cool J?" Shannon followed up.

Tatiana shook her head.

"Okay, sounds like a no on Hip Hop," Shannon thought aloud. "What about Rev Theory, Kid Rock, Shinedown, Metallica, or Mötley Crüe?"

"Nut-uh," she responded, and her parents chuckled.

"Okay, that's a no on Metal," Shannon thought aloud once more. "Alright. How about we switch things up? What _do_ you like?"

"I'm from Oklahoma. I like Taylor Swift," she answered.

 _Damn, I'm getting old._

"Challenge accepted," Shannon responded biting the corner of her bottom lip. "I think I can work with that. I'll try anyway."

Shannon reached in her cleavage to remove her smartphone, unlocked it, and quickly scanned through one of her playlists. She found a song on there that she had from the artist Tatiana named, and pressed the play button.

Tatiana's eyes lit up as the music played because she recognized the tune. It was "Mean."

"It's pre-Pop Taylor," Shannon reminded Tatiana as she bobbed her head along while Taylor began the first verse. "Country-Taylor, I could tolerate. Whiny, Pop Taylor, I cannot."

" _ **You**_ **, with your words like knives.**

 **And your swords and weapons that you use against me.**

 _ **You**_ **, have knocked me off my feet again.**

 **Got me feelin' like nothing.**

 _ **You**_ **, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard,**

 **Calling me out when I'm wounded.**

 _ **You**_ **, picking on the weaker man!"**

Shannon increased the volume on the speaker of her phone, before placing it on the table. She, Tatiana, and Tatiana's parents started clapping their hands as stomps from Taylor's band grew louder. More banjo followed.

" **And you can knock me down, with one single blow.**

 **But you don't know, what you don't know."**

"Here comes the chorus," Shannon said. "Are you going to sing it with me?"

" **Someday, I'll be living in a big 'ol city!**

 **And all you're ever gonna' be is mean.**

 **Someday, I'll be big enough so you don't hit me!**

 **And all you're ever gonna' be is mean.**

 **Why ya' gotta' be so...** _ **mean**_ **?"**

The family joined right away, but Tatiana took about fifteen seconds before she sang along. She had to do a double take. Her favorite wrestler who had a badass entrance theme and persona listened to... Taylor Swift? Okay, true enough, it was a song that threw shade on bullies. But finding out that Shannon Storm-of all things to have in her music collection-a Taylor Swift song? That stunned her for a moment.

Three minutes and forty nine seconds later they finished the track.

"You know what?" Shannon asked rhetorically. "Today's your lucky day. I think Selena Gomez is friends with Taylor Swift, and the sole song of hers I have in my phone reflects the same things we were singing about from Taylor's tune."

Shannon played the song "Who says?" by the artist. The family again, sang it with Shannon, and were particularly loud during the chorus.

" **Who says-who says you're not perfect?**

 **Who says you're not worth it?**

 **Who says you're the only one that's hurting?**

 **Trust me, that's the cost of beauty!**

 **Who says you're not pretty?**

 **Who says you're not beautiful?**

 **Who said?"**

Shannon smiled at Tatiana and playfully tugged the pigtails on the left and right side of the girl's head during the bridge before the chorus repeated.

" **Who says you don't have potential?**

 **Who says you're not Presidential?**

 **Who says you can't be in movies?**

 **Listen to me! Listen to me!**

 **Who says you don't pass the test?**

 **Who says you can't be the best?**

 **Who says? Who says?**

 **Will you tell me who said that?!**

 **Yeah, come on now!"**

When they finished that song, Shannon asked Tatiana's parents what kind of cellphone they had. When they told her they both had Samsung Galaxy models, Shannon asked them to pull them out so she could tap hers with theirs. As the phones touched, she was exchanging virtually her full playlist to Tatiana's parents over WiFi. Shannon knew Tatiana was too young to legally have a social media account. However, knowing that her parents shared copies of the exact set of songs her favorite WWE Superstar listened to to stay positive, it felt like she was that much closer to her idol, Shannon.

* * *

Shannon's phone vibrated, and played a text tone alert.

 **Badass** : They're outside the door. I've asked them to be quiet until you open up.

 **Me** : Sweet. Thanks Billy.

 **Badass** : You're welcome. The minute you open the door, I'll turn to make my leave. They're kids. So I don't trust if I left them now, they'd stay quiet.

 **Me:** That's smart of you. Thanks again.

 **Badass:** You bet.

"Music is one thing," Shannon began with her back to the family and started walking towards the door. "But you can make it through the tough times even better with a good support system."

Shannon opened the door, and waited a few seconds. No one came inside though. They started to, but jerked back.

 _Oh shit! They're probably freaking terrified of me. This is a mess._

"Are you taking us to the plane shuttle now?" asked Tatiana.

"Aaaaah!" They screamed in unison as Shannon took a step forward.

 _Damn, that episode where I left Becky in a pool of blood must've gotten to them. The timing_ _of when it aired versus them seeing me is just awful. Fuck! I've got to fix this real quick._

"Um, no Tay-Tay," Shannon started while slowly raising a finger to her lips pleading with the little ones on the other side of the door shaking to remain silent. "I made a promise that we'd hang out. But I need you to do me a favor. Would you mind helping me bring something inside?"

"Okay, but I'm only seven," Tatiana sprung up and talked mindlessly. "I can't pick up anything big. I'm not strong like y-Cassie! Pak! How'd you get here?"

"My mom said were going on a trip," said Cassandra Smith, a Caucasian girl. "She didn't say where, and we ended up here."

"My dad said something similar," said Deepak Ansari, an Indian boy. "Why are you in here with Shannon Storm? She's going to get us. She's scary!"

"Yeah, you heard all the evil stuff she said to Izzy!" Cassandra exclaimed. "You've gotta' get outta' here! C'mon!"

Deepak tried reaching for Tatiana's wrist, but she pivoted it away from him.

"No!" Tatiana yelled, grabbing Shannon's leg. "She's my friend!"

"Don't get on my bad side, and I'll let you live," Shannon remarked to the children.

 _Okay, maybe I shouldn't have added that last part, but I couldn't help it. The look on their faces is just, wow. They appear to be legitimately afraid. I bet Taker was in awe when he realized how scared kids were of him. Sometimes you have to take a step back I guess to appreciate how 'bad' you really are perceived to folks decades younger than you. Unreal._

Once Paul gave Shannon a bit of information on Tatiana and what he and Stephanie were providing for the family, she decided that she wanted to contribute a bit too. Tatiana got to spend a few nights with her family at a fancy hotel, spent all morning with each other getting the Performance Center tour from A-Train today, and would spend an entire day tomorrow at Universal Studios. Chances were she'd take lots of pictures and show them to her school mates.

That's when things clicked for Shannon. If Paul and Stephanie would allow it, why couldn't Shannon bring in Tatiana's closest friends? They didn't have a problem with it. So several weeks ago, once she was learning about Tatiana's background, she contacted the elementary school the children attended to obtain information from a few students in Tatiana's class. After the faculty got over the idea that it was not a prank call, Shannon brought up Tatiana being a "Wish Kid," and she wanted her friends to join her in Florida. Shannon retrieved Tatiana's friends' parents' phone numbers and names through the school, with the principal and teacher's approval.

Shannon reassured the parents that their safety was accounted for. She did not request meticulous information such as the site and name of their employer, cell phone numbers, instant messaging, or social media accounts. She solely requested their names and home telephone numbers. Shannon also mentioned to the parents that she was willing to write a proper note excusing their children's absence from school. Former President Obama did it for a child whose parent brought him to a campaign rally once. And he wrote it by hand on the spot.

The parents told Shannon the kids would have a half of day of school one day, and a full day off on the next due to something called "Professional Development Days." These were pre-planned dates in the school calendar year where students would stay home while faculty and staff attended workshops at their school to learn how to enhance the learning experience for the students. It made Shannon's job easier when they mentioned that to her. Using her own money, she paid to fly two of Tatiana's friends and their parents out to Florida. She also had some tangible gifts for them too when they arrived, also purchased from her own pocket.

"She won't hurt you!" Tatiana yelled, still squeezing Shannon, but looking at her friends. "I won't let her."

"Promise?" asked Deepak who started to slowly and dramatically extend his left leg out to further enter the room.

"Make her swear!" Cassandra demanded.

Tatiana let go of Shannon temporarily, and pointed at her sternly as though _she_ was the grownup giving orders. Her parents chuckled lightly as this little scene was taken place in the doorway.

"Raise your right hand and repeat after me," she began preparing for an oath. "I, Shannon Storm, promise to be nice to Tay-Tay's friends today. I cannot yell at them, or beat them up. If I do, I will make them cry. And Tay-Tay will cry too because I made her friends cry. Then everyone will be sad, and she'll stop liking me."

 _I can't believe I'm being dictated to by some seven and eight year olds. I bet they can't even spell the word 'dictate.'_

Shannon repeated Tatiana's declaration.

"Now link your pinky with theirs to make it official," Tatiana urged.

"Is that really necessary?" Shannon asked. "I already promised I-"

"Do it!" Tatiana yelled, cutting Shannon off, and she followed Tatiana's orders.

Once the kids heard the verbal promise and got their "pinky swear reassurance," they entered the room, and Shannon closed the door behind them. Tatiana walked back over to her seat,while Cassandra and Deepak followed her, making screeching noises as they pulled chairs out from under their table.

"So Tay-Tay tells me she's a big WWE fan," Shannon started and stared over at Tatiana's parents. "What about you guys?"

Mariah and Jacob moved over to a second table that had three medium sized rectangular boxes stacked on top of each other. The boxes were sealed, and Tatiana's parents didn't touch them. Whatever they contained, it was WWE property they figured, so were vigilant on the placement of their arms on the table. They moved there since Shannon and the kids operated the other table.

"Yep, us three watch together sometimes," said Cassandra.

"Like we watch the TV at our own houses," said Deepak. "But the view per pays, sometimes we have parties and switch who's house has them."

"Pay-Per-Views," Shannon corrected him. "Pay-Per-View watch parties sound like a lot of fun. Lots of families do that. When I was your age, I had a substitute teacher who recorded a Wrestlemania on a VHS tape, and let us watch it in school the Monday after it aired. He kept saying he would, but I didn't believe him. By far, it was one of my favorite days of school!"

"We don't have tape when we watch wrestling," said Tatiana.

"It was long, long, ago," Shannon replied and then turned to Tatiana's friends. "When Blu-ray players didn't exist. When social media didn't exist. When a lot of things didn't exist. Anyways, who are you two's favorites?"

"I love Bayley!" shouted Cassandra. "She hugs everyone. Hugs make me feel good."

"Ugh," Shannon muttered, screwing around playfully. They didn't know Bayley was her best friend.

"Hey, you said you would be nice!" Tatiana exclaimed, and slapped Shannon's bare shoulder.

"Tatiana, no hitting young lady," announced her father.

"I'm sorry Daddy," she said before redirecting her attention to Shannon. "Be nice please."

"I like Roman Reigns," said Deepak. "He does the Superman Punch!"

"It wasn't enough to keep the United States Championship apparently," Shannon mumbled.

"Yeah, I know," Deepak said after an annoyed sigh. "He lost to Tyler _freaking_ Breeze at Summerslam! He did the punch, but it didn't get Tyler pinned!"

"Roman shouldn't be hitting him in the face like that anyhow," Shannon said, egging on Deepak.

"Why do you care so much?" He quickly asked.

"Because he's a model, that's why I care," Shannon replied with a smirk. "He has a lovely face that many people-particularly those of the female flavor-appreciate. We can't make him 'unhandsome.' "

"I wish I could break his selfie-stick," Deepak said angrily.

Shannon laughed at that comment. "That's so mean! I like his selfie-stick."

" _He's_ the one who's mean," said Cassandra pressing the fingers of her small hands across from Shannon's on the table as though she was trying to convince Shannon she was wrong for liking anything about Tyler, including the selfie-stick. "Especially if you mess up his pictures."

Shannon took that as an opportunity to have a little more fun. She pulled her phone out again, and went to her music. She played a track that Deepak and Cassandra wouldn't care for.

" **Tyler, we love you!**

 **Tyler, look over here!**

 **Looking good, Ty!**

 **Whoah, who took that photo?**

 **Look! Look everyone: it's Tyler!"**

It was the introduction to Tyler's entrance music with the paparazzi folks and fashion crew given him "direction" for photo shoots. You could hear noises of the cameras flashing, leading to the electronica-disco-techno sounding tune itself, commencing. The kids' facial expressions-Deepak's especially-rivaled that of "Angry Miz Girl" in November of 2010, when The Miz cashed in the Money In The Bank Briefcase to defeat Randy Orton and become WWE Champion.

"Is it my eyes when you look at me?" Shannon sang the beginning lyrics of his theme song, #MmmGorgeous. She was playing the instrumental mp3 which only had the introduction and music. She memorized the lyrics long ago. "They are so gorgeous. They'll set you free. Could it be my walk? Or just my stare, that makes you freeze when I appear?"

Shannon stopped after about twenty seconds.

"He wasn't mean to me Cassie," Shannon said with a genuine look of sincerity. "We had a tag match once-"

"But you lost!" She yelled. "I remember."

"Yep, Bayley did the Belly to Bayley suplex and beat you!" Depak recalled wildly. "Crewsy got Tyler too."

"Belly to Bayley _slam_ , not suplex," Shannon corrected them.

"It's the same thing!" yelled Cassandra.

"No it isn't," said Shannon. "If it were a suplex, she'd take me overhead."

"Well you still lost, so ha!" Depak exclaimed, and pointed his thumbs down at Shannon.

"You told me to be nice, and look at how they're treating me," Shannon responded to Tatiana, tilting her head, and nudging it at Tatiana's friends.

"Tyler Breeze thinks he's _so_ cute!" yelled Deepak, who shortly after stuck his tongue out at Shannon.

"Because he is," Shannon quickly replied with a smirk. "Actually, better than cute. _Super_ _good-looking_ in fact."

"Ew!" yelled Cassandra. "You say that like he's your husband or something."

"Close enough," Shannon said quickly. It went over their heads. They totally missed Shannon implying she and Tyler were an item. So she decided to change the subject.

"Cassie and Pak, you and I got off on the wrong foot. You were scared of me about ten minutes ago, and probably still don't like me now," said Shannon, who left their table and walked over to Tatiana's parents' table. Shannon removed two of the three boxes that were stacked on top of each other, and placed them on the left and right side of the one that was in the center. "What would you say to a peace offering?"

"What's that?" asked Deepak.

"It's something you say, or do for another person or group of people who you were on bad terms with," Shannon explained. "A way to make things right for everyone. Reconcile is a fancy word for it."

"Okay, so like saying you're sorry when you're bad?" asked Cassandra.

"In that window, more or less," she responded.

"Okay," Cassandra and Deepak agreed simultaneously.

"Great," said Shannon. "Jake, would you mind helping me open these up?"

"Sure thing," Jacob said, who used his thumb to plunge a crease at the box with grey tape, then the one with purple tape, and finished with the blue one. After struggling a bit and making a lot of noise with the tugging, Mariah, reached into her purse, and insisted for her husband to use her nail file. He complied, and the boxes were opened in a jiffy.

"This is for you," Shannon lifted the box with purple tape, and placed it in front of Cassandra. "This is for you," she repeated placing the box with grey tape in front of Deepak.

Inside each of the boxes were WWE Superstar trading cards, a copy of WWE 2K17 for both the XBOX One and Playstation Four consoles because Shannon didn't know which platform any of the children had. Included with WWE 2K17 was a bonus disc with all of the downloadable content packs, so the children wouldn't have to buy them separately through Sony or Microsoft subscriptions. There was a 20% off coupon code on a postcard for WWE 2K18 which would be available in stores within the next month or so. Finally, there was specific merchandise for each child's favorite superstar: hats, tee shirts, wristbands, teddy bears, sweatshirts, sweatpants, backpacks, and 8X10 photos.

"Wow!" yelled Cassandra.

"This is awesome!" yelled Deepak.

What was extra special in the boxes was that Shannon included one ring-worn item by both Bayley and Roman. That was the thing that Shannon came by Tyler's a couple of weeks back when she was distracted by his surprising strip tease and their impromptu sex session.

Ultimately, after they gathered themselves, she asked Tyler to ask Bayley if she wouldn't mind donating one of her Randy Savage-esque fringe jackets, and Roman if he would donate one of his vests. Shannon told Tyler to tell them she was putting something together for friends of her "Wish Kid" ; and would really like Bayley and Roman to send something authentic and sign it. That would be in addition to the regular merchandise Shannon would buy of Bayley and Roman for the kids from WWEShop. They pulled through for her, and got those items delivered to Shannon's apartment in Florida in time for the visit.

"And of course, I didn't forget about you Tay-Tay," Shannon said when handing a box with blue tape to Tatiana. Her box had everything that Cassandra and Deepak's box had with exception to the gear. Deepak had one of Roman's chest protector vests. Cassandra had one of Bayley's jackets. Shannon gave Tatiana one of her older hooded vests before she made upgrades to her gear for Takeover weekend in August. She also threw in a pair of her gloves from the new gear upgrades, plus two exclusive extra shirts, which were the ones Paul had pulled down from WWEShop a few weeks ago.

Tatiana pouted, and Shannon was curious why. She thought she was having a good time.

"What's wrong Tay-Tay?" she asked.

"Their stuff is signed," she replied. "Mine's not."

"Well that's because I get to do it in person," Shannon said to her fan with a wink, before reaching at the very bottom of her box for a sharpie. Shannon signed everything in the box for Tatiana.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tatiana yelled and hugged Shannon again.

"You're welcome," Shannon replied, who couldn't help herself from kissing the top of the little girl's head.

"Are we still going to spend the rest of the day together?" asked Tatiana.

"Yep," Shannon said.

"Can Pak and Cassie come too?" She asked.

"That was the plan all along," Shannon replied, not breaking away from Tatiana's embrace, but extending her arms across the shoulders of Deepak and Cassandra now as well. "We're going to take your gifts and put them in my trunk. By that time Deepak and Cassandra's parent's tour of the Performance Center should be done. From there, I'll take the nine of you out to lunch at the WWE's restaurant that just opened this spring during Wrestlemania weekend. Once we're finished eating, we'll visit the top floor where the Hall of Fame building is, and I'll give you a tour of that."

"Sweet!" yelled Deepak, who threw his hands up for both girls to high-five him. They did.

"Not done yet," Shannon said, raising a manicured finger up at him. "After lunch and the tour of the Hall of Fame building, we'll come back here to the PC, and I reserved some time for you to play around in one of the rings, the safe one. About an hour or two after your ring time, one of the trainers will grab your gifts from my car and quickly drop them off at your hotels. Then they'll take you out to dinner. I won't be at dinner because I'll be busy."

"Busy doing what?" asked Cassandra.

"Busy getting ready to kick butt at the live event you'll be going to after dinner," Shannon said with another smile. "Front row tickets for you, of course."

All three kids jumped for joy and flung their arms around Shannon's neck, thanking her with wild screams.

"Haha, so am I still scary?" Shannon asked, looking left at Deepak, and right at Cassie.

"Work in progress," said Deepak.

"Maybe we just caught you on a good day," said Cassandra.

* * *

 **Later that evening,**

 **Airing of NXT TV**

" **They say I'm 'cocky,' and I say, 'what?'**

 **It ain't braggin' motherfucker if ya' back it up!"**

Please welcome the NXT Women's Champion, 'The Diamond Diva,' Shannon Storm," announced Eden Stiles through some boos as Shannon entered the arena, opening up the show. Shannon was wearing a black pair of velvet trim jogger pants with vertical zp front pockets, vertical zips at the ankles, and a vertical tie closure at the front. Accompanied with the pants was a black, two-button Peplum jacket.

On her feet were a pair of 4" inch rockstud caged pumps with pebbled leather and a black cabochon trim. Shannon had a Crystal theme going on with her jewelry. Around her neck was a silver, Crystal spked-bib necklace. On her finger was a Crystal pyramid, cocktail ring in an assymetric Pavé setting. She also had a matching pair of 3" inch pyramid drop earrings accentuating the ring on her finger.

"It looks like Shannon is dressed for a red carpet appearance, not to do battle at NXT," said commentator Tom Phillips as Shannon walked around the ring and headed for Phillips and his broadcast partner.

Corey Graves stood up from his chair, and pulled out a third one to his left. He then extended his hand out for Shannon to enter the space so he could assist seating her.

"Thank you very much Corey," said Shannon once she was adjusted in the chair and grabbed a headset. "It's nice to see you. I can't say the same for your...well I doubt you're buddies...so we'll leave it at the 'nuisance' you're surrounded by on a weekly basis."

"I don't believe Corey or myself requested a third party to join us here at commentary," Phillips began with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "We make a great team, without a trio."

 _"Team_ is not the word I would use to describe what you are to me," said fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves. "Nor have I ever recalled you representing or speaking in my behalf. I have no problem whatsoever being joined alongside the 'Alpha Female' of the brand. We can share the load putting up with you."

"Force of Greatness," the entrance music for Nia Jax started, and Eden introduced her. Nia was dressed in her gear, but requested a microphone. She cut a promo about being the most dominant woman on the NXT brand, and the most feared woman from both rosters combined. She then talked about her forthcoming title match with Shannon at NXT Takeover.

"The match for Takeover has been made. That's already done," said Nia, who was looking at the crowd, but starting to shift her body to a different side of the ring, facing the commentary desk and specifically Shannon at the middle seat. "Your title is as good as gone. But right now-" Nia paused and let out an evil laugh. "Before I take the championship from you, I'm going to burst your little bubble."

"What the hell is she talking about?" asked Corey Graves.

"I'm intrigued," said Tom Phillips.

"No one asked you Thomas," said Shannon.

"You may be from the home of 'The Wire,' but you're not 'street,' " Nia continued. "Didn't you graduate from an Ivy school?"

"You say you're a gangsta,' but ya' never popped nuthin'. Man, you a wanksta! And you need to stop frontin'!" The Full Sail audience started chanting lyrics to rapper 50 Cent's "Wanksta," and were directing them at Shannon.

"Wanksta" was a song by 50 Cent on the _8_ _Mile_ Soundtrack. It was a song that mocked individuals who projected a persona of being tough, rough, dominant, and hardcore. These people depicted themselves as gangsters running and controlling the streets. However in 50 Cent's song, he contradicts these people, and points out their inability to showcase (and in some cases retain) any of those qualities, or carry out any activity that suggests they are gangsters. He calls them out as being soft, or "wankstas."

The smart crowd understood the direction Nia was going with her promo, and addressed it creatively. _The_ _Wire_ was a hit show on HBO that ran for six years and took place in Shannon's hometown of Baltimore. It addressed the life of crime, politics, education, the media and its crippling effect on the progression of an urban city. It was very dark, full of tension, contradicition, vulgarity, sex, deceit, and violence. But that authentic, revealing grit was what made the show a huge success. Shannon's arrogant, prick character on NXT didn't reflect to Nia as someone who was dubbed "gangster." This was why the fans shouted the term "wanksta" at her.

Part of what Nia said was true. Shannon did graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, which was an Ivy-league school. However, Shannon's character was never meant to be a portrayal of a gangster or mobstress. And just because she was haughty and egotistical, it didn't mean she wasn't tough.

"Keep running your mouth Nia, and you'll get an Ivy-league ass whooping!" Shannon screamed through her headset over the "wanksta" chants.

"Calm down Shannon," Graves said, lightly placing a hand on Shannon's shoulder trying to ease her mood. "Don't let her get to you."

"I don't give a damn about what these people think, and that _includes_ Nia Jax!" Shannon screamed.

More "wanksta" chants started up, and Shannon talked over them to Phillips and Graves.

"She thinks she's cute talking about my collegiate alma mater? Who cares? In fact, by bringing it up, all she's doing is reiterating that I am everything I fucking say I am. That's 'the Diamond Diva, and Alpha Female' of the WWE. I am the standard around this place as far as the women are concerned. Be it in the ring, or even classroom as Jax _not_ _so_ _cleverly_ pointed out, making herself look like the full-of-hype _fool_ that she is. So apparently you can't be smart and indomitable? Bullshit! Go ask Richard Sherman. He's a product of Compton, California: one of the most _hardest_ areas in Cali to grow up in. And he's a Stanford graduate, NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and Superbowl Champion! So whatever with this nonsense she calls a making a point. I'm _so_ over it!"

Eden then introduced Nia Jax's "warm-up" match opponent. It was Blue Pants. Fans hadn't seen Blue Pants since mid June on NXT Television when she and Nia were partners for the Attitude Era Invitational. Nia, before the semi-finals match even started on Takeover: Passion, turned on her partner. She powerbombed her outside the ring, and opted to team with ODB instead. Blue Pants was back, and would see Nia in singles action.

The match went on for about six or seven minutes before the focus left the ring. Nia backbody dropped Blue Pants to the outside mats, and walked over to Shannon, Graves, and Phillips at the announcing desk. Shannon, still with her headset on, stood up.

"I'm not intimidated by you," Shannon said with a shake of the head. "Nut-uh. Not by a long shot!"

"You will be," said Nia with a frown on her face. "I'm going to _destroy_ you at Takeover."

"Screw you and your family!" Shannon yelled at Nia, not backing down from the verbal exchange. "If their legacy was a toilet, I'd fucking piss in it!"

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, look out!" shouted Phillips.

That set Nia off. She yanked Shannon by the lapel of her jacket, and flung her from the announce desk. She landed inches away from ring announcer Eden Stiles, who ducked anyway, just out of instinct. The headset Shannon was wearing flew off her head, and Graves caught it before it hit a fan.

Nia backed up for a charge, and raced toward Shannon.

"Nia, what are you doing girl?" questioned Graves rhetorically. "Save it for Takeover."

At the last possible moment, Shannon pushed a recovering Blue Pants into Nia's path ahead of herself. Without the ability to alter her speed and motion mid stride, Nia speared Blue Pants, not Shannon, through the barricade.

"Holy shit, NXT! Holy shit, NXT!" chants started among the crowd.

When Nia turned around, Shannon nailed Whirlwind, her jumping knee/enzurigiri altering combination to Nia Jax, who was still outside. A new double count was commenced by the referee. That was until Shannon aided Blue Pants up at eight, and assisted her in the ring. She defeated Nia Jax via count out.

Another Dusty classic qualifying match took place. The match saw The Revival take on Hideo Itami and Kota Ibushi. Commentary teased Jason Jordan of American Alpha coming out to interrupt The Revival in their quest to advance given their prior ambush on the team, and the even-worsened state they left his partner Chad Gable last month. However, as a hot babyface team, they weren't going to do that. The Revival won and advanced in the tournament.

A returning Kassious Ohno faced NXT Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamora in a non-title match. There weren't any vignettes for Ohno because he already had established himself in NXT some years ago before his release. The rumor that circulated for years was that Ohno was the orginal third member tagged to join Rollins and Ambrose in "The Shield." However due to certain parties not being impressed with Hero's lack of a physique, Reigns instead was brought into the fold on the main roster with the two. Fans saw how that played out.

Back in 2012, fans enjoyed a good tag match between CM Punk and Seth Rollins versus Kassius Ohno and Antonio Cessaro in NXT. Fans were really into it not only because of all the talent involved, but because of the feeling of "pinacle" the Superstars reached. All four Superstars used to wrestle independently all over the world, and their stock came to rise during their tenures in the Ring of Honor promotion. CM Punk was the only one who kept his name of those four when entering the WWE, through the assistance of Paul Heyman. Seth Rollins was formerly known as Tyler Black. Cessaro and Ohno were known as Claudio Cassanogli and Chris Hero. Together with Sara Del Ray, they were a stable called "The Kings and Queen of Wrestling."

Paul gave Kassius the opportunity to go back to his prominent name of Chris Hero, since Vince McMahon was no longer around and against signees using their independent wrestling names. He even pointed out that he would be the second KO, behind Kevin Owens. While Ohno was thankful for the opportunity, he told Paul he'd rather presume the Kassius Ohno identity again. His reasoning was in the event that he was released for a second time by the company, he had the freedom of going back to Chris Hero without the company owning the trademarks to the identity that made him famous. Paul understood and respected that.

Ohno defeated Nakamura with his "KO", which was a discus elbow smash, following a distraction from Samoa Joe. Joe did not intefere. He merely walked onto the stage in the Full Sail Arena, and stood on the ramp watching the action.

There were a few weeks where the women were the main event of the evening. Most cases the men in NXT Heavyweight title contention were. This week's main event put the focus back in the tag team division, as hype for the upcoming Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was a feature event promoted for NXT Takeover: Fight. Tonight's main event saw the final qualifying match before the Pay-Per-View.

TM61 came out dressed to compete, but before doing so, they cut a promo, gloating about how they were going to win their match to qualify in the tournament. And in doing so, they would become "the first team ever to compete in the Dusty Rhodes Classic while being active Tag Team Champions at the very same Takeover."

Unfortunately for TM61 that did not happen. TM61 lost the qualifying match to The Authors of Pain: Akam and Rezar, falling victim to the The Last Chapter, their Russian Leg Sweep into a Lariat combination.

Sunny Dhinsa, who performed as "Akam," was a twenty four year old Canadian Freestyle amateur wrestler, who medaled in gold at the Pan American Games. He was a prospect to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic games, but opted to leave the sport when recruited by Gerald Brisco in 2014 to join the WWE. He signed in the fall, and made his singles debut in the spring of 2015. A year later, he was paired with his partner.

His partner Gzim Selmani, who portrayed "Rezar," was a twenty three year old Dutch native of Albanian ethnicity with a background in judo and kickboxing, dating back to his teen years. As an adult he competed in MMA, and finished with a 4-2 win/loss record in the sport before signing to the WWE in 2015 to become a professional wrestler.

The two men were not only completely new to the world of professional wrestling, with no prior experience or noted interest in it before being scouted. They were also the youngest talent in the company representing either brand, not including the newest signee, male Tough Enough winner: Patrick Clark. But with eighteen months in as a team, Paul was making moves to move them up the tag ranks a little bit.

* * *

 **September 24th, 2017**

 **Houston, Texas**

Someone received a birthday text a few months ago from Shannon. And another person received one today.

 **Me** : HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE!

 **Steph** : Thank you Shannon. :D You seem more excited than me, and it's my actual birthday. You could've easily tweeted it to me though. You seem to be visiting it a little more now.

 **Me** : No where near as much as everyone else. So don't get your hopes up. Hunter said the exact same thing about telling him there, but I couldn't help myself. Enjoy your day.

 **Steph** : Thank you. Take care.

While she was awake, she decided to promote a house show for this afternoon before leaving the hotel.

 **AtSStormWWE:** " 'Somebody gon' get they ass kicked! Somebody's gon' get they wig split!' Ain't that right, **AtTheRealMarkHenry**? **#** NXTLive"

 **New tweet** from user **AtLongHorns4Ever** :

"You're in Texas **AtSStormWWE**? What part?#BeatHimUpBeatHimUp! #BreakHisNeckBreakHisNeck! ㈑0"

I mean, how could she not allude to the "World's Strongest Man" when the lyrics to his theme music were just so brutally blatant? So much so that it was bad, but epically honest at the same time. She loved it. She was in a contact sport after all.

* * *

 **Later on in the afternoon**

 **Rockefellers**

Shannon was competing in a non-title match versus Ember Moon. There was a "Loser must dance" stipulation added to it. It was a house show and supposed to be fun; so this was a way to get Shannon to dance for the crowd since she wouldn't normally do it at a Takeover or NXT TV. Because she'd be in character. When a fan interrupted a lunch date she and Tyler had in the summer, Shannon told him the only times she'd really be willing to break kayfabe intentionally would be at live events, or Make-A-Wish appearances. This was one of those times.

The podcast she did with Chris Jericho would be a third, but he was someone she respected and trusted. It wasn't like he was a casual, random fan, constantly irking for her gossip on the inside to tip off a dirt sheet. Chris was already one of the boys. He had her on his show because he wanted her as a guest, not to start shit. Going in and out of character with someone of his caliber and on that specific platform, she was okay with.

Shannon nailed Ember with Evolution, her dual torture rack into a jumping double knee backbreaker.

"Keep selling. I'm going to fuck with the crowd. I shouldn't be terribly long," said Shannon to Ember, who nodded.

"The sooner you do, we're that much closer to me taking you to Hugos for _authentic_ , upscale Tex-Mex food," she muttered.

"This is true," Shannon mumbled. "And I didn't forget. We tied on the burpee challenge. So whoever's got the best Sushi when we hit your neck of the woods in Dallas tomorrow, I've got you."

"Cool, so hurry up," Ember pressed on.

Shannon climbed through the ropes, and hopped to the floor. "Hey Eden, give me the mic." She did.

The crowd started booing because they thought Shannon was going to cut a promo in the middle of the match. She saw other Superstars do that before-including her favorites-but that wasn't what she had in mind. She spotted Brian Kelly from Florida-Georgia Line in the front row. Shannon knew he was a wrestling fan because she remembered the episodes where he and band-mate Tyler Hubbard co-hosted and performed on "Raw goes Country," when the show was in Nashville, Tennessee. She walked over to him, and threw her right arm around his shoulder.

"Yeah, we're probably young. We stick to our guns. We love who we love, and we wanna' have fun, yeah!" Shannon sang to the country singer to the crowd's surprise.

This was why live shows were fun. The atmosphere was looser when you broke character there. The "Curtain Call incident" from 1996 in Madison Square Garden, where Paul greeted his friends, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall for a final time before two out of three members of 'The Kliq' went to WCW, changed things.

"Hey man, you do the rest," Shannon urged Brian holding the microphone with her left hand to his lips. She chose this song on purpose. It was on the WWE 2K15 videogame soundtrack. He hesitated at first. He wasn't expecting to be a part of the show. But as the crowd nudged him on, he did as Shannon requested.

"We cuss on them Mondays. And pray on them Sundays. Pass it around, and we dream about one day," Brian sang, finishing the bridge that Shannon started.

To her elation, the crowd joined in with them for the chorus.

" **'Cause this is how we roll-oh, oh, oh, oh, whoah, oh, oh, oh!**

 **We hang around, singin' everything on the radio.**

 **Oh oh, oh, oh, whoah, oh, oh, oh!**

 **We light it up with our hands up!**

 **This is how we roll. This is how we ride.**

 **We slingin' up the mud, cuttin' through the countryside.**

 **Baby, this is how we roll-oh, oh, oh, oh, whoah, oh, oh, oh!"**

"Put your hands up!" Shannon yelled at the audience. "Put your hands up H-town!"

They cooperated, then continued.

" **This is how we roll. This is how we do.**

 **When the world turns up, I just turn and look at you!**

 **Baby, this is how we roll. This how we do.**

 **We burning down the night, shootin' bullets at the moon!**

 **'Cause this is how we roll-oh, oh, oh, oh, whoah, oh, oh, oh!"**

"Didn't know I listen to country music huh?" Shannon asked with a smirk as she removed her arm from around Brian's neck, and he shook his head. "I'm full of surprises. Tell Luke and Blake I said hello."

She tossed the mic to Eden, so they could finish the match.

Ember was revived from Evolution, and back on her feet. The referee was counting Shannon on the outside. Every time Shannon tried to reenter the ring, Ember blocked her entry from that side of the ring. Shannon ordered the referree to back her up, but they did not reason with Shannon. As a result, Ember scored a countout victory on Shannon.

Shortly after, her irritation with the inability to enter the ring transformed into anger when she "realized" that the loser had to dance. And she was the loser.

Ember Moon celebrated when her music "Feel The Flame" began, then exited the ring with a smile, waving at Shannon rubbing in her fate, per the stipulation. Ember greeted the fans before making her way to the back.

Amy, one of the agents, told her when they arrived at the venue to stall a bit post-match, before the dancing; so that's what she was about to do. Eden reminded everyone what the stipulation was, and Shannon got back in the ring. Shannon argued with the referee for their match about going forward with the stipulation. The crowd started raising their index fingers up, doing Daniel Bryan's infamous "Yes Chant." She shook her head, mouthing "No," back at them. This carried on for about four minutes before "Can you dig it...sucka?" played, and the audience exploded.

This live event was in Houston, Booker T's hometown. Houston was also where his Reality of Wrestling School and promotion was located, and Ember was one of his former students. Shannon knew he worked for the company part-time so he could still operate his school; therefore it was possible that if he was in town and not doing anything for the WWE, he would drop by. Apparently this was the case. He came down the ramp with a microphone already in his hand.

 _I guess this is why I'm stalling. Maybe this is a part of the act._

When Booker entered the ring, his eyes were erected, his lips were curled, and his eyebrows were narrowed. He was pissed off, or at least selling it with his face.

"You competed in a 'Loser Must Dance' match, and you lost," Booker began after the crowd's volume quieted down. "And you just told these people you weren't going to dance? She didn't just say that. _Tell_ _me_ , she did not just say that!" The crowd laughed as Booker said a signature phrase. "These people paid good money to show the NXT universe some love, and you're gonna' dis them like that? And because of what-your ego-you're gonna' be some punk ass sucka'?! Who do you think you are, man? You got ya' self a few wins under your belt, and a title around you waist. So now you think you can talk tough, and do and _not_ do whatever the hell you want?!"

 _No sir._

"Now I know goddamn well yo' mama done raised you better than that! You wouldn't disrespect her. You're not gonna' disrespect these people. And you for _damn_ sure ain't gonna' disrespect _me_. Your ass better dance! Now hit _my_ music!"

 _I guess the stalling is over._

Booker T's music replayed, and he did his patented spinnarooni. He pointed at Shannon, and she did a few modern dances like the Whip, Ne-Ne, and Jerk, before doing her own spinnarooni, which simply was a rotating windmill like Booker; but instead of finishing on a knee like him, she finished with a split. The crowd cheered and Booker T exited the ring to shake hands, and take selfies with the audience. He placed his microphone on the table with Eden, so there were now two with her. Shannon remained in the ring. Not even ten seconds went by before she heard glass shatter.

 _No. Impossible._

* * *

 **"Step up!**

' **Cause you're the next one in line for the kill!**

 **You don't believe me, but I'm betting that you will!**

 **Step up!**

 **I'll let you live a bit with the pain that I bring.**

 **You know it's only the beginning!"**

It wasn't impossible. In fact, it was very _real_. To her far right was Booker T interacting with fans. And now riding down the ramp on an ATV in blue denim shorts and a black Broken Skull Ranch tee shirt, parking the ATV, jogging up the the steps, going through the ropes, full of pride with middle fingers in the air as his Disturbed theme song played, was "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. After saluting all four corners, he left the ring, snatched one of the microphones, and rolled back in the ring.

"Eden, thank ya' darling. You look lovely by the way. And tell that husband of yours Starship, Star Wars, Stargate, or whatever the fuck he goes by nowadays, 'Stone Cold' still thinks he's a fine young man," said Austin and Eden laughed as the WWE Hall of Famer referred to her real-life husband Cody Rhodes. Cody's second persona was Stardust. Part of what separated people like The Rock, Triple H, Chris Jericho, and Stone Cold a part from other stars of The Attitude Era was that they truly made everyone a part of the show-including commentary, announcers, and referees-whether they were expecting it or not.

Austin then looked at Booker T, still with the fans at the barricade. "Hey Booker, I've got no gripe with you man. I already whooped your ass all up and down the grocery store aisles. Damn, it's been what, 16 years ago? Gees Louise, time flies! Nah son, I need to say something to this here lady in the ring."

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck! No one said shit about Booker_ _ **and**_ _Stone Cold being here!_

"How ya' doing Miss? My name is 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin," he offered his hand for Shannon to shake. "Come on, don't be nervous. No need to get your panties all in a fucking bunch." This wasn't her first time being in Austin's presence. They worked together during Tough Enough in the summer. But this was the first time he appeared at any NXT event, and interacted with her in character in front of a live crowd. Shannon reached her arm out, and shook Austin's hand. "See, that damn simple! No harm, no foul."

 _This is the longest post match segment I've been a part of at a house show._

"So I see you doing your little prancing around and everything, and I'm sure that these people enjoyed it on their way to the John! It made for a hell of a piss break," Austin continued with a laugh. "But I think it was a piece of _crap_ ," he turned to her now with a sharp contrast, very annoyed and irate as his blue eyes sent daggers to her green ones.

It was amazing to see how legends could just turn their characters on and off like that, and sell with their faces at the flip of a dime. They truly were professionals. You'd be surprised how much you could say in a segment with just your face, and inflections on certain words pronounced. You didn't always have to get physical to deliver a message. Shannon loved that intensity top guys of the Attitude Era possessed. She was analyzing him as he engaged with her. She didn't even need to watch tape this time.

"You see I take inception to the fact that while you complied with the stipulation of your match, it had to come with Booker T calling you out, practically _demanding_ you to do it," Austin continued as he rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. "You see Booker T's not just some John Doe on the street. Booker T's a legend."

"What?" The crowd yelled.

"One half of Harlem Heat," said Austin.

"What?" The crowd repeated.

"A WWE Hall of Famer," he continued.

"What?"

"A five time," Austin wouldn't stop. You could tell he was enjoying how much he still connected with the fans.

"What?"

And they wouldn't stop either.

"A five time,"

"What?"

"A five time,"

"What?"

"A five time,"

"What?"

"I said a five time," he brilliantly stopped after the fifth time.

"What?"

 _Damn, he can still work the crowd. Amazing. I'm honored to share a birthday with him._

"WCW Champion. So if he tells you to do something, you do it! Even more important than that, Booker's from Texas. And well, you just don't mess with Texas. You know who else is from Texas?" Austin paused with a look of intrigue.

"Former President George Bush, Former Governor Rick Perry, Mark Henry, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Eva Longoria, Matthew McConaughey..." The audience laughed at Austin for randomly mentioning actors and politicians in between the wrestlers on his list of "great Texans."

"There's another Texan that comes to mind, but I'm struggling on it. You'll have to forgive my memory," said Austin who rubbed his goatee. "Will somebody throw me a damn beer? Jesus Christ, I need my brain juice!"

Some fan must have smuggled a six pack in because moments later, Austin caught a can.

"Ahh, that's better," he continued after taking some gulps. "Oh, excuse my manners. Want some?"

Shannon said nothing, and continued to look in awe at Austin. Her face was fine though because her character truly would be disgusted by the offer of beer. The 'Diamond Diva' would've had standards. It wasn't like he had champagne in his hands.

"No?" He said looking back at Shannon, then to the crowd, who vocally showed their disappointment. "Hey, hey, don't boo her like she's bougie! Maybe she just has a more refined taste than us commoners. That's alright."

 _I bet he's going to pour the rest on me._

Austin poured the can down his throat with his mouth opened wider than necessary, and the excess beer wet his shirt.

 _Guess not._

"Ahem, anyways, getting back to what I was saying about that great Texan," Austin cleared his throat, and was being dramatic like he had a frog in it before continuing. It was very funny. "This Texan is no ordinary man. He's a former Intercontinental Champion. A former Tag Team Champion..."

The "What" chants stared back up again.

"A King of The Ring Winner."

"What?"

"A three-time Royal Rumble winner."

 _Technically, Bret had that first one you stole in '97._

"What?"

"A six-time world champion."

"What?"

"A whooper of ass."

"What?"

"A mud-hole stomper that walks it dry."

"What?"

"A bionic redneck."

"What?"

"A rattlesnake."

"What?"

"A global icon and national treasure!"

"What?"

"Simply put young lady, you've got your pretty little eyes," Austin said pointing at her face before he continued. "locked on the eyes of the _world's_ toughest sumbitch walking God's green Earth! So if you're gonna' disrespect Booker T and my fellow Texans, I dare you to do one better, and say something disrespectful to 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin!"

 _It's always fun when he and Rocky refer to themselves in third person. Good times._

The fans erupted with even more deafening cheers as Austin challenged Shannon. There was a long pause with them just staring at each other. This was more of Austin teaching her whether she realized it or not: just let the crowd do the work for you. It was like an accentuated call and response. He was helping Shannon feed off the crowd's anticipation.

"But you know what? We don't need this microphone, do we? You wanna' say something vile to 'Stone Cold?' You wanna' rip me a new one? We can keep this between us then. The people of Houston don't need to hear it." Austin walked over to the ropes again, and gestured for Eden to take the microphone from him. When she did, he went back to the center of the ring, and mouthed off to Shannon. The people thought they really were arguing, but they weren't.

"Sell Shannon!" Austin yelled at Shannon. The crowd was so loud that even though he yelled at her in a smaller venue, only she could hear what he said in the ring.

 _Stone Cold remembers my name!_

As soon as she finished that thought, her abdomen was being kicked into, her neck was being grabbed and tugged against his shoulder, and she jumped in the air before taking a bump, selling the "Stone Cold Stunner." Somehow, the crowd seemed to grow even louder than humanly possible to read on a sound meter.

Usually after Austin delivered a "Stone Cold Stunner," he would drop to the canvas, jam both middle fingers in the person's face, and shake his head violently while talking trash. What the fans didn't know was that he wasn't talking trash to Shannon, but praising her.

"Hey girlie, you took that sumbitch like a fuckin' champ! Damn, I haven't dropped the stunner on a woman in twelve years! Linda and Steph were the last one's at Raw's homecoming back to the USA Network in '05! Shit, that felt good! I knew they weren't going to let me do it to chicks since they went PG! Glad they aren't any longer. Besides, this isn't on TV."

Austin's music came on, and Shannon wanted to smile, but she didn't. She had to stay there until Booker and Austin were halfway up the ramp at least. Unfortunately, they didn't leave right away. Austin retrieved the microphone from Eden again, called Ember Moon out, grabbed hold of a "dazed" Shannon, and encouraged Ember to do her Eclipse finisher, which was a modified stunner on Shannon. She did and the sustained pop Austin already had, _intensified_.

And feeding off the energy from the crowd, he encouraged Booker T to drop Shannon for a Book End. But Austin being Austin, he couldn't leave the fans when he heard chants of "One more time." So he gave them what they wanted: yet another "Stone Cold" Stunner to Shannon.

Eventually they left, and Shannon's match was the last one before the show's intermission. When she got up, she rubbed her neck, "shaking the cobwebs" before leaving the ring. Her eyes caught attention of a fan with an interesting sign. Even though it was house show, fans still brought signs. Sometimes the ones at live events were better. The fan was female, and the sign said, "Shannon, can I have your top?"

Shannon didn't know if the fan was holding the sign for her date, brother, another male relative, or if the fan was gay. Shannon wasn't a lesbian, but she was comfortable with her sexuality. She walked right over to the fan and pulled her top off, giving it to her. The fans around this woman screamed, probably due to a combination of being stunned, and pleasantly surprised at the same time. Usually Shannon didn't wear a bra under her Under Armor tank top because one was embedded in the material. Fortunately for this fan, she indeed wore one tonight because her breasts were feeling tender this week, a sign that her period was on the way. So as she removed the top and handed it to the fan, she continued up the ramp with the twins protected, before she waved goodbye to the crowd and went through the curtain a final time.

* * *

 **Fifteen Minutes Later**

Shannon grabbed her phone and called Paul. He picked up after the third ring.

"Hello," said Paul.

"Hey Trips. Is this a bad time?" asked Shannon. This wasn't an evening house show. It was a Saturday afternoon one.

"Um, I was just about to pick up Vaughn and Murphy from ballet practice. Then drop Aurora off for softball," Paul started before he raised his arm to check his watch. "But I can spare five or ten minutes. The drive isn't that long. What's going on?"

"Did you know about Book and Austin being at the Houston NXT house show?" she asked with a grin.

"Shannon, I'm the Chairman and CEO of the freaking company," he smirked getting up from his seat and grabbing his jacket. "I review all the finalized schedules. Of course I knew!"

He could hear her laughing on his end of the phone, so he continued after she calmed down.

"The Austin thing though was very last minute. Something happened on his Broken Skull Ranch show he tapes in Texas. The set got damaged from deer trampling on it, I don't know, some shit. Anyhow, shooting for that got postponed. He asked if we had anything going on in Texas, and I told him not with the main roster, but there was an NXT show."

"And he just told you he wanted to come, just like that?" Shannon asked.

"Not initially," he clarified. "But when I reminded him Book was around, and he liked you from when you did Tough Enough together in the summer. He said he'd come through. Amy, knew, but I told her not to tell you about either of them, especially Austin."

"Shit, why not?" she wondered excitedly.

"For that reaction you're giving me right now," he replied. "I can't see you because this is a phone call, not face time. But I bet you probably have chills running down your arms- _good chills_ -because of that moment. You could call it a test, I suppose. We react and respond in this business; and from your mood, I take it that it went well?"

"It did," she said with a nod. "Well I'll let you get back to the girls. Have a good rest of your weekend."

"Thank you," he responded, grabbing his keys and stuffing them in his pocket. "Have fun."

They ended the call.

 _I LOVE MY JOB!_

* * *

 **Ten minutes later**

Shannon was about to jet from the locker room area of Rockefellers after finishing her shower, and getting changed. She knew it was Ember's day to treat her to dinner that evening. But Shannon caught herself scrolling through some pictures in her phone, and one struck her, positively. She sent it to three people.

 **Me** : Apparently, I'm making my (ring) rounds with you all…

Shannon sent a picture to Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Ember Moon. It was one taken from the spring when they were seated at a booth in a diner in Lincoln, Nebraska following a house show. They all had different opponents that night. In the picture, Shannon was on the far right side. In the middle was Bayley, then Becky, and Ember capped off the far left side. Tye Dillenger was seated at the booth across from them. He was the one who took the picture of the ladies.

 **Bec** : And n order no less! That's freaky, but epic mate.

 **Me** : Ha, you're totally right. I just realized that.

 **Pam** : Four Horsewomen?

 **Adriene** : Negative.

 **Bec** : Why?

 **Me** : Maybe because Flair is from NC, Arn is from GA, Ole is from MN, and Tully's Canadian.

 **Adriene** : What Shannon said. You guys know I'm a Texas girl.

 **Bec** : So what about the...Fabulous Fourbirds? ㈴1

 **Adriene** : Now we're talking! I approve.

 **Pam** : No way! ㈶4

 **Me** : Garvin's from FL, Gordy's from TN, Roberts is from OK, but was raised in Canada as a kid, and Hayes is from D.C.

 **Adriene** : So what! ㈵6 But we know, they proudly represented the WCCW in TX!

 **Me** : I think Fabulous Fourbirds is a really cute name Bec! It's a play on both. But if you guys prefer a definitive yay or nay, with no fusion, we'll have to figure something out.

 **Pam** : There's a bit of canceling out I guess. Quite a bit of them consider home nowadays GA. Tully & Roberts have a Canadian tie. BUT, he calls TX home now.

 **Me** : Sounds like we're going with Four Horsewomen then.

 **Adriene** : How do you figure that?

 **Me** : You want TX rub. The Freebirds had World Class as their territory, but none of them were native Texans. Neither was Tully, but he claims TX as home now, so there's your Texas rub. And WCW was based in Atlanta, where quite a few retired vets claim as home now, if not Florida. So there you go. Everyone happy?

 **Adrienne** : Luke warm.

 **Pam** : Meh.

 **Bec** : Should we just go neutral then and pick an Asian wrestling stable, so no one in North America (or the UK like me) gets pissed?

 **Me** : Perhaps. But you can pick. My head hurts. Pam and Adriene are making this WAY more complicated than it needs to be.


	35. Chapter Thirty Five: Back To Business

_**Author's Notes for April 15th, 2017:**_

 _To Jessica: You're very welcome about getting the facts straight with the Sickle Cell. I want to thank YOU for sharing both your story and insight. I'm glad you still have your vision, and hope your overall health is well. With regards to not knowing whether or not Sickle Cell Disease was worthy enough for Make-A-Wish, I wanted to go "different" here. Many times we hear about all kinds of cancers kids endure. And while I'm not saying those aren't serious or life-threatening (because they are); I wanted to raise awareness for something that I felt received a lesser profile to the masses, but was no less serious with real impact on people's lives too. I hope I achieved that, and I'm appreciative of you recounting your experience. Thank you once again. That was selfless and kind of you._

 _Okay, so we didn't get a certain #BayBay from Panama City make an appearance on Raw or Smackdown. But I'll be surprised if we don't see him in the crowd at #NXTChicago, like we did Bobby Roode in Dallas last year._

 _There's a podcast appearance that Shannon makes in this chapter; and something is brought up in conversation that the WWE announced during Wrestlemania weekend that they are bringing to the WWE Network this summer. I wrote that particular scene several months ago. So it's very cool that by the time this full chapter was complete, the announcement in "the real world " came. That's great, but unexpected timing._

* * *

 **Sunday, September 25th, 2017**

 **Talking Stick Resort Arena**

 **Phoenix, Arizona**

 **Unforgiven**

The opening match of the Pay-Per-View saw what was the first of two rematches from Summerslam: Nikki Bella versus Natalya versus Divas Champion Paige for the title in another ⅔ falls match. However to up the ante, a falls count anywhere stipulation was added to the bout for one of the falls. Paige earned a pinfall victory on Natalya inside the ring, and forced a tap-out on Nikki Bella on top of the announcer's desk, retaining her championship. Moments after her victory, Dana Brooke, who Paige ran into backstage at Summerslam, ambushed her when she returned to the ring for a post-match celebration. As Paige's arm was raised to officially reiterate her victory, Dana slid into the ring, and gave the champion a clothesline from behind. Fans speculated if that was a face turn for Paige.

Following the attack from Dana on Paige, the cameras followed the losing participants backstage. Someone was there awaiting not far behind the Gorilla position trying to look at the glass only half empty about the ordeal.

"You tried your best," said Bayley limping on the brace she didn't need, still selling Shannon's attack from last month. "That's all you can ask for."

" _Who_ are you?" Nikki asked, clearly irritated and not in the mood.

"I was just about to get to that," Bayley said with a nod. "I'm-"

"New Day Girl," answered Nikki, once she received a towel from one of the agents in the area. In Nikki's defense, Bayley was seen chatting with Kingston, Woods, and Langston.

"No, I'm-" Bayley started.

"Whatever," Nikki quickly cut her off again before simply walking away.

Bayley pouted a little in disappointment. The camera didn't leave her vicinity right away because seconds later Natalya showed up, walking through the curtain. Bayley's face slowly erected a grin, hoping to make a new friend.

"Hi!" Bayley exclaimed. "I'm B-"

"Becky?" questioned Natalya, as she bent her left first backward, rubbing her back.

"No, wrong show," Bayley remarked shaking her head rapidly. "It's Bayley. Just Bayley."

Natalya, like Nikki, left Bayley too. The crowd shouted, "Awww" simultaneously as Bayley hung her head down.

Tyler Breeze approached the ring, and cut a promo. The WWE had a few local independent women wrestlers from the West Coast in business suits posing as modeling agents. They were selling copies of his September GQ cover to fans in the stands, while perusing through aisles trying to point out "beautiful people" to give their business cards to as modeling recruits. Funny enough, they turned their noses up at the fans for not finding anyone there with "the look," and called them "uggos." People actually purchased his magazine though, and Tyler had to turn away to a different camera so he wouldn't break character in the amazement of people buying his cover mid-promo.

D'von Dudley, who changed his gimmick to a reverend during the initial brand split of Raw and Smackdown! in 2002, had a similar sentiment of shock. He was paired with "Deacon Batista" who would hold the collection plate, as "Reverend D'von" would deliver his sermons. Fans actually gave money to the offering, dropping various sizes of bills inside. D'von had no idea the audience actually would. He was just presenting a character, and doing his best to provide a bit of authenticity in his performance. Apparently it was authentic enough for fans to give up real cash.

One night he and Batista went backstage to count the money, and it was $750. Paul joked with them as he walked by after their match saying, "Hey D'von, preachin's paying good! You might wanna' milk this shctick for a while man!" It lasted for a little bit, but ultimately Batista, along with Randy Orton were brought to the Raw brand to get Evolution started. D'von returned to Raw as well, and was reunited with Bubba Ray to once again become "The Dudley Boyz."

Following Tyler's promo, he issued a challenge out to any Superstar who could last ten minutes in the ring with him. He paused intentionally there, trolling the smarks who presumed Tye Dillinger would head out. If whomever accepted the challenge did last the ten minutes, he'd grant them a U.S. Championship match. The person who answered the call was Adrian Neville. Not only did he last the ten minutes, to Tyler's disappointment, Neville wanted his title match immediately, just seconds after the ten minute challenge. The two men put on a clinic that went fifteen minutes. In the end though, one of the women who had an empty box from selling Tyler's GQ magazine covers played a pivotal role in the match's closing segment. She pulled something out of the box, and slid it in the ring to Tyler.

"Breeze is cowering over to the far side of the ring," began Monday Night Raw commentator Byron Saxton. "Adrian Neville, while Tyler Breeze is down, better go after the leg."

"Not that anyone asked you for coaching advice, but I would agree," began fellow Monday Night Raw commentator, John Bradshaw Layfield. "You're right. Tyler Breeze can hit The Beauty Shot at any moment. Neville better eliminate it from Breeze's arsenal."

"And here comes Neville back on the attack...oh come on now!" Byron exclaimed when Neville let Tyler's right leg go immediately to protect his face. "Breeze just sprayed some mist in 'The Man That Gravity Forgot's' face!"

"What are you talking about?" asked JBL. "These lights are bright. Maybe it's perspiration. Or maybe it's tears. Not everyone cries when they're sad y'know. These bright lights could've caused Neville's eyes to water. Or perhaps, it's autumn allergies. There's no pollen around inside, but it's possible Neville's allergic to the handsome royalty that is 'Prince Pretty.' "

It wasn't another spare issue she had at the bottom of her box. It was a fragrance bottle called "Gorgeous." Tyler and Shannon had a date during Summerslam weekend where they were talking about Rick "The Model" Martel's fragrance called "Arrogance." Well, the selfie-stick was over. Tyler decided to add this piece from Martel's page book to his character, and get a "scent" over. He grabbed the bottle one of the ladies slid in, and sprayed Neville's face, capitalizing with a roll up for the win, and successful title defense.

After his victory Shannon, who was watching the Pay-Per-View, tweeted Paige about her win earlier in the night.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Hey **AtRealPaige,** here's a tip: It's more effective to put your opponent THROUGH tables, instead of just doing submissions on top of them."

Paige saw it and responded.

 **New** **tweet** from user **AtRealPaige** :

"Does it really matter **AtSStormWWE** when I'm doing it on the main roster, and you're 'down there' watching me? ;)"

Of course the internet wrestling community went crazy online thinking either Paul wanted to start a cross-brand rivalry between the two women, or that there was real heat between them. Neither was the case. Paige and Shannon were cool. Paige was always welcoming to the new recruits at NXT through social media, especially if they were indie wrestlers coming on board, not the homegrown talent created from the ground up. They were just messing around entertaining fans with those public tweets, and laughing about the world's reaction in direct messages to one another.

WWE Tag Team Champions Cryme Tyme were scheduled to face The Ascension with the titles on the line. They did, but about seven minutes or so into the match, a pre-taped promo of Bray Wyatt and his family aired, distracting the teams. When it finished, the lights in the arena went out. Once they returned, Eric Rowan Wyatt, Braun Stroman Wyatt, and Luke Harper Wyatt surrounded the ring blocking Shad and Viktor. Bray Wyatt delivered Sister Abigail to the two legal men in the ring, and the match ended in a no-contest.

The next match saw Roman Reigns take on The Miz. Roman dominated most of the match with offense. At one point when The Miz sent Roman into the ropes, Maryse grabbed his boot, and she received a warning from the referee. When The Miz failed to capitalize with the upper hand, he tripped Roman, and dangled him in between the ropes as he fell down. While against the ropes, Maryse stuck her fingernails in his eyes. This caused Sarita López to race to the ring, and go after Maryse. The referee temporarily took his attention off the action in the ring to get some separation between the ladies.

As this happened, Alexander Russev entered the ring from the crowd and delivered a Savate Kick to Roman, before rolling him back in the ring. Russev was defeated by Sami Zayn in the pre-show, who successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship. The fans figured Roman Reigns was just the recipient of Russev's unleashed frustration.

Just as Rusev hopped over the barricade for his leave, The Miz climbed over Roman, and shouted at the referee to hurry his way back to the ring for the pin attempt. He received the three count. Sarita was upset as her "help" didn't really do Roman any good.

Kevin Owens lost to Seth Rollins. Fans were into the match and Seth was welcomed as a babyface for his first Pay-Per-View back from injury. There was a fun spot where Seth leaped for his gliding knee from the top rope, but Owens caught his body mid-air for the Pop Up Powerbomb. However Seth kicked out for a near fall. Owens teased an F5 a few times, but Seth countered with a tornado DDT for the win. It was unique because it was a not your typical "high spot matchender" when a slew of counters are exchanged followed by a predictable conclusion of a Superstar hitting their notorious manuever. Seth just surprised everyone by winning with a simple, but effective move. Shannon figured WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts would have been proud.

The main event saw WWE Heavyweight Champion AJ styles take on Dolph Ziggler in a Summerslam rematch. The Club, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, who defeated Enzo Amorè and Colin Cassady and The New Day in a triple threat elimination tag match during the pre-show, attempted to save Styles when Ziggler put him down for the Zig-Zag. But Ziggler saw them on the way down from executing the move on Styles. So rather than making an attempt to cover AJ, he did a crossbody over the ropes taking down Gallows and Anderson. The referee then called for other referees to escort The Club away from ringside.

Ziggler reentered the ring, and the men went back to work. In the final moments of the match, Styles attempted his Springboard 450 Splash, but ate a superkick from Ziggler for a near fall. Styles went for the Styles Clash, but Ziggler rotated out of position before Styles executed it, and nailed a bulldog. Ziggler sold landing awkwardly on his leg, so Styles capitalized with the Calf Crusher for the submission victory and successful title defense.

Fans started a "Mailman" chant for Styles after the match. Karl "The Mailman" Malone was a NBA legend who was known for delivering for his team, The Utah Jazz, in big games. He even teamed up with DDP in a tag match in WCW against "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan and fellow NBA Star Dennis Rodman, representing the nWo. It was one of the highest grossing shows in WCW in 1998. The fans were equating Malone's nickname with Styles because of his performance in the ring, to Malone's on the court.

* * *

 **September 26th, 2017**

 **Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona**

 **Monday Night Raw**

 **MizTV**

Tonight's guests for MizTV were Lana and Alexander Rusev.

"I'm glad you and Lana have accepted my invitation to appear on the show," began the The Miz. "You're certainly a better guess Roman Reigns would have been."

Fans booed.

"He's not 'The Guy,' but 'The Loser,' The Miz added. "You and I though have things in common. We're both handsome. We have beautiful wives. So of course we'd gravitate toward each other."

A video clip aired from the Pay-Per-View last night showing Rusev's attack on Roman Reigns unbeknowst to the referee, which lead to The Miz picking up a victory.

"Why don't you explain to everyone how cool we are, and why you did what you did for me?" asked The Miz.

" _You_?" Russev questioned with an eyebrow. "I didn't didn't get Reigns for you. I did it for _myself_ and Lana. I've been on the main roster four years, and am a two-time United States champion. It took you four years total just to win your _first_ singles championship!"

The audience cheered and The Miz showed his disaproval with a frown, before screaming at the fans: "Shut up!"

"You've been here for eleven years Miz, and there are names both here and on NXT that carry more value than you. You have only won _one_ World Championship. You have been laughed upon as being in one of the worst Wrestlemania main events of all time! My Lana loves me for me, not because I'm some reality tv star turned subpar WWE Superstar. Not a man who thinks he's A-list, but is really C+ at best. You think you're Leo Dicaprio when you're really Dean Cain."

The Miz couldn't take anymore of the insults, so attacked him. MizTV came to a close as the segment ended in a brawl.

Following MizTV, the camera went to the titan tron and aired a pre-taped segment. It showed Sarita López exiting the women's locker room, and walking.

"Hey, just the person I was looking for," said Roman Reigns when he came into Sarita's path.

"Hi Roman," began Sarita. "I want to apologize about last night. I thought I was help-" He cut her off.

"It's okay," he replied. "Don't sweat it."

"Well alright," she said with a smile. "If you'll excuse me, I have a rematch against Carmella. She beat me on Raw in Brooklyn, but I have another shot at her tonight."

"It's like you told me Sarita," Roman started with a grin. "It's not how you start, but how you finish. Good luck out there."

"Thanks," she replied, and started to walk away. Roman let her walk for about eight paces, before his arm reached out for her and pulled her back.

"On second thought, let me come out with you," he requested. "It's been chaotic around here lately. Me saving you from Miz. You trying to even the odds with Maryse. It may not be safe going solo. Cass and Enzo are a part of Carmella's crew and-"

"I think I'm alright Big Dog," said Sarita.

"Look, here me out," he urged. "When you tried to help, the timing was off, and Rusev got me. And he has Lana. We already know about Miz and Maryse. I'm just saying, for once, if we're on the same page-from the beginning-our bases will be covered."

Roman pulled a strand of hair from Sarita's face, and tucked it behind her ear. The audience whistled, finding the gesture adorable.

"So how 'bout it baby girl?" He asked.

"Okay, you've won me over," She replied. "Let's do it."

"After you," Roman said as they took off.

* * *

 **September 30th, 2017**

 **Mid-morning**

Shannon went on Twitter to promote live events.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Brisbane on 9/27. Sydney on 9/28. And Melbourne on the 29th. I tore it up with **AtEmmaWWE** in Australia for **AtWWENXT** live. We'll be back again to hit Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin when your continent returns in our itinerary. For now, it's time to leave 'the land down under,' and head back to the states."

 **40 Minutes Later**

As much as she hated social media, she hopped back on it, figuring if she did so, that would be enough that she wouldn't have to return to it for the rest of the week. Stephanie McMahon, the Chief Brand Officer of the WWE, couldn't say Shannon wasn't trying to have some remote activity on it.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "To the #ShannonStormSoldiers, #NXTUniverse, #WWEUniverse at large, and for anyone that cares: Under no obligation of my own, I am feeling rather generous today, which means you will be graced by my presence-albeit digitally-with some tweets. I'm starting a "Session Six with Shannon" right now. I don't want to hear any nonsense from people asking why I'm not answering 16, 60, or 600 questions. You know as well as I do that your responses run a mile a minute, and there's no damn way I'll get to them all. If I miss you, try again next time. And if I decide there won't be a next time, well then, it just sucks to be you. Hopefully you'll make them good. 3, 2, 1, go...before I change my mind!"

This tweet was mostly true. It had more truth behind it than not. The #ShannonStormSoldiers hashtag was what her "fans" decided to call themselves. Someone asked her about it earlier, and she didn't really care what they did. One week later apparently, they determined themselves their official title, and felt the need to inform her that "Shannon Storm Soldiers" was their decision. Another truth was that she very likely could change her mind about answering questions because she didn't care for social media anyway. A few tweets a week was more than enough for her. She had no idea how people did it multiple times a day, everyday.

But the whole "I'm feeling rather generous today, so this is why I'm gracing you with my digital presence" part was complete bullshit. She decided to do the Q&A because she found out minutes before her scheduled flight was about to take off, there instead was a lengthy layover. If a strong disinterest grew with answering the questions or even making a habit of it, she would just probably order an eBook to read, likely a biography from someone in the business. Or she'd find some classic on the WWE Network to watch on her device.

It didn't take long for the tweets to roll in.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtStormyFanboy** :

" **AtSStormWWE** , Other than physically being in an actual match, what's your most favorite exercise to do? #SessionSixWithShannon"

Shannon started to reply to the fan when a notification popped in the upper right hand corner that another user responded. It was Tyler.

 **New Tweet** from user **AtMmmGorgeous** :

"I'd actually like to know the answer to this question too, **AtSStormWWE**."

 _I'm sure you would._

She decided to reply to his tweet.

 **AtSStormWWE** : " **AtMmmGorgeous** , Showing off my amazing stealth skills as I sneak onto the main roster and steal your U.S title."

And he did the same.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtMmmGorgeous** :

"Really **AtSStormWWE**? I was just going to guess Pilates."

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtManFan4AllDivas** :

"How come the only part of your body we see in the ring are your cleavage and arms **AtSStormWWE**? #ShowMoreSkin #SessionSixWithShannon"

She responded.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "If I wanted to have shitty matches **AtManFan4AllDivas** , I'd enter the company as a pinnup girl, or reality tv star, and not wrestler. #TakeOutTheDamnTrash"

As soon as she replied, her phone chimed, indicating she had not a new tweet, but a new text message. She minimized the window of Twitter on her phone to view the message, then replied to it.

 **Ty** : Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I say the darker the flesh, than the deeper the roots.

 **Me** : Hahaha! I didn't know you listened to 2Pac. That was cute. :) What's up Rockstar?

 **Ty** : I had a few matches against TJ for house shows. The guy has an enormous 2Pac and Eminem collection in his music library. Anyway, I don't know what the hell this loser is talking about. I've definitely seen more than your arms. ;)

Tyler was referring to TJ Wilson, the husband of Natalya, better known to the WWE Universe as Tyson Kidd.

 **Me:** As much as I would enjoy sexting right now, you need to stop before I accidentally tweet something public that I meant to just text you.

 **Ty:** My technique makes you sweat, but don't sweat my technique. :D

 **Me:** LOL. Not helping.

 **Ty:** But it's true. I make you do things you didn't even know you could do. :P

 **Me:** Quit it!

 **Ty** : I love it when you call me Big Papa.

 **Me** : Shango?

 **Ty:** Hahahaha! You just killed my erection Mark! :0

She ignored him. It was a necessary evil for the both of them. She went back to the questions on Twitter.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtFactionHeavyMark:**

" **AtSStormWWE** : DX or NWO? #SessionSixWithShannon"

She liked that one, and answered accordingly.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "BOTH **AtFactionHeavyMark**. :) They're all my boys. #nWoKliqSouth #DXKliqNorth #ForeverAKliqChick #TheyRunTheWrestlingWorld...like they always said they would. ;) #DivideAndConquer #TalkAboutLastingEffectsInTheBusiness"

Question number four was in.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtDoubleUDoubleUEFan:**

" **AtSStormWWE** : What kind of music do you listen to? #SessionSixWithShannon"

 **AtSStormWWE** : "I shared a little bit of that on **AtIAmJericho's** podcast. But anyway, that's an open-ended question, so I'll break it down to a few categories. Workouts: Strictly Hip Hop. Pre-match and post-match: Even split of Hip Hop/Rap, and Rock/Metal. Sex: Slow Jams (and that's not exclusive to just 'R &B.' There are tons of sultry, mood-setting records in EVERY genre if you look hard enough). ;) Days off, or on the way to an event: anything. No genre's off limits, and the playlist is shuffled!"

The second to last one was in her view.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtAsukaMarkTapOuT** :

" **AtSStormWWE** : When are you going to lose the title? #SessionSixWithShannon"

 **AtSStormWWE** : "When someone beats me for it **AtAsukaMarkTapOuT**."

Hopefully the last one would really catch her eye.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtPaulHeymanGuy1013** :

" **AtSStormWWE** : Will we ever see you pedigree someone in NXT? #SessionSixWithShannon"

She loved reading that question, and jumped at the bit to answer it.

 **AtSStormWWE** : (1) "No. Never. Absolutely not, **AtPaulHeymanGuy1013**. All of the memes, gifs, jokes, and fangirling aside, I have a tremendous amount of respect for **AtTripleH**. Whenever the word 'pedigree' is mentioned in the wrestling world, I want it to be forever synonymous with one person. And that's Hunter."

 **AtSStormWWE:** (2) "While I'm young **AtPaulHeymanGuy1013** , I'm very old-school. I'm not a fan of wrestlers doing veterans' finishers, especially if the move is astronomically over, and recognized as a match-ender for a certain wrestler. No disrespect to **AtTheBigShow** , and I know he used it in WCW as The Giant, but once he came to the WWE, he should've left the Chokeslam for the #BOD. There was nothing wrong with his Final Cut finisher. I liked it."

 **AtSStormWWE:** (3) "The same goes for **AtBookerT5X** and **AtTheRock**. There was nothing wrong with the Scissors' Kick, or Houston Hangover, **AtPaulHeymanGuy1013**. The Book End wasn't necessary. When your finisher is no longer YOURS, it feels less important, less impactful, and no longer a 'kill-shot'. Those are my opinions, and I'm entitled to them."

That was probably the longest tweet response she ever wrote; in fact, she knew it was because Twitter told her that she exceeded the one hundred forty character limit. Shannon had to tag the sender of the question three times to finish her paragraph response. She didn't care if anyone found her answer long-winded. It was something she felt strongly about. People had the right to disagree with her, and she was sure some did. But this was a question asked to her, and she responded with her own conviction.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "That was the sixth and final question everyone. This was nice, but don't get used to it. #UntilWeMeetAgain"

* * *

 **October 3rd, 2017**

 **Oklahoma City, Oklahoma**

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross heard about Shannon being a guest on "Talk is Jericho," and got in contact with Paul to get her on his podcast, "The Ross Report." Also like Chris Jericho's podcast, it was a top-rated program on Podcast One. Rather than doing the interview over the phone, she insisted on flying to Oklahoma to do it in person. She appreciated Jim Ross. Not only was she a fan of his as a child growing up, she remembered he called her match with Asuka last May at a NJPW-ROH joint event. It meant a lot to her going to see him directly. They were at the midpoint of the interview.

"Now when I first met you, well not met you, because Joey Styles told me you had a flight straight back to the states not long after your match, was in Japan," said Ross and Shannon nodded. "It was about eighteen months ago. We were in the Tokyo Dome for the Wrestling Donkatu event. I was calling that show for AXS TV for North American audiences. Joey was filling in because my partner Josh Barnett had a prior commitment; and Styles' contract with the WWE provided him with a few outside engagements with other entities. You were taking on Kana, whose known to the fans of the WWE as 'Asuka.' And uh, it was um, let's just say it wasn't smooth sailing start to finish."

"Nope, J.R." Shannon said shaking her head. "It's cool. I don't mind if people call me on my shit if they're correct. Go for it."

"Well it was a damn good match Shannon," Ross replied leaning forward and touching Shannon's forearm. "By no means of the imagination was it less than stellar. There was just a period of time for a few minutes where you looked...very lost. Walk me through what was going on your mind. Were you with ROH then, yet?"

"I'll answer the question first, then come back to your comment," She responded before quickly taking a sip of water. "No, I was freelancing. Had no contract with ROH, DragonGate-US, DragonGate-Japan, New Japan, or All Japan. I had a match in New York with EVOLVE maybe six months prior to that and Gabe Sapolsky, who runs the promotion, got in contact with my trainer to hook me up with that booking. As for taking you through that match, I knew two things: I was going over, and I was working the back. The problem was I had not a freaking clue on what Kana wanted to do."

"Many wrestlers call matches on the fly," Ross said as he narrowed his focus on her. "I thought maybe you were getting nervous due to the large crowd, or were green; but I was proven wrong as the match continued. So was there a communication issue?"

"Yep, it was a combination of things," Shannon clapped her hands together before pointing at Jim Ross. "I knew Kana had a reputation, and was an excellent worker. Not only was that my first time in Japan, and in front of crowd that large. I mean c'mon, not everyone-even people who are in the WWE currently-get the opportunity to work the Tokyo Dome in front of 40,000 fans. The Mania crowds over the last decade have surpassed that number; but rarely when the company does tours in Japan do they work the larger venues there."

"Damn straight," Ross mumbled before Shannon went on.

"So for this _unsigned_ mark to work the Tokyo Dome in front of the Asian audience, whose respect level for professional wrestling is astounding, it was a hell of an honor. Getting back to the match though, I knew no Japanese, and was so damn frustrated because I didn't know what she wanted to do. I didn't want to embarrass myself. Nor did I want to give her a shitty match. She's better than that. She deserved a good one, great if possible."

"Things took a turn for the better once more of those arm submissions started getting locked in," Ross affirmed. "It was then when I realized, 'Okay, this kid can go. She's not a deer in the headlights.' "

"Right, I began to understand her hand signals," said Shannon with a smile. "She communicated strikes, submissions, and grapple calls to me through various taps and positions of her fingers. I had to study her in the subconscious. My mind was figuring it out, and my body followed. Once I got a strong feel that I had grasped her system, _together_ , we were back in rhythm. Pamela, who we all know as 'Bayley,' was watching the playback on my flight back to the U.S. She told me your commentary sounded like a coach happy their star quarterback understood the playbook."

"Well Bayley would be exactly right with her call," Ross responded with an affirmative nod. "I'll have prior knowledge of feuds and storylines as far as Creative goes in the promotions I work for; but I never ask for a full list of spots or finishes. I always tell them not to tell me. I treat it like a shoot. My emotions are authentic as I respond to _what_ I see _when_ I see it. But Asuka speaks English, does she not?"

Shannon laughed. "Yes she does. I explained this to Y2J on his show. Long story short, I found out after the fact. By the way, how'd you get to call New Japan anyhow? I was stoked when I heard the news, but still stunned."

"I was equally as shocked as you," Ross admitted. "It's a real simple story. Some time in the fall of 2015 my manager contacted me, and asked would I like to call New Japan Pro Wrestling shows. I told him: 'Well I respect the history of New Japan. They're doing good things over there, but isn't that Mauro's gig?' He tells me, 'Mauro's going to the WWE!' And I went, 'Oh, I didn't know that! Good for him. Well let's see what we can do.' "

"At any point did you ever feel slighted by New Japan thinking, 'Ahh, I'm only here because Mauro's out?' " Shannon asked. "Like you were playing second fiddle to him?"

"Oh, no no no, not at all," Ross responded as he shook his head. "I have called a many of matches for the WWE, and enjoyed my time there. I'm still friendly with people who work there, including the man in charge. Mauro Ranallo is a very credible analyst who has always wanted to be there. He just didn't know if the day would ever come. Triple H had to do quite a bit of convincing to Vince to bring him over when his New Japan contract expired. He was even willing to allow him to keep his commitments for Showtime Boxing, while working Smackdown!. Hunter and Michael Cole wanted him _bad_. Eventually Vince caved. It was one of the last things he did before being replaced as Chairman."

"Were you ever worried that you wouldn't have chemistry with your fellow commentator Josh Barnett?" Shannon asked again.

She was really enjoying Jim Ross' story, and couldn't help asking him more questions even though _he_ was supposed to be interviewing _her_.

"Not a bit," said Ross confidently. "After three shows, we were great. Josh Barnett is a former UFC Champion, so he too, provides some authenticity to the product. He's familiar with a lot of the targeted strikes and holds, as they shoot often in Japan. Plus New Japan had me call WrestleKingdom a year prior. So they had a chance not to just hear my style from my previous work in WWE, or WCW; but also had a record of me on their own programming for a thorough evaluation when deciding if they wanted to hire me for the gig. They're fair with me with the schedule of travel, and I really like what they're doing. While it's fine to call football, boxing, and other things, it feels _really_ good to be back-and consistently calling-professional wrestling. There's just nothing like it in my humble opinion. And with New Japan specifically, if I had to compare it to a territory, it has an old-school Mid South, or NWA type of vibe."

A commercial aired for the "Steve Austin: Unleashed" show on Podcast One.

"Your training facility before you arrived in NXT was MCW, am I correct?" asked Ross.

"That would be correct J.R," said Shannon. "Maryland Championship Wrestling. Since I've left, they've changed their name to MCW Pro-Wrestling, but yes that's the one."

"I've made several trips over there, and happy ones might I add," said Ross. "MCW is a highly respectable organization. The staff is great. They know what they're doing, and are one of the premiere regional independent promotions in the United States. MCW'S attracted lots of vets to make appearances, and have matches there over the years. Both wrestlers who have worked for WWE and TNA in years past. I've talked to talent there, and called a few of their shows. Had a crabcake or two at Jimmy's Seafood as well."

"Hahaha, yeah, I heard you even had a comedy show at Jimmy's last fall. I wanted to go, but I had a show with ROH at the time," said Shannon with a warm smile. "But thank you very much J.R. for the compliments. Yeah, Mickie's trained there before getting further tutelige from Lance Storm when he was running the training program at OVW before leaving the WWE to start his own school in Canada. Lita was also at MCW, who also got training in Mexico, Orlando Jordan, and our recent Tough Enough winner Patrick Clark. Lio Rush, who's at ROH now, is another MCW grad. I heard something about a deal almost being done in 2003 to make MCW a WWE Territory, but I'm not sure why that didn't fall through."

"Well that was the time when I was running Talent Relations in the company. We sent some of our Superstars over to check the place out, and engage with some of MCW's talent when there was a WWE live event scheduled in one of the B-towns in Maryland," J.R. began as he adjusted his glasses. "I think your trainer Dan McDevitt was having a few management issues with his co-founder at the time, so nothing was finalized. Vince McMahon can also be very stubborn. By the time discussions were brought up again, Vince changed his mind, claiming he was fine with our Ohio Valley Wrestling territory in Louisville, Kentucky, and the now defunct Deep South Wrestling in Atlanta, Georgia. This was before TNA used OVW as their developmental territory, and FCW became the WWE's in 2010."

"Damn, what a bummer," Shannon replied after a sigh. "Who knows? Maybe I would've got to the company quicker if that happened."

"I'm old school: I think multiple territories is the best route to go to improve talent in our business," J.R. spoke passionately. "The problem is that the WWE giant gobbled them all up in the '80s. It allowed the company to acquire ready-made stars: Junkyard Dog, Ted DiBiase Sr., Jim Duggan, and so on. The Catch 22 of that is that it becomes challenging to develop _future_ stars with fewer places to work. It's easier to groom folks when you know the territory they're affiliated with, rather than micro-manage and scout all of the tiny independent promotions around. Anyways, McMahon was fine with just that one territory, OVW; so there was no Northeastern one finalized for us, unfortunately. He changes his mind quite a lot."

"Ahh, I see," Shannon started as she ran her right hand through her hair. "Well at least, there's some changing of the guard. There's not a territory boom in America. But with Hunter's acknowledgement of other promotions, places are getting a little rub. In 2015, the WWE had a working agreement with EVOLVE for future scouting of their talent. Last year, the EVOLVE and DragonGate folks hosted two internet Pay-Per-Views at my MCW promotion. The one in May had qualifying matches to send folks to NXT's Cruiserweight Classic. The other in August had talent from TNA, ROH, and WWE represented. It was something _so_ _strange_ , yet so cool at the same time. It would've been unheard of 20 years ago."

"Oh absolutely," Ross agreed adamantly. "Hunter can negotiate like Vince, perhaps even _better_. I sure as hell didn't think I'd live to see the day Warrior and Sammartino enter the WWE Hall of Fame. He's physically in the suit, but has the mind of a performer, still. When I gave him that nickname 'The Cerebral Assassin,' it wasn't just horse manure, or a comment I made for his gimmick. He is a _total_ student of the game. No bullshit. As much as Hunter excelled in it physically, he loves it emotionally. He he studies it. He respects it. He lives and breathes it. You can't make someone that passionate about something. They either are, or they're not. People can say what they will about his friends; but his value and leadership for the company going forward is indeed 'best for business.' "

Shannon winked at Jim Ross for his last remark.

"Let's pause for a moment to hear another word from one of our sponsors," said Ross.

A commercial for Burger King's 2 for $4 breakfast croissant sandwiches aired.

"Speaking of what's 'best for business,' you make no apologies of who _your_ _guy_ is," Ross remarked after clearing his throat from a light cough. "And that guy is Triple H. Why don't you elaborate on that?"

"Sure, Triple H is my favorite wrestler," Shannon remarked quickly. "He has been from the beginning, and always will be. I'm not one of the phony assholes that's kissed his ass for what he's done with NXT, while wishing death upon him behind his back for every other aspect of his career. I hate that bandwagon-hopping shit. A lot of smarks over the years whenever they notice someone is being presented a certain way, pushed a certain way-whether up or down the card-they'll be quick to judge, 'Oh so and so is this person's _favorite_ ,' or 'So and so is in the doghouse.' When in many cases, that is the farthest thing from the truth. Things aren't always as they appear. And people don't always know what they think they know. There is one person in charge making the final calls in the E right now, and that's Triple H. I'm not saying that because I like him. I'm saying it because he's the _freaking_ _Chairman_ , and people need to respect that."

"Fair enough, but would you expound on how that relates to you specifically?" He asked.

"So I'm the NXT Women's Champ. And I'm sure for the people that don't like me, they would speculate, 'Oh I wonder if she's his 'chosen one.' Are they in cahoots?' For me, I go, 'You know what? Why entertain the trolling and gossip? Just be honest.' I _am_ a fan of his. And I _am_ the champion. But those things are mutually exclusive. I am in the position I am in because I have earned it, and deserve it. I take nothing for granted, and refuse to apologize for my, or anyone else I have admired over the years' success. It's insulting. Lesnar and Punk have openly called themselves 'Paul Heyman Guys.' That's cool. I have no gripe with that. I also admire Paul Heyman's work. He's excellent at what he does. So when I say I'm a 'Triple H Girl,' I expect the same reaction as any other wrestler who acknowledged their fandom, support, or inspiration from someone in our business. Nevermind the fact that he has set a record for the most Wrestlemania losses of all time, and that's our 'Show of Shows.' That doesn't sound like a prick not putting anyone over to me. But I get it. The internet wrestling community feels they way they do about Hunter. So I guess, I shall too, get people counting the days for me to build a cemetery to 'bury' people. Whatever. I'm loyal 'til the end."

"I understand your sentiments completely," Jim Ross remarked while rubbing his goatee. "Hunter being an unhelpful, selfish, backstage politicker is one of the biggest lies around. I can speak from experience because I've worked with him, both on and off screen. Now the man is definitely opinated about things, and can be quite vocal about those opinions when asked about them. But so was Shawn, Nash, and his buddies. Most passionate people in our business are. But as you've alluded to, fans have their opinions. It doesn't matter if they're misinformed, or speaking on half-truths, they will express their views. Moving on though from that, do you have any goals?"

"Yes I have goals," She replied, nodding as she did so. "Complacency will get you only but so far in life. As a kid I loved watching this. I loved listening to you and King, Heenan and Monsoon, Heenan and Dusty, McMahon and Monsoon, Savage and McMahon all on commentary. I felt so deeply connected to the sport. I knew very early it was what I always wanted to do, what I was _meant_ to do. Some are specific goals that pertain to me. Some are broad, more so hopes, for the company. I'd like one day for the Women's Title to be restored. With all due respect to the ladies doing their thing on the main roster, 'the butterfly belt' for the first week or two was cute. But we're working to build depth with the women on both brands, and it's in my opinion that the championships should reflect it. There's no 'Divas Championship' in NXT."

"Well that's out of your hands, but I do at least see your perspective," he agreed. "And you validated the oddity in the two titles. Any others?"

"I'd like to see women do commentary," She said. "I know some Superstars will join the announce booth if someone's competing in the ring that they're feuding with. But I mean, I'd like to see a _permanent_ female on commentary. Preferably two: one color, one play-by-play. If we can find one badass broad who knows moves and has a strong enough personality to do color if asked, then that's even better."

"I believe Renee Young dabbled in it a little bit in NXT's earlier days before she was relegated to interviewing talent on the main roster," He said while readjusting his glasses.

"And that's fine if that's what she enjoys and feels she does best," Shannon said reassuringly. "But it's hard for me to believe in 2017 there isn't at least _one_ knowledgable, passionate, woman fan out there capable, or has the desire to do commentary for the biggest professional wrestling company in the world. Now, it's quite possible there are a bunch of female commentators working indie circuits, and to them I say kudos. I hadn't crossed any of them at the places I competed in; but I imagine there are some ladies who have done it. I wish the WWE would pursue them. And even if there was no plan for them to call Raw or Smackdown!, at least try Main Event, Superstars, or hell, split the time between 205 Live and NXT. I'm not a huge fan of a three-person announce booth; but if we can get a female commentator long-term out of it, I'm with it, if that's the way it's gotta' be."

"What about personal goals?" He asked.

"Oh, I had more overall things for the company as well, but sure, I can get to the personal goals," Shannon clarified. "I understand Podcast One is probably pressed for time. I wouldn't want them to hound you about how much of this they'll have to edit down later. I'll try to keep it simple: matches and opponents are the goals. I'd like to compete in a Hell in the Cell match, possibly a War Games match-"

"I'm a big fan of the War Games match, as is Triple H. Vince never was," said Ross after cutting Shannon off.

"I'm aware, I'm aware," She said. "It would be difficult for me to participate in a War Games match anyway, given that I roll solo, and am aligned with no one."

"That would be hard to do for you indeed: no tag partner, no stable," Ross explained and Shannon chuckled. "In your defense, there's no liability as a singles star. When you're on your own, you don't have to worry about a partner getting injured, getting in the bad graces of people behind the scenes, or in legal trouble outside of the company leading to them getting canned. Having a partner going through any of those things can put a roadblock in your career."

"A Three Stages of Hell match could also be fun," Shannon noted. "Austin and Hunter had a great one that you called. So did Hunter and Michaels. If a women's tag division was brought back in the WWE, or if a second weight class within the women was created since we only have one division, I'd like my name to be in the conversation to be in one of those. The Cruiserweight Classic was an awesome tournament that Hunter and his team put together last year. If there's one designed for the top women talent across the globe, where the winner comes at me for the NXT strap? I'd be down with that. That would be very cool. Competition's my addiction."

"Was that a gimmick or a shoot statement?" He asked.

"Both sir, respectfully," she clarified. "All of us: talent, announcers, valets, Creative, even if we aren't always successful, should have that gladiator mindset to give fans a good show as best we can. And see what we can do next to top it."

"Hard to argue there," Ross agreed. "If you don't care, you may find initial success. But it won't last long in this business."

"Right on," she said. "As for opponents: If Gail Kim, and Kong want back in the company-I know they were here when I wasn't-I'd like to work with them if possible. If Lacey von Erich comes out of retirement, I'd want to face her. I've done business with Melina and Evelisse in Mexico through Triple A and a Lucha Underground tour before I got signed to the WWE; but I wouldn't mind seeing them again. I'd also love to face Natalya. I respect not just her prideful wrestling pedigree-"

"Why am I not surprised _that_ was your word of choice?" Ross asked with a warm smile.

"Hahahahaha! I was going to say _lineage_ , but changed my mind," Shannon remarked with a wink. "Nattie's a grinder too. I like that about her. She didn't get signed here right away. She toured the globe and paid dues for years before her tryout with the WWE. She's had ups and downs in the company. But she's still around, and if something could be done with us, I'd like that. Um, obviously you know I'm a mark for Shawn and Hunter, and by default, I'm also a mark for Flair."

"Right," he said.

"I know Naitch has several kids," Shannon started, and scratched the bridge of her nose. "I remember David in WCW doing his angle with Stacy, who was known as 'Ms. Hancock' at the time. I believe Russo filmed an angle where David was possessed as well. They came to Flair's house, and Reid was there also. Do you know if he has any daughters?"

"He does." Ross answered. "Ric has a daughter name Ashley, but to my understanding, she runs a gym, and has absolutely no desire to get in the wrestling business."

"Is that right?" Shannon asked in astonishment. "Man, I can respect that, but it's a such shame. From my end, I thought it would be awesome that I'm not only working _for_ one of my boys in Hunter; but could possibly be working _with_ the seed of one of my boys in 'The Nature Boy's' daughter. For me, it would be like I'm hitting various points of markdom all at once. Selfish of me I guess. But oh well. Maybe in some alternate universe it could've happened. I'm sure it would've made for something special."

"I want to thank you for physically coming over here," said Jim Ross. "Technology's improved: We could've done this over the phone. But to come here directly really shows the stand up kind of person you are."

"Any time that I can make time, it's done J.R.," Shannon said reaching her hand out to Ross, and he accepted the handshake.

"I have one last question before you jump back on a flight to Florida. What's the difference between Shannon Storm on NXT versus Shannon _the_ _person_?" He interrogated.

Shannon laughed before answering.

"Well, J.R. as you know, some of the greats would say who they portray themselves as on television is merely an extension of themselves to an umpteenth level," Shannon began as she folded her left arm, and put it behind her head. "I would tend to agree with that. For starters, she and a I have a fond appreciation of sarcasm and dirty jokes. On a serious note though, Shannon Storm is Shannon Harris. Yes marks, I'm throwing my government name out there. Whatever, it's on Wikipedia anyway. I've loved professional wrestling for practically as long as I have been alive. I _really_ am confident in my abilities: whether it's to deliver a promo on the stick, or a good match in the ring. If you were to ask any booker off the top of their head what they look for when evaluating the potential of a talent becoming a star, they'd probably ask these three questions: _Are_ _they_ _popular_? _Can_ _they_ _wrestle_? _Can_ _they_ _talk_? I think I and many others in our industry fit that bill."

Jim Ross smiled.

"One major difference between the two women is that Storm swears a heck of a lot more frequently and without discretion than I would. The second would be that humility does not exist in her vocabulary. She's not humble at all. A third would be that unlike my character, I don't view myself superior to anyone in NXT," Shannon continued. "From the production folks working the cameras, pyro, and lights, the ring crew setting up the squared circle, the referees, trainers, agents, writers, down to the talent themselves. It doesn't matter if they're well traveled vets like ODB, Joe, Roode, and Ember, to those who came in the company with no experience in the business at all like Carmella, Dana, Enzo and so on. Everyone has a role to play, and obviously there is a hierarchy of respect among those more seasoned. But we're all there to work, contribute, and execute at the highest level for what Triple H envisioned for the brand the day he presumed control over FCW and changed the game, pun intended."

"And even then for anyone listening to this podcast that's trying to break in the business," Ross started. "Sometimes even us 'experts' don't get it right. About seventeen years ago, when I did some scouting in Ultimate Pro Wrestling in California, I met John Cena and Samoa Joe for the first time. I thought Cena had a great look to him, and the sky was the limit. But I told Joe he had 'absolutely no future in professional wrestling.' I strongly encouraged him to leave, and said he'd have no success. Boy was I fucking wrong! But I'm man enough to own what I said, and admit my mistake. If you _really, really,_ want to do this, by hook or by crook, no matter what you look like, you'll make it. It may not happen as fast as you want, or the timing you'd prefer, but it will come if you're relentlessly passionate."

"A-freaking-men," Shannon replied.

"Once more, thank you for stopping by," said Ross. "I wish you the best of success going forward. And here's hoping you get to the main roster someday soon."

"Thank you very much for inviting me J.R.," Shannon responded, accepting his reach for a handshake this time. "If you ever have me on as a guest again, perhaps you can recommend a nice spot to get a great cowboy hat. I would've asked HBK, but he's doing well, staying out of the business, and enjoying his family life. I'm not on the main roster yet to pick with JBL-"

"Here," said Ross, who removed the black Stetson from his head, and handed it over to Shannon. "Have mine."

"Oh no, J.R.," Shannon replied, very wide-eyed and shaking her head. "I wouldn't dare. I'd have no problem buying my own-"

Jim Ross shook his head defiantly, and once again nudged the hat at Shannon's chest.

"Now why on earth would you do that when I'm offering you mine?" Ross asked. "I have over a dozen-from black to white, brown to beige. Take it, I _insist!_ "

There was a bit of muffled static as Shannon rose from her seat, and the microphone clipped to her chest rubbed against Jim Ross' shoulder when she hugged him.

"Thanks a lot man. This is great," Shannon said as she rubbed the outer brim of Ross' hat. "I've become a bit of a hoarder with regards to collecting wrestling paraphernalia. Whether it's copies of rare shows, signed titles, or gear from people, all sorts of random stuff."

"As have I," Ross confirmed. "Well, there you have it. Enjoy."

"Before I go J.R., I just want to say, like many of the boys, my heart continues to go out to you for losing your wife," Shannon said, while raising her right hand and pressing the palm to the left side to her chest. Her other hand was holding his hat. "How are you holding up? When I got in town, on my way to the studio, I drove past the OU Medical Center, and things got a little eerie for me."

"Thank you Shannon. I truly appreciate it," said Ross, who raised his eyeglasses to rub his eyes underneath. "I don't know if 'holding up' is the phrasing I'd use. It was painfully cruel. She was so close, yet far away from me. Jan was on her way home from the gym, not even 30 miles away from our home before the accident happened. _Minutes_ away from being home with me," Ross stopped to snap his fingers abruptly. "And just like that she was gone. I merely take it day to day. Jan was my angel. It's been six, going on seven months, but on the surface, still seems so very fresh to me. I'm hanging in there the best I can."

"All of us in the wrestling family are thinking about you," Shannon remarked, walking over to Jim Ross for another hug that he accepted. "It's nothing you expect to go through. Nothing you can ever prepare for. I wouldn't wish what happened or how it happenend to Jan on anyone. We're with you in spirit."

"Thank you again," Ross started, adamant to wrap the show for good this time before he grew too emotional, sobbing uncontrollably for his departed spouse. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Best of luck to you at Takeover, and uh, hopefully, we can talk again sometime soon."

As a commercial aired promoting Chris Jericho's "Talk is Jericho" on Podcast One, he autographed the inside of the cowboy hat for Shannon before she left to go to the airport.

* * *

 **October 5th, 2017**

 **Full Sail University**

 **Winterpark, Florida**

 **4:30 PM**

Shannon saw a familiar face from August that she met at NXT Takeover: Respect in Brooklyn, New York, and greeted them with a smile.

"Hey kiddo," said Shannon, who reached her arms out to hug someone who was about to pass her in a hall. They accepted. "Where's your sisters?"

Shannon was wearing some basic black Under Armour shorts to the thigh as she wasn't quite ready to put on her gear. On her feet were the Speedform: 'Cushion Charging' running shoes the company sent her on discount in January. She was wearing Paul's grey and black sleeveless jersey with his throwback H's. This was the basketball-like jersey where the H in the center was capitalized, and the other two were lowercase, with the the one on the left inverted in a medieval font. "The Game" was printed in large, blocked, capital letters across the upper back. She had it since 2000.

"With Mom," answered Aurora Rose Levesque, Paul and Stephanie's oldest daughter, who had on an NXT shirt and track pants. "They didn't want to come. Murphy will watch here and there, but isn't all that enthused. Vaughn only goes to main roster shows because she loves John Cena."

"Ew," said Shannon as she raised her hand before rotating it, and pushing her thumb down.

"Yeah, I know," she said with a grin. "Dad hates that too. He doesn't get it, or like it."

"I bet she has fights in her head with Nikki Bella for having 'her man,' huh?"

"Yep, yep," Aurora agreed.

"So have you mastered all of the holds Nattie's taught you?" Shannon asked, referring to Paul mentioning he and Stephanie approving Natalya to work with their oldest daughter to train her when they brought her to events sometimes. Obviously, it wasn't that he physically couldn't. It was refreshing though, that she gravitated to a hard-working female talent he respected.

Aurora nodded and smiled.

"Wanna' do some on me?" Shannon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For _real_?" Aurora quickly asked, partly excited, partly uncertain.

"Yeah, I mean, you're used to Nattie by now," Shannon replied. "With practice comes repetition. With repetition comes experience. With experience comes wisdom. Not only can it be boring working with the same people all of the time; but sometimes can lead to complacency."

"You mean like settling?" She asked.

"Exactly. I'm not saying Nattie's a bad teacher," Shannon said, prefacing Natalya with praise before continuing. "I'm sure she's great. What Hart isn't? My point is, you should mix it up with people a little bit. You'll grow even stronger in your ability. The knowledge of moves is there. I'm confident you've mastered that skill. With fresh opponents though, you can force your body to think strategy about what you're doing and when, as you try to figure out chemistry with a new person. Like fine-tuning mechanics and psychology."

"I didn't really think about it that way," said Aurora. "We do basically just go over the same exact sequences. Interesting. That makes sense in theory."

"Hahaha, you're eleven. Don't beat yourself up about not thinking of it that way at first," Shannon said. "Trust me, you're well ahead of the curve. Some people don't start doing this until sixteen. Most a bit later than that. "

"At that rate, I'd be a legend by the time I'm your age," she said pointing at Shannon.

"Given who's training you now, and who your parents are, without a doubt girl," Shannon remarked with another smile. " _Absolutely_. Through your father, you'd be second-generation. But through your mother, you'd be the first fifth-generation WWE Superstar. Since your mother and uncle are the first fourth-generation performers."

"That would be pretty cool, huh?" Asked Aurora and Shannon quickly nodded. "I don't know. Maybe one day."

"Sure," Shannon replied. "Championships left and right in your future, if you want 'em. But for now-"

Shannon reached her hand out to Aurora.

"Is that a deal on me being your training buddy down here at NXT, and you can keep Nattie on the main roster?"

"Deal," she said, accepting Shannon's handshake.

"Cool," said Shannon. "Ready to do some stuff now? I have time to kill before meetings start. If the ring at Full Sail is occupied, you can just hop in my car, and we'll drive to the Performance Center, where there's more space. You've been there before, and know how quick the drive is from this building to that one."

"Ummmm, I better ask Dad," She started with a contemplative look.

Shannon flung an arm around Aurora. "I don't think he'd mind. He probably wouldn't want to be bothered for something so minute anyway. So I'll tell you what: we'll spend maybe a half-hour in the ring, tops. If he gets angry for whatever reason, I'll take all the blame. You can say everything was my idea, I was the one who kidnapped you despite your blatant protests, you weren't disobedient, yada, yada, yada."

"Deal again!" She yelled.

"Sweet, let's go," said Shannon and they began walking. "Where were you headed anyway when I came across you in the hall?"

"To watch the crew set up the ring," Aurora said with her father's signature smirk on her face.

* * *

 **Shannon's dressing room near the Full Sail Arena**

 **Winterpark, Florida**

 **6:23 PM**

Shannon was away in a meeting. Tyler was in her dressing room waiting for her. At NXT Takeover: Passion, he caught a break with Sami Zayn since they were on different house show schedules on opposite coasts in June. Swapping flights, Tyler was able to make it to that Takeover to see his girlfriend just in time before it started. In August, he was fortunate that for the third year in a row the WWE booked NXT Takeover: Respect, Summerslam, Monday Night Raw, and Smackdown! all in the same venue. So there was no manuvering of scheduling necessary for the "biggest party of the summer" for them to spend time together. The main roster had a few shows in Florida this week, so he was around. Different cities, but at least he was in the same state to drive over.

Her cellphone was in the room, and it rang. When Tyler saw the name on the screen, he smiled and swiped the phone to accept the call.

"Hi Mom," he answered.

"I'm sorry," Cheryl, Shannon's mother, apologized. "I thought I was calling my daughter, Shannon. Perhaps I dialed the wrong number?"

"No, you've dialed the right number," Tyler corrected her.

"Then who am I speaking to?" she asked.

"Your son-in-law," he responded with a grin.

"My _what_?" Cheryl questioned in hysteria. "When did she get married? She never told me she had a fiancée!"

"Probably because she isn't married, and doesn't have a fiancée," he replied with a bit of wit in his tone.

"Young man, you need to tell me who you are and where my daughter is before I call the police, and the dispatcher will locate the authorities in Florida!" She yelled, not finding this prank, or whatever the hell this guy called himself doing funny.

"Ma'am, I can assure you that that won't be necessary," Tyler said, becoming serious and trying to calm Shannon's mother down before she got the wrong idea and escalated things. "Your daughter is safe and sound currently in a talent meeting, which is why she didn't answer the phone. Well actually, she left it in her dressing room, which is where I am."

"And you _still_ haven't told me who you are," She said, insisting with her tone, he'd inevitably reveal his identity.

"Oh, forgive my manners," he apologized. "I'm Shannon's boyfriend, Mattias. We wrestle together. Well, not together. Well technically, we have together before; but not against each other."

"Mattias?" She thought aloud, twisting her bottom lip. "Are you Canadian, or French?"

"Spot on the first time!" He exclaimed. "I'm _Canadian._ But obviously, I live in the States at the moment. Trish and Lance may have been the only Canadians who worked for the WWE that didn't permanently move to the U.S. for the duration of their careers. Kevin Owens was here for awhile, but moved back to Canada once his main roster call up came. You can call me by my ring name, which is Tyler."

"Wait," Cheryl narrowed her eyes at the wall, and gripped her phone tighter. " _Tyler_...Why does that sound familiar? The model guy?"

"Yep," he replied, following a quick laugh. "That would be me."

"Aww, you're a cutie-pie!" she said with glee.

"Thank you. Like I said, feel free to call me Tyler because your daughter hates my actual name." He grinned after the remark.

"Why?" Cheryl asked with sincere curiosity. "I love your name! It's unique and attractive. I don't know why she doesn't like it."

"Well thank you ma'am. You may be my new favorite in the family," he paused after a few seconds admiring her laughter at his comment. "So was there a message I needed to deliver to her? I don't think you planned on talking to me much longer."

"Please stop calling me ma'am," she implored. "Call me Cheryl. I'm a mother, not a museum! And I was just calling her about her match tonight. Since joining NXT, we made a habit of talking before each Takeover and an hour after her particular match finishes. Pre-Takeover, we just talk about life. The second conversation is my feedback of her performance. She doesn't give me outcomes beforehand, and I can enjoy it as a fan better that way. And young man, I don't mind talking to you. You scared me _at first_. I thought you kidnapped my baby; but now I know she's alive and accounted for."

"Okay, Cheryl. I can do that," Tyler promised. "Yeah, Shannon's told me about you being a fan, and wrestling being something that enhanced your bond. She never mentioned you guys talking before and after Takeovers as a ritual to me. But I think that's really sweet of you two. Before you ask, she's told me about her lack of relationship with her dad. She hasn't told me everything; but I know enough to the extent where it's bad, and can make you both uncomfortable. So out of respect for you both, I won't bring it up, especially since she has no idea that I'm talking to you right now."

"Thank you for that. I appreciate it," said Cheryl who sighed deeply before she replied to him. "Listen Mattias, have Shannon give you my number when she gets back. I'd like to meet you. If the both of you ever have an evening free when you both are in Maryland, Virginia, or D.C., let me know. I'm a native of Virginia, but spent time in both D.C. and Maryland for college. And obviously, I live there now, so either location would work for me as I'm familiar with all the areas."

"I will certainly do that," he agreed. "I'd like to meet you too. I mean, all due respect, I'd still have to ask if she's alright with it first. Maybe she doesn't think it's an appropriate time for me to be meeting you yet."

"I admire your decorum and seemingly well-paced courtship," she began. "But all due respect to _you_ Mattias, she's _my_ daughter and I've known her a lot longer. She won't mind."

Tyler laughed, amazed to learn where Shannon got a bit of the sharp tongue from. "Well alright then. I'll tell her everything, and make sure she doesn't miss that call after her match tonight. Goodbye Cheryl."

"Goodbye son-in-law," Cheryl replied.

Tyler swiped Shannon's phone to officially end the call, then placed it on the end table. He made himself comfortable, reclining back on the black Barcelona Lounge chair and Ottoman Shannon purchased for her dressing room several months ago. Reaching for the remote on the smart television, he changed the program on the WWE Network to something he liked as he wasn't a fan of the Total Divas episode that was currently streaming. And neither would Shannon.

* * *

 **Minutes Later**

 **6:45 PM**

"Hey," said Shannon as she entered her dressing room.

"Hey," Tyler replied.

"Anything change in the world since my departure?" She asked.

"Your mom called," he responded nonchalantly. "We didn't talk about you. Just about how much she likes me."

"Ha, that's fine, dork," said Shannon. "She's had over two decades with me so is probably tired of it. You can have her."

"Okay, I will," Tyler said, before getting up. He walked over to Shannon, and hugged her from behind while she searched in her gym bag. He nuzzled her neck with his nose, before resting his chin on her shoulder. "I love this."

"Love what?" She asked with her back still to him, but smiling through his embrace.

" _This_ ," he emphasized squeezing her tighter. "How I can answer your phone, play with you about your mom, and it doesn't bother you. Other women probably would've flipped and bitched."

Shannon grabbed his arms, and raised up from her gym bag to lean further in his embrace.

"Those women are up-tight. It's just my mother. It's not like it was the Internal Revenue Service calling." She turned forward to face him, and he temporarily unhinged his arms from her to do so, before wrapping his grip around her waist once again. "What did she really want?"

"Nothing major," Tyler revealed. "Just to check in, remind you about the call tonight, have you give me her number, and invited us to a dinner date whenever we're both free in your neck of the woods. I told tell her I'd ask you about it."

"What's there to ask?" Shannon questioned.

"Well I didn't know if you were ready for me to meet her yet," he admitted. "We can take our time."

"You know sometimes, you're too sweet for your own good," She said before leaning up to kiss him. "But don't change. I like it."

"Dutifully noted," he said after tugging on her lips for another kiss, which she ultimately granted.

"I'll just text her your number when I talk to her tonight," said Shannon breaking from his embrace, and grabbing his hand, leading him back to her chair. "In the meantime, we've got a little over an hour 'til the show starts. Get your tablet out and we can go over both NXT and main rosters' schedules to see if there's any opening for anything near Mom in the future."

* * *

 **NXT Takeover: Fight**

 **Full Sail Arena**

 **8:00 PM**

An arrangement of violins in the A-sharp major key began to play for twelve seconds. Shortly after, piano in the B-flat major key accompanied it.

" **Life is like a big merry-go round.**

 **You're up, and then down.**

 **Going in circles tryna' to get back to where you are."**

The opening montage showed highlights of the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tournament with the 2015 and 2016 winners, as "Conqueror," the theme song for NXT Takeover: Fight, performed by British R&B singer Estelle, began.

" **Everybody's been counting you out.**

 **But where are they now?**

 **Sitting in the same 'ol place.**

 **Just faces in the crowd.**

 **We all make mistakes.**

 **You might fall on your face.**

 **But you gotta' get up."**

A video montage of qualifying matches from this year's participants in the tournament was displayed next. The team of NXT Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann and Austin Aries, who defeated Tye Dillinger and Baron Corbin in an upset were the first shown. The team of Cedric Alexander and Apollo Crews, who defeated Darren Young and Titus O'Neil of the Prime Time Players was the second.

The violin on the track ceased; but the piano continued on and was now accompanied by more percussion: bass drum, snare, cymbals, and intricately-timed gong in between as the chorus started.

" **I rather stand tall!**

 **Than live on my knees!**

' **Cause I am a conqueror! (Aaah-aaah)**

 **And I don't accept defeat! (Oooh-woo-oooh)**

 **Try telling me 'no.'**

 **One thing about me:**

 **is I am a conqueror! (Aaah-Aaah)**

 **I am a conqueror. Oh-oh!"**

As the above chorus played through, highlights of the second batch of qualifying matches were on display. First up was The Authors of Pain: Rezar and Akam who defeated the team of Hideo Itami and Kota Ibushi. The second was The Revival: Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder defeating TM61: Shane Thorne and Nick Miller.

" **Gotta' a vision that no one else sees.**

 **A lot of dirty work, roll up your sleeves.**

 **Remember there's a war out there.**

 **So come prepared to fight!"**

The piano continued, and the percussion was replaced with strings. This time from acoustic guitar, not violin. Highlights of Bobby Roode and Finn Bálor's feud were shown here, as the buildup to their number one contender's match for the NXT Heavyweight title was explained. The live crowd at Full Sail popped for the previous two lines during the montage, given the name of this Takeover was indeed called "Fight."

" **You never know where it will lead 'ya.**

 **Not everyone's gonna' believe ya' (Believe ya').**

 **And even though they're wrong, don't prove 'em right!"**

Highlights of Shannon's victories over Becky Lynch and Cheerleader Melissa were shown here. It was spliced in with the feud Shannon "inadvertently" started with Nia Jax in middle of the then, ongoing feud with Becky.

" **I rather stand tall! (Tall !)**

 **Than live on my knees! (Can't live on my knees!)**

' **Cause I am a conqueror!**

 **And I don't accept defeat! (Oooh-woo-oooh)**

 **Try telling me 'no.' (No!)**

 **One thing about me: (One thing about me!)**

 **is I am a conqueror! (Aaah-Aaah)**

 **I am a conqueror.**

 **(Whoa-ooooo-oooh-Wooooo-oooh.)**

 **I am a conqueror!"**

When the chorus resumed a second time with the emotional adlibs in parenthesis, the Samoa Joe-Shinsuke Nakamura feud was on display. Samoa Joe was "The Destroyer," not "The Conqueror." It was a strong adjective, not exactly synonymous with destroy, but it shared a commonality of domination at least.

" **We all make mistakes.**

 **You might fall on your face.**

 **But you gotta' get up. (C'mon!)**

 **We all make mistakes.**

 **You might fall on your face.**

 **Don't ever give up! (Oh!)"**

During the above bridge, which repeated part of the hook, the piano was removed, but guitar and drums remained. Fans were reminded here who remained from the Dusty Classic Tournament that would compete tonight in the semi-finals and finals. These men were Austin Aries and Rich Swann, Apollo Crews and Cedric Alexander, The Revival, and The Authors of Pain.

" **I rather stand tall! (Woo-ooh!)**

 **Than live on my knees! (Can't live on my knees!)**

' **Cause I am a conqueror! (I am a conqueror.)**

 **And I don't accept defeat! (And I** _ **won't**_ **accept defeat!)**

 **Try telling me 'no.' (Try telling me no!)**

 **One thing about me: (Said one thing about me!)**

 **is I am a conqueror! (Aaah-Aaah)**

 **(Hey, hey, Whoah-oh-ho!)**

 **I am a conqueror."**

The chorus commenced a third time, but this time, the full orchestra of instruments returned: violin, guitar, drums, gong, and piano. It was blended beautifully, and no one instrument seemed to overpower the other's timing. Still shot billboards of tonight's card were displayed on the large LED screens. Opponents were shown for a solid fifteen seconds, before moving to the next participants in the matches that followed. When the music ended, NXT's typical display of pyrotechnics ignited.

 **World Wrestling Entertainment presents NXT Takeover: Fight!, live on the WWE Network," said a voiceover person.**

"Well the montage and theme music said enough, so I won't beat a dead horse," began NXT Commentator Corey Graves. "Whether you're watching on a television or mobile screen of some other nature, thank you for joining us."

"Ladies and gentlemen, just like for Takeover: Passion in June, we are once again back home in sunny Florida for Takeover: Fight," announced fellow NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. "Matches have been made, and the talent is here. Corey, what are you looking forward to seeing?"

"Tom, I'm looking forward to seeing everything," Graves said. "Obviously, the Dusty Classic will take up much of the lineup for tonight, but the other bouts are solid as well."

"I think the Dusty Classic will be great," said Phillips. "It's really becoming one of my favorite things about NXT. I love the tournament-style competition."

"The following contest is semi final match number one for the Dusty Rhodes Classic," began ring announcer Eden Stiles. "It is scheduled for one fall with a fifteen minute time limit…"

In the first semi final match, The Revival defeated The Authors of Pain. Dash and Dawson did manage to execute Shatter Machine, their flapjack into a double knee facebreaker tag team finisher; but it took three attempts to do so. Ultimately, they nailed it on Rezar, and got the pinfall victory. Following The Revival's win, an infuriated Paul Ellering demanded The Authors of Pain show him, "why they are still worth his time."

"Southern Proud," The Revival's entrance music only played for roughly fifteen seconds, and there was a reason why.

To satisfy their manager who had a previous history with The Revival, Rezar and Akam attacked Dash and Dawson after their elimination. As Dash and Dawson's hands were raised, they were clotheslined from behind. Akam and Rezar each shoved Dash and Dawson shoulder first into the ring post. When The Revival fell to the mats, both Rezar and Akam, hit the ropes and delivered a thunderous senton on each man's arm.

"Shatter _that_ machine!" screamed Rezar as he stood over Dawson, who clinched his shoulder.

"Top Guys versus The New Guys!" yelled Akam, who stood over Dash, who also grabbed his shoulder.

"Talk about losing a battle, but winning a war," announced Phillips.

"Well Ellering wanted them to make a statement, and I can't say I blame him," said Graves. "Show your worth. 'The Revival' feels they are the undisputed 'Top Guys' of the tag team division at NXT. They may not be the champions, but they proved they are 'Top Guys' by advancing to the next round of the tournament. 'The Authors of Pain' may want that adulation, but they have to earn it. They're a long way from it, if you ask me."

"What does this mean for Dash and Dawson?" asked Phillips. "There's still another semi finals match on the card, and whomever wins it will face 'The Revival' later on in the night."

The cameras went backstage for an interview segment, and fans screamed because of who appeared.

"Hey everyone, JoJo here," said NXT's interviewer. "I'm joined by Jason Jordan, one half of 'American Alpha.' Jason, do you have an update on your partner Chad Gable?"

"Yes I do Joseann," said Jordan with a look of seriousness. "As Corey Graves and Tom Phillips reported several weeks ago, 'The Revival' put a serious number on us. I was trapped meanwhile, there was a two-on-one assault on my partner. We didn't see it coming."

"Let's take a look at the footage," JoJo said. "I just want to remind the viewers of what occurred. It may be a little painful to watch-"

"That's okay Jo," Jordan responded, and the footage of The Revival's attack was shown. The two of them watched on the monitor in the backstage area, while fans in the Full Sail arena looked on at the titan tron.

"I was isolated, and couldn't help my brother out," Jordan continued. "But I went to the dentist with him to get his tooth fixed. He's passed the Performance Center concussion protocol. And Chad's ready, willing-"

"And _Gable_ ," Gable said as he walked into the camera view, and more cheers from the crowd came in for the popular team. "We earned a future tag team title match against TM61 a while ago. Would we have won it? Who knows? But that opportunity was taken away from us by two people: Scott Dawson, and Dash Wilder. We have to talk to General Manager Regal to fine tune some details. But boys-" He paused, and looked into the hard camera. " 'American Alpha' is back! Let's go, Jason."

The next match was the second semi final in the Dusty Rhodes Classic. The team of Cedric Alexander and Apollo Crews defeated Rich Swann and Austin Aries. They advanced to the finals to face The Revival later in the evening. Paul put Crews and Alexander over for the same reason he booked Bayley and Asuka to lose in the Attitude Era Invitational. Asuka had a good win-loss record. Bayley was the Women's Champion. Both ladies were hot babyfaces. He did not want them to get "Cena'd": accumulate many tangible accolades and multiple victories over high-profile, well-respected opponents so quickly and often that the crowd turned on them when they weren't supposed to. Swann was already the Cruiserweight Champion. He didn't need this win. Alexander and Crews, who both were faces who lost at Takeover: Respect in Brooklyn, needed it more. So they got it.

Match three was the number one contender's match for the NXT Heavyweight Title. Some fans bitched online about the match listing, thinking Finn Bálor and Bobby Roode should have been further down on the card instead of this soon. It had absolutely nothing to do with respect. Bálor and Roode had Paul's. And he had their's. However, with multiple tag matches on a show, he had to space matches out, mindful not to tire the fans in the live crowd. He needed their energy for the entire show. Saving Roode-Bálor for the very end could've potentially meant a flat crowd reception for the others.

Bobby Roode defeated Finn Bálor in eighteen minutes to become the number one contender for the NXT Heavyweight Championship, regardless of whomever the winner was in the Joe-Nakamura match later in the evening. In the closing moments of the contest, Bálor dove off the ropes for the Cou de Gràs double foot stomp. However, while in mid-air Bálor saw that Roode placed his knees up. So he adjusted, rolled through, and flipped over top of his body. Roode managed to get Bálor in position for a Roode Bomb, but Bálor kicked out after a long two. After essentially hitting what felt like a "reset button" to the fans, the men battled on again, before Bálor got the better of Roode. He raised him in the air for 1916. But the air was sucked out from the crowd when Roode maneuvered out of 1916, and delivered the Glorious DDT to Bálor for the win.

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the NXT Women's Championship!" announced Eden Stiles.

Nia Jax made her way out, and the fans were a bit delayed with a reaction. It was not a knock on Nia, but just the fans' natural adjustment to getting into a heel versus heel bout. It wasn't like this was the first time this was done in wrestling history. Because it certainly wasn't. Shannon even had a double heel match wrestling MisChief in her Ring of Honor Pay-Per-View. Heels versus heels just wasn't something regularly done in mainstream professional wrestling that audiences witnessed, hence the Full Sail crowd needing a moment or so to adjust.

Shannon came out next, and was wearing gear in a gold and white color scheme. At the very beginning, she would have the hood to her vest up, while standing backwards on the stage ramp, and pointing to her bottom, where her name appeared on her tights. That did not change. Next, she would usually walk up the steps and grab the top set of ropes, clinging to them as she walked along one side of the apron. From there, she'd stare at the crowd a few seconds before leaning against the ropes and raising her hands up for the diamond symbol.

However, at the past few live events, she switched things up slightly. Once she entered the arena, came down the ramp, and ascended the steps, she did not walk against one side of the apron. She opted instead to just enter the ring immediately. From there, she'd walk in the center of the canvas, do a curtsy, and on the return from the bow, her hands would raise for the diamond pose.

"Shannon Storm is sporting the gold, but she does not look like a happy camper entering the Full Sail Arena," noted NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. "Look at the scowl on her face as she proceeds down the ramp on day fourty seven of her championship reign."

She'd been working on tweaking her entrance since Takeover: Respect, adding a few elements there: the double S graphic and curtsy being one of them. But during the live events since then, she played around with timing cues of when and where she did certain things.

NXT was meant to be a developmental brand for the most part. She finally felt like she fine-tuned her entrance the way she liked best. She didn't need to do the extra walking along the apron. The bowing, hand-gestures, and thought-out facial expressions were intricate enough. Jamie Noble even suggested for the arena lights to be dark during the majority of Shannon's entrance, with a white spotlight hitting the center of the ring, once she came up from the curtsy for the pose. She liked the idea, and it was added. Those things meshed with the varied camera angles to showcase her logos, made for a nice visual.

With both women introduced and in the ring, referee Eddie Orengo sounded for the bell. Shannon and Nia circled the ring for a few moments before they moved closer to each other to lock up.

"Shannon has been running her mouth since day one about competition being her addiction," began Phillips. "Well she's got it in Nia Jax."

"First off, Shannon doesn't run her mouth. She merely makes statements, and when it counts most, delivers on those bold statements," fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves began in defense of Shannon. "When someone delivers, I believe those are called _facts_ and _stats_ , not talking trash."

Nia Jax transitioned from a collar and elbow tie up with Shannon to a side headlock. Shannon backed her up against the ropes for a break. When they reached the ropes, Shannon escaped from the clench of Nia, and ran the ropes herself.

"Well that didn't work," said Phillips as he watched Shannon return to Nia Jax, who was now back at the center of the ring. Shannon attempted a shoulder block, which given the height discrepancy between the women, the attempt would've targeted Nia's side, not shoulder. Nia did not budge.

"Shannon Storm is the 'Diamond Diva' of NXT," said Graves. "She will adapt like a camelion. I believe she'll choose to abandon the power game for speed. If that doesn't work, she may go to her fundamentals of technique. If she's smart-and we know she is-look for her to execute both. Weather the storm isn't just the name of her finishing manuever ladies and gentlemen; it's a way of life."

Shannon attempted a second shoulder block, and the result did not change. The larger woman still did not move.

"C'mon, bring it!" Nia shouted at Shannon, before pounding her chest.

Shannon headed for the ropes again, but instead of going for a shoulder block, she did a baseball slide between Nia's legs, and exited the ring. Before Nia came to grips with Shannon's change of plans, she felt her legs being pulled through the bottom ropes. With a firm grip on Nia's ankles, Shannon pulled the woman crotch-first into the end of the ring posts. Nia growled.

"I believe WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross would call that 'unintentional birth control,' " noted Phillips, who remembered Jim Ross' rather creative ways to depict male Superstars taking crotch shots: be it low-blows, pushed off the top ropes and landing in the pelvic region; or someone like Cactus Jack literally sticking his barbed wire baseball bat "Barbie," and striking the reproductive area like he did Paul in their street fight at the 2000 Royal Rumble.

"And here we go, step number one of the gameplan is to _outsmart_ Nia Jax," Graves remarked with a huff while Shannon grabbed Nia's left leg and slammed it against the ring post. Referee Eddie Orengo began a count on Shannon, who was outside. She rolled in at three, then back out and repeated what she did to Nia's left leg to the right. "If Nia can't move, Nia can't win the title!"

"Nia, and I don't believe I'm saying this Corey," began Phillips "is _crawling_ on her knees...Shannon reenters the ring as Nia makes it to one knee...Chop Block by the champion, and Nia's back on both knees!"

"Taking advantage of the leverage now, Shannon plants Nia's head down for a modified, seated DDT," announced Graves. "Finally with Nia firmly down on the mat, Shannon climbs on the challenger for a cover."

"1!" yelled Orengo as his left hand slapped the mat. But that was where the count stopped. Because Nia launched Shannon off her to another side of the ring, stopping the count. The audienced popped a little for that.

Admittedly, that made Shannon look rather weak. Kicking out of something at one was bad enough. Kicking out of the DDT-something recognized by many in the business as a simple, but powerful manuever-was another. It was a move looked upon to set up something further in a match. Or, it could be used as an effective manuever for both competitors in the ring to sell its impact in order to provide themselves with a moment of rest, particularly if their match was going long. Additionally, the DDT was intepreted as a believable manuever to change momentum in the deliverer's favor, if a match was going the other way around with their opponent previously.

But Road Dogg, Shannon and Nia's junior producer for the match, told the ladies it would make Nia look really strong. In his view, Nia would appear dominant as the larger competitor if Shannon went for a impactful offensive move early on, and Nia kicked out quickly. Initially Road Dogg wanted Nia to toss Shannon before Shannon even climbed over for a cover, so the referee couldn't count her shoulders at all. Amy, the agent for the match, fought Road Dogg hard on that decision, arguing a total no-sell could really hurt Shannon. Amy, or "Lita" to most, felt it was too early on in Shannon's title reign for something like that to occur. It could be very hard to continue to portray her as a serious performer, let alone the top female heel on the brand, if Nia totally no-sold something big so soon in the match. So Amy and Road Dogg's compromise rather than a total no-sell, was to allow Shannon to make a pin from the DDT, but allow Nia to toss her at the count of one.

Shannon rolled to her knees after being tossed parallel to Nia's side of the ring. She stared at Nia for a few seconds, then looked over at the crowd, and back at Nia. She pulled the scrunchie from her ponytail to run one of her gloved hands through it. Shannon was selling concern with her face and body language.

"Is 'the Diamond Diva' afraid Corey?" asked Phillips.

"I don't think she's afraid Tom," Graves quickly answered. "I think Shannon is just trying to regroup and reevaluate. It's one thing brainstorming a strategy beforehand in the back. But now she's _actually_ in the match."

Now that she had some distance from Shannon, Nia worked her way back up, and rubbed the back of her knee, shaking off the remnants of Shannon's earlier strategy. Shannon raced towards Nia Jax.

"Here comes Storm...a bit uncharacteristic for her with a cross b-no!" yelled Phillips. "Caught by Nia Jax who tosses the champion overhead with a Fall Away Slam. I believe Shannon was going for a Cross Body, but was unsuccessful."

"Nia with her first cover attempt...1...Shannon gets a shoulder up at 1½," announced Graves, who by his tone was thrilled, that Shannon too, like Nia, evaded being pinned early. "Nia with a handful of hair pulls Shannon up...one hand between her legs, one across the shoulder blades...Body Slam by Nia Jax on the NXT Women's Champion!"

"You think this is a game, bitch?" Nia asked Shannon angrily. "That title belongs to me!"

"Nia didn't make a pin attempt there though," said Phillips. "And I'm not sure why. I get that it's early on, but maybe she could tire Shannon out with the more often she covered. It could drive Shannon to exert energy kicking out, limiting her ability to create offense in the ring."

When Nia delivered the scoop slam, Shannon turned on her side and winced, selling the impact to her lower extremities. This caused Nia to mount Shannon from behind, and pound her back witth clubbing blows.

"Lefts and rights to the back of Shannon Storm!" shouted Graves. "Punches, forearms, Nia's throwing whatever haymaker will land!"

"Get off her Nia, get off her," shouted Orengo. "C'mon! 1...2..3!" He grabbed Nia's wrists and lured her up."

Nia walked away from Shannon, and towards the far end of one of the ropes to address the crowd.

"She will respect my name!" Nia shouted at the Full Sail audience, while pointing one hand backward at a down Shannon. The crowd booed.

"Nia walks back over to Shannon...what's next on her mind?" asked Phillips. "Bear Hug! She locks the Bear Hug in, and it seems obvious, the back of Shannon will be Nia's victim this evening."

"Ask her!" Nia demanded, urging the referee to see if Shannon wanted to submit.

"Shannon, do you quit?" Orengo questioned. "Do you want to give it up?"

"Hell no!" Shannon answered back after a grimace and squint of the eyes.

Shannon and Nia worked the bear hug for about two to two-and-half minutes before Shannon made an effort to fight out of it.

"Nia is really wrenching here on the Bear Hug," began Graves. "The deeper into the squat she gets, the more it enables her to really put the pressure on Shannon's lower back. That makes it tougher for Shannon to breathe. Damage will be done in the kidney area, and diminish the oxygen supply for the champ."

"Graaaah!" Shannon screamed reaching behind herself, trying to physically pry Nia's fingers a part to break the hold.

But that didn't work as Nia's hands were locked like a vice grip. So Shannon decided to do a double poke to the eyes of Nia, using her thumbs. That _did_ work.

"Thumb to the eyes by NXT Women's Champion Shannon Storm," Phillips remarked wildly. "Nia unclenches, but does not lose focus as she nails Shannon wilth a Sidewalk Slam."

A cover was made and Shannon kicked out at two. Nia grew upset with the referee a bit, arguing about the pace of his count, so she didn't follow up with the attack on Shannon. The fans thought this would make Shannon take advantage of the distraction. Nope. She was continuing to sell for Nia. And Nia took her time getting back to Shannon.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah...Nia put her down. Nia put her down," urged Graves with worry in his voice."

Well, he got his wish, sort of.

"Dear Lord! Nia Jax just Military Pressed Shannon from the ring, over the top rope, and to the floor!" exclaimed Phillips. "And Shannon's no toothpick either! She's about a buck, fifty. The 'Diamond Diva Era' may be coming to a screeching hault tonight. Shannon has _zero_ answers for Nia's power, which is on full display!"

The referee started a count on Shannon, who was on the outside. When he made it to five, Nia slid out the ring, and went after Shannon. Shannon was trying to crawl back towards the skirt of the ring apron and reenter, but Nia Jax intercepted her. She grabbed Shannon by the throat with both hands, and tossed her against the barricade wall. Shannon was bumping her ass off for Nia. She was trying to assist with the learning curve of Nia Jax, whose ring work in comparison to others on the brand, wasn't setting the roof on fire.

When the referree made it to eight, Nia lifted Shannon over her shoulders like a sack of potatoes, then dumped her back inside the ring. She followed inside, and made a cover.

"Lateral press for the challenger, and Orengo leaps down for the count," announced Graves. "1..2...and the champion gets her foot on the ropes to break the count! The outsmarting of Nia Jax comes into play again. That's called ring awareness: knowing where you are at all times. Nia's _failure_ is Shannon's _strength_. Nia never hooked the legs of Shannon Storm. She merely climbed over her chest. Well Nia, you gave Shannon life with your stupidity."

Shannon crawled backwards into a corner, and pulled herself up with the ropes. Then she taunted Nia.

"Is that all you got?" Shannon asked smugly, which actually got some boos from the crowd. That was the whole point. One, she was a heel anyway. Two, for anyone-face or heel-to talk shit to the person who was anihilating you practically all match, was a very asshole move to make. It deserved to get boos.

"You haven't killed me!" Shannon continued. "I _dare_ you to bury me!"

That got the best of Nia, and she came running toward Shannon, growling on the way over.

"Inverted STO by Shannon Storm to Nia Jax!" exclaimed Phillips. "She goes face-first into the middle turnbuckle pad."

"Do it now," Shannon mumbled as she backed away from Nia Jax, rubbing her back as she did so. She bothered the crowd so Nia had time to execute with the main camera no longer in her focus.

"I'm still the champion!" Shannon yelled at the Full Sail audience. They booed again.

When the hard camera returned to Nia, it picked up something on her face. The camera didn't only pick it up. A certain human did too.

Eddie Orengo walked over to Nia, but she pushed him away rather aggressively.

"Hey, I see color," said Paul, who had on his headset. He continued his senior producer duties of NXT, in addition to his responsibilities as Chairman and CEO of the company at large. "Find out what's going on."

"Ed, what's the source of the color?" asked Road Dogg, the junior producer for this match. "Work or shoot?"

"No shoot," said Orengo. "I went to check on her, and she pushed off before saying, 'We know.' "

"Did they share this with you?" Paul asked.

"No Boss," He replied. "They were going through some of their spots, and just kind of did it."

That wasn't true. They didn't "just do it." They discussed it amongst one another, but intentionally left Orengo out of the loop with that detail. When the talent arrived earlier in the day at Full Sail Studios, Shannon and Nia were conversing in general. Nia mentioned to Shannon that she had a deviated ceptum. Nia said she would be getting surgery on it soon because it was effecting her ability to breathe normally and participate in strenuous activity.

Shannon thought about what Nia said, and within minutes she encouraged Nia to use that in their match later on in tonight's show. Nia had no idea how, given professional wrestling was never something she envisioned undertaking, or had a plethora of knowledge in just because she had relatives pursuing it before she did.

Shannon told Nia with a deviated ceptum, it was easier for people with that condition to get nosebleeds. All she had to do was point her finger inside of her nose, and push on it. Shannon informed Nia about the October 16th 1995 episode of Monday Night Raw. World Wrestling Federation Champion Bret "The Hitman" Hart had a feud not only with his younger brother Owen and Shawn Michaels in the early 90s, but also with Jerry "The King" Lawler.

On that episode Bret was squaring off against Jerry Lawler's personal dentist, "Dr. Iaasac Yankem," who would redebut two years later as Kane. The men were competing in a steel cage match; and the stipulation was if Lawler intefered, he would be placed into a solitary cage suspended above the ring.

He interfered, and WWF President Gorilla Monsoon ordered Lawler inside. Vince McMahon, who was also on commentary, continued to play up Lawler's uncomfortability suspended that high up, and even joked that Lawler may get a nosebleed. Because of the deviated ceptum loosening the tissue and cartilage, Lawler didn't need something like weather being too warm to ignite a nosebleed. All he had to do was push on his own nose to get the "nosebleed" the people doing commentary were alluding to.

That's what he did, and that's what Shannon encouraged Nia to do when they hit the STO spot in the corner. Shannon thought it would help Nia out for heat if the audience saw her pushing off assitance from cleaning up the wound. There were plenty of instances in wrestling where getting color and battling through it made someone look fierce.

"Kind of?" Paul asked with anger in his voice, snarling not just because he didn't like being called "Boss," but also because he was uninformed about the act. "What the hell do you mean _kind_ _of_? Either they got the blood hardway, or they didn't. Give Nia another look, and make sure she's alright."

Orengo followed orders of the Chairman, whipping out his latex gloves and looking at Nia, before tapping his headpiece as the ladies continued on with the match.

"Fine H," Orengo replied. "Just one side of the nostril. Doesn't appear to be a heavily deep laceration inside her nose. It's trickling down at a good speed by her lip now. But the drip may slow down, if not dry up on its own, before the match ends."

"Do you want me to tell them to wrap Hunter?" asked Road Dogg. "They don't seem to need a Doc sent out though."

"No, they can finish as planned," Paul revealed to his staff before raising his wrist to look at his watch. "They have a few more minutes anyway. But I'll have a talk with them about this when they get to the back."

Paul was a tad upset because the ladies got blood in their match on their own without his notification. It wasn't that he was afraid of blood, or was one of those people that didn't like seeing it in any match. Quite the opposite actually. Between he and Ric Flair, they shed hundreds of gallons of theirs over the decades.

His concern here though was first and foremost their safety. The nose wasn't the usual spot people did bladejobs on; so if they got color there, it was his hope that _however_ they managed to do it, it was safe. His second issue was that this was supposed to be a simple match. Yes, it was a Takeover special. But the Dusty Classic was supposed to be the more featured lineup of focus here. If this were a Hell in a Cell match, a Last Man Standing match-any match with a more significant stipulation or component-he wouldn't mind color being there. Because blood enhanced those matches.

Elaborate brawls from extended feuds would be another instance in favor of blood, hence Shannon's icecle cut on Becky Lynch, or The Revival's attack on American Alpha weeks ago. He wouldn't want Shannon and Nia to do it here just to do it. It would be a waste. Those were his points, and he wanted to express them to the ladies when they got to the back.

"Not pulling the plug, Ed," said Road Dogg to the referee. "You can proceed to your finish as discussed."

"Not cutting the legs from under them?" Orengo asked rhetorcally, putting his finger at his earpiece. "Roger that."

When Shannon turned around and saw Nia bent over, dangling her wrists across the middle rope, she slowly walked over to her. Then she grabbed Nia by the hair, and yanked her head backwards, examining Nia's face.

"My turn," Shannon mumbled under her breath to Nia.

That was a clever statement to make. That was Shannon's way of telling Nia she needed to sell for her now. Shannon phrasing it as "My turn" was clever because in the event the cameras' microphones picked up the remark, "My turn" could have just been interpreted among the fans as Shannon's turn at unleashing pain. They wouldn't view it as Shannon communicating with Nia about spots.

"Like a shark in the water, Shannon Storm not only smells, but _sees_ blood," began Graves. "And she's introducing her gloved right to Nia Jax's nose. She's T'ing off!"

Shannon punched Nia's nose fifteen times, before intertwining their legs together, and driving her down with a Russian Leg Sweep. Nia didn't raise her arm up, and grab her neck though. She just laid there. Shannon didn't make a fuss about it, remembering years ago one of her first matches at MCW not going well as a result of it. So she just moved on.

"Shannon with her hands on the top rope and standing on the second," began Phillips "...uses them as leverage as she hops off, and stomps the face of Nia Jax. It is as though she doesn't want to beat Nia Jax, but _disfigure_ her."

Shannon went to the corner of the ring, and hopped on the second rope. This time she didn't stomp Nia's face, but delivered a knee drop on it. Shannon smirked when she looked at her glove, which had some of Nia's blood on her from when she punched her earlier on. She smeared it across her chest. That was becoming a habit of hers when color came in a match. She did it when Asuka busted her bottom lip last spring in Japan.

"Disfiguring Nia is how she will beat Nia, you idiot!" yelled Graves. "She's shattered Nia's nose. If Nia can't breathe from her nose, she'll have to breathe from her mouth. She'll exert more effort reallocating her breathing, and will kickout of Shannon's manuevers either less often; or if Nia continues to kick out often, she'll go a lot slower, trying."

Shannon wrapped her arms around Nia for a headlock. Nia was flat on her back, while Shannon was behind her on one knee. Every ten seconds or so, Shannon would lower her wrist so the bone of her forearm would grind at Nia's nose. They continued to work it for a minute-and-a-half before Shannon's arm slid down further for a chinlock. Just like Shannon worked her forearm into Nia's nose, every ten seconds from being in the chinlock position, Shannon would lower her arm to the throat of Nia. When Orengo spotted the blatant choke, she quickly moved back up to the headlock.

"Nia Jax is trying to sit up now," Phillips started. "...And she does...she's up...thrusts her backside into Shannon's abdomen...a second time now, and grabs hold of the NXT Women's Champion...whips her into the ropes...throws a lariat, but Shannon ducks the clothesline, and gets a Swinging Neckbreaker on Nia Jax!"

"Cover made!" yelled Graves. "1...2...and Nia Jax kicks out! But do you see what I mean Tom? Nia didn't send Shannon to Mars halfway across the ring like she did before."

After the kickout, Nia Jax rolled away, and grabbed her neck. That's what Shannon was hoping for earlier on when she delivered the Russian Leg Sweep.

"Sorry about before," Nia mumbled to Shannon, who was about eight inches away, but could hear her. "I got it now."

"It's okay," Shannon mumbled in regards to Nia forgetting to sell. "I figured if I go to the neck again, you'd respond. You did, so we're good."

Shannon rolled Nia on her stomach, and threw her left elbow at her neck three times before stitching in the surfboard submission.

"Aaaah," screamed Nia as Shannon planted her right knee into Nia's back, and pulled her wrists.

"I would really love to see Nia Jax submit," said Graves. "I'd take a pinfall victory for Storm too, but boy, how ironic would it be for the woman who vowed to _destroy_ Shannon Storm, vowed to make Shannon 'respect her name' is the one who surrenders? Bobby Roode would probably describe it as a _glorious_ moment."

Nia screamed louder as Shannon lifted her opposite leg, and planted her left boot into Nia's neck, while her right knee remained at Nia's back. This went on for about forty five seconds before Nia tilted her upper body forward, and Shannon flipped herself over, landing on her back. Nia collapsed backward.

Eddie Orengo began a double count on the women. "Go home ladies," he said when he crouched down in the center of both of them, when he made it midway through the count.

Shannon started making movement at seven. When she got up, she took some stutter steps, remembering the onslaught her back took from Nia. Eventually, she made it to one corner of the ring. Nia started moving at nine, and Orengo's count ended. When he turned his focus to Shannon, Orengo noticed Shannon removed the top turnbuckle pad. And he confronted her about it.

"It slipped," Shannon retorted. "Ring crew didn't tie it tight enough. When I pulled up for balance, it fell off."

"I am not buying that, and I don't think Eddie Orengo buys it either Shannon Storm," said Phillips in irritation.

"This is your first and _only_ warning!" Orengo snapped at Shannon. Then he bent down to pick up the pad, and headed over to the ring post to reassemble it.

While he turned away from her, Shannon exited the ring, walked over to Eden, grabbed her championship, and reentered the ring.

"Shannon's got the title!" screamed Phillips. "Shannon's got the title! I'll be damned if she didn't try to nail Becky Lynch at the start of their match during her title defense last month. Becky evaded it with a spear. She's gonna' get Nia Jax with it here...no! Nia too, saw it coming, and snatches it away from Storm!"

"Hey, hey, what are you doing with the championship?" asked Orengo when he saw it in Nia Jax's hands. Nia tried to explain that Shannon had it, and was going to hit her with it. Just like he didn't believe Shannon's story of the turnbuckle pad "slipping," he didn't believe Nia's story that Shannon had the title, and Nia didn't just get it for herself. Remember, they both were heels. For all he knew, they both lied. And that's how he treated it.

When he took the title out of Nia's hands and gestured for Eden to take it back until the match was over, Shannon rolled out from the opposite side of the ring. She grabbed a black steel chair, and drilled Nia with it as quickly as she could. Shannon kicked it out of the ring with her feet before pouncing for the cover.

"Look who's getting decimated now!" yelled Graves, who along with Phillips, heard the loud crack. The crowd erupted at the noise.

 _Hell yeah, girl! That's how you angle your head for me to get you on a sweet spot if you don't want to put your hands up. I'll protect you. But holy fuck was I absolutely swinging for the fences or what? Love that smacking sound! I bet it projected great on the live stream._

"Shannon with the pin!" Exclaimed Phillips. "And Orengo never saw the chair come into play. 1,2,3!"

"Here is your winner and _**still**_ NXT Women's Champion, the 'Diamond Diva,' Shannon Storm!" announced Eden Stiles, who reapproached the ring, and once again exchanged the title with Orengo. Shannon was on her knees, and hugged the championship closely like a child, as her music played.

It wasn't Shannon's best match, but she got a decent one out of Nia. They accomplished making Nia look strong, with woman-handling Shannon, and Shannon not landing any of her signature or finishing manuevers. At the same time, Shannon didn't look terrible: It was not a two-minute squash match. Fans may have bitched online about the win not coming clean, but these were two heels competing. It was to be expected from at least one of them to do something underhanded. Shannon had clean wins in her, but it wasn't booked for there to be one today.

"Honestly, I don't have too many nice things to say about any of these women," noted Phillips, putting both women over as villains. "But at least one time I'll say, Nia Jax got a raw deal here. If the ref saw the replay-"

"The ref, the crowd, and _you_ can check out the replay all you want, but it's irrelevant!" shouted Graves. "We have the technology of instant replay, but this is not the MLB, NFL, or the NBA. Instant replay is _not_ a factor in reversing decisions in the WWE."

"Then why, oh why, do we even have instant replay then Corey?" asked Phillips in confusion. "Just to say we have it? For _archival_ purposes?"

"Look Tom, a win is a win. How many times have I told you that?" Graves asked in irritation. "It's the _referee's_ call. And what he called was the 1-2-3 for NXT Women's Champion Shannon Storm! Nia Jax will be going home with a banged up nose, and probably a concussion, courtesy of the 'Diamond Diva,' who went Hank Aaron on her head!"

* * *

 **Thirty Five Seconds later**

 **"If ya smellllllllllllllll...**

 **what The Rock...**

i **s** **cooking**."

Dwayne Johnson's theme started. The crowd roared. Shannon heard the music, but her back was turned to the stage. She stared at the crowd with her back still to the stage, and eased her way up from her knees, shaking her head at them.

"No, no, it's in your mind," said Shannon to the audience after removing her mouth guard and clipping it behind her ear. "He's not coming. He's not here. The WWE is just playing with your mind!"

But he was there, and she knew. Paul called him, and asked for a favor, since one of his relatives was in a title match. He took a red eye from England on the set of a movie just for this segment. It wasn't like he didn't have other things lined up, and was just twiddling his thumbs together in boredom. If Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was the "hardest working man in show business," then Paul would be the "hardest working man in professional wrestling."

There was a time when there was a perceived sense of tension among fans and members of the locker room between the two men. They've both admitted to it to a degree. But that perceived negative energy was long gone. If willing, Paul was the type of man to squash heat altogether, or get clarity on it quickly.

"Badass" Billy Gunn and the "Road Dogg" Jesse James were great examples. Those two did several shoot interviews about Paul while away from the WWE, doing stints in TNA as well as independent promotions. Both Road Dogg and Billy were severely innebriated when producing the shoot videos; and many of the comments were stated from a place of envy and bitterness. Several years later, they apologized for the accusations, reconciled, and once again became not only a part of the WWE family; but a part of his core team cultivating talent.

However, there were people like Bret Hart, Bill Goldberg, and Scott Steiner that remained bitter. And in the grand scheme of things, _professional_ jealousy, not _personal_ jealousy, were two entirely different animals.

Professional jealousy was good for business. It ignited competition. And competition more times than not, brought out the best in people. Stars of the Attitude Era did it on a regular basis: from matches to promos to merchandise. Motivation to succeed. Pushing your locker room brothers and sisters to be better, and bring out the best in each other on a regular basis for the crowd. That's what it was about. Great feuds could make or break top stars. They needed good foils to help each other both get over, and _stay over_ in their respective "good or bad guy" role. Ric Flair had Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, and Sting. Hulk Hogan had Andre "The Giant," The Iron Shiek, Sergeant Slaughter, and a host of others. Triple H had "The Rock" and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Paul and Dwayne were friends. For those fans who believed there ever was or still existed, some elaborate, twenty-year, lethal, mutual-loathing, they were simply getting worked by Dwayne and Paul's ability to portray the television rivalry with their personas so well. Fans were blurring fantasy and reality if they were still clinging to that notion. They enjoyed working together when they did, and to this day, still wished each other praise and good luck for their continued success.

And contrary to belief, they were close _long_ before Dwayne's succession of Wrestlemania appearances since 2011. If you didn't believe it, just go back and watch their interaction in the exclusive DVD footage from the Global Warning Tour in Australia from 2002. That summer was one of "The Rock's" last international tours as a full-time wrestler. When all the fans were giving him flack for "turning his back on the company," Paul didn't. He took it for what it was. He didn't sell out arenas by himself. Chris Jericho helped. The Hardy Boyz helped. The Undertaker helped. The Dudley Boyz helped. Kurt Angle helped. Edge and Christian helped. Kane helped. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin helped. And "The Rock" helped. If Dwayne wanted to leave and explore other opportunities that he already wanted to pursue-because he _always_ envisioned having fame in both wrestling and Hollywood-then so be it. He _earned_ that right.

" 'The Rock' is here! The People's Champion is here!" exclaimed Phillips.

The entrance music playing was the track with the electric guitar extension and drum solo midway through that he returned to for Summerslam 2001. He returned to that Pay-Per-View after filming _The_ _Scorpion_ _King_ to face Booker T for the WCW Heavyweight Championship. After twenty seconds of his music playing and highlights from his titan tron appearing, Dwayne appeared on the NXT stage at Full Sail University. He jogged in place as he felt the electricity from the NXT Universe. It was Orlando, not Miami. But it didn't matter. It was Florida. Dwayne was not going to get booed there. The crowd grew louder and louder as he made his way down the ramp. When he approached the ring, Shannon got up and slowly turned around as the audience wouldn't calm down.

Dwayne came down the aisle, and walked up the steel steps. He continued to walk to the furthest side of the apron, and climbed upon the ropes to do his signature pose, raising his closed fist high. His eyes were closed and as per usual, he "smelled" what his fans were cooking. His music continued as he entered the ring, and walked directly past Shannon, repeating his signature pose in the diagonal corner.

Once he hopped down, he pounded his chest with the same right fist he raised earlier for his pose. He was wearing a white Under Armour muscle shirt with a green and orange color scheme on the Brahma Bull in the center. It played homage to his college Alma Mater: the University of Miami. He had on some navy blue slacks, and Vans sneakers.

Eden slid a microphone in the ring. He reached down to pick it up, and struck his right hand under his chin three times to alert the production crew to suspend his music. They did. For several minutes, the Full Sail crowd yelled, "Rocky, Rocky, Rocky, Rocky," repeatedly. Eventually, he cut them off to speak to Shannon.

"Excuse 'The Rock,' just one second," he said to Shannon holding his left hand at her, while his right hand remained tight, holding the microphone. "Just one second, and I will get to you in a minute. There's just something I've gotta' do first."

Dwayne squatted down, cleared his throat, and flexed his arm before saying,

" ** _Finally_** , 'The Rock' has come _back_ to Or..lan...do!"

He paused for five seconds.

" **Finally** , 'The Rock' has come _back_ to the WWE-via NXT."

He paused again, this time for twelve seconds.

"Which means, **finally** , 'The Rock' has come back... ** _home_**!"

The fans cheered and whistled. He went on.

"Now before any of the millions…"

" _And_ _the_ _millions_ ," the audience finished for him.

"Of 'The Rock's' fans start chanting, 'You still got it, You still got it,' trust me when I say this: Still? Nut-uh! 'The Rock' _always_ had it!" He added.

The fans laughed through their cheers.

"Now, getting back to you," Dwayne said, turning his attention to Shannon as he removed his sunglasses, and folded them against his shirt. "It would be idly rude of me to come down here and do my thing, interacting with the WWE Universe: entertaining the fans, without introducing myself to you. After all, this is my first time here at NXT in the flesh. And it's totally possible that you don't know who I am."

The fans were totally into it, and allowed him to go on.

"I mean," he paused with a grin. " _Totally_ plausible. Totally possible that my face rings no bells for you."

 _Bullshit. Who doesn't know who you are?_

"So, in the event that's the case...I am the **jabroni-beatin** ', **pie-eatin** ', **trailblazin** ', **eyebrow-raisin** ', 'People's Champ,' 'The Rock' !" He screamed.

 _Look at his inner mark for 'The Nature Boy' coming out. I see you Rock. I remember your little homage to Flair's 'Jet-flying, limousine-riding, kiss-stealing, wheeling, dealing, son of a gun,' spiel. I see you man. Nicely done._

"Now, what is your name?" Dwayne asked, and the fans held their breath, hoping Shannon would take his bait.

"I'm Sh-" She did-as expected-and he naturally cut her off.

"It doesn't matter what your name is!" Dwyane screamed at Shannon to the audience's pleasure. " 'The Rock' knows who you are. Shannon Storm, yeah. The NXT Women's Champion-"

"That's right," Shannon mumbled to him, patting the championship against her shoulder.

"The woman who looks like a vertically-challenged Halle Berry from an X-Men movie, minus the superpowers, and lofty paycheck," Dwayne continued, and the crowd laughed. Shannon had to lick her lips to avoid laughing herself. She knew he could be funny, but didn't expect to hear him compare her to a character from the Marvel Universe.

"Your gear's all cute. I see it's matching and everything. But uh, shouldn't you be at the Comi-Con in San Diego instead of in a WWE ring?" He questioned, and he chuckled along with the crowd for a second. "You know what? Don't answer that. Don't answer that. There's a more pressing matter on 'The Rock's' mind. See, 'The Rock' was in the back checking out the show, and you had a fine match. And to all of the other cats who performed earlier, you had damn good ones too if 'The Rock's' completely honest. I'm sure the others on deck will be nothing short of great."

He paused, milking the moment, as he had the fans calm following laughing at his jokes.

"But the _only_ reason, you're still holding that championship is because you had to nail Nia Jax in the skull to _keep_ it," Dwayne said to Shannon, now walking directly in her face, and looking down at her quite pissed. "Your ass was handed to you! The People know it. 'The Rock' knows it. And _you_ know it!"

"I beg to differ," Shannon said back to him. She didn't have a microphone, but projected her voice, hoping it picked up over his. "Nia wasn't good enough! She didn't measure up."

"So I'll tell you what," Dwayne began with a proposal. "While the refs continue to check out my cousin and make sure she's straight; you have exactly 10 seconds to leave the ring, so I can go over to her, and offer my words of encouragement."

Shannon frowned at Dwayne. She didn't move. She knew he was here, and would do a post-match segement. But nothing about it was written. She passed the test with Austin at a live event two weeks ago. So she was going to go with the flow here too.

He started to count.

"1, 2, 10!" Dwayne said.

Shannon contorted her lips in confusion. Before she knew it, he dropped the microphone, draped his arm across her chest, and drilled her with The Rock Bottom.

The crowd rose in excitement with cheers as the title slipped out of her hands, and landed several feet across in the ring. They loved how he didn't actually do a full count to ten, and just dropped her three seconds in. They popped hard for that moment.

"People's Elbow, People's Elbow, People's Elbow," the audience shouted seconds later, with claps in between. And who was 'The Rock' to deny _the_ _people_?

He stretched his legs across Shannon's body, and bent his arm to the crowd's delight. But there was one problem. He had no elbow pads. His cousin, Nia Jax, who made it to her feet following his arrival, pointed to Shannon's gloves.

Dwayne nodded, and removed a glove from her left hand. He attempted to put it on. It was quite comical because the moment he attempted to put his hand through Shannon's glove, the material broke, busting instantly.

"Well fuck," Dwayne said with a smile. He wasn't holding the microphone. It was still on the ring canvas; but the mics on the camera picked up the sound. "It doesn't fit. Ahh well."

He tossed the fabric which no longer resembled a glove over the ring ropes and into the crowd, crossed his arms, hit the ropes, jumped over Shannon, and delivered a People's Elbow.

"One more time, one more time, one more time!" The audience stressed.

Dwayne nodded, but held up a finger to the audience, letting them know he had a plan. He raised his arm and pointed at Nia, gesturing for her to drop the elbow on Shannon. She didn't have an elbow pad either.

"Take that shit off," said Dwayne, pointing at Shannon's other glove. Nia complied and with Shannon's other glove, tossed it to the crowd, then delivered the move. Remember though, she was a villian. She teased dropping and elbow, but ended up giving Shannon a thunderous leg drop instead.

 _Good job Nia. I wasn't expecting that, but my upper chest definitely felt it. Way to deny the crowd of **exactly** what they wanted. That's what us heels do._

Dwayne's music hit once more. He embraced his cousin with a hug and kiss to her forehead, before returning to the turnbuckles to pose again as their segment officially ended.

 _Gotta' love live TV. I bet this will be the most streamed part of a Takeover show on the Network for a while._

When Shannon made it backstage again, Paul first pulled she and Nia aside to have the chat about the blood from earlier. Then Shannon and Paul returned to Dwayne. He gave her his thoughts about both the match, and her experience working with him in the segment. Dwayne then brought up seeing a tweet from Shannon talking with Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps. It was a week after she won the NXT Women's title at Takeover: Respect. She asked Phelps if she could be one of the faces of Under Armour since he retired from swimming. Dwayne asked her if she was serious about that, or if she was just joking. Phelps too, wasn't sure if she was for real.

Shannon told Dwayne it was a bit of both. However, there were some legalities that were in the way. The WWE had already made a huge investment in the athletic apparel company TapOuT, and a few superstars including John Cena, Kofi Kingston, and Roman Reigns were featured in many commercials during WWE programming advertising it. There was also the issue of Ronda Rousey signing a merchandise deal with Adidas during her run in the company, and her departure not ending on a smooth note. It made the WWE look bad. And it gave Under Armour a reasonable reservation for wanting to move forward with any potential project with the WWE, given not only that they were a direct competitor to TapOuT, Adidas, and Nike; but they over the past few years had become the undisputed leader in performance athletic apparel.

Their exposure was increasing and Under Armour was signing more endorsement deals with premiere athletes such as five-time NFL Superbowl Champion Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, NBA Champion and MVP Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, and PGA Tour winner Jordan Spieth.

But there were also some advantages on the WWE's side. Several wrestlers wore Under Armour products. Paul wore their Boxerjock underwear. He even sported it when tweeting a picture of his second degree burns all across his abdominals and obliques from the dry ice during his Wrestlemania 29 entrance. Booker T wore their jackets. Rey Mysterio had been wearing their gloves since 2007. And Dwayne was the first professional wrestler-turned global entertainer to launch his own line within the brand in January of 2016. This was a few months after the WWE saved the plummeting TapOuT brand who was falling behind the other leading apparel companies.

There was also the plus of Shannon actually being from the hometown of Under Armour's global headquarters in Baltimore. She could be the first female professional wrestler to get an exclusive line in the brand. Dwayne told Paul he would offer help in whatever way he could-be it as an advocate, promoting, or speaking to CEO Kevin Plank himself-to get things rolling to make this possibility a reality if Shannon and Paul really wanted it. Dwayne had the influence: the respect from "the boys" in the wrestling world, mainstream popularity among Hollywood, as well as other traditional athletes.

Paul and Shannon thought it over, and accepted Dwayne's off-the-cuff offer. Contracts weren't signed. Nothing was official. They just took him at his word. If all Dwayne got for Shannon was a meeting, to be honest, that was plenty. Sometimes all you needed was a first move. The WWE machine had more than enough lawyers and other corporate figureheads on staff to negotiate. If doing something with Under Armour meant expanding the brand's viewership, or getting the opportunity to get one of their talents to become "the first" at something, why would they not jump on it? It would be a smart business move for the company, and generate good publicity too.

Following Shannon's match and the aftermath with Nia and Dwayne, a camera was shown in the trainers room. The door was unlocked and NXT interviewer, JoJo, ran in.

"Excuse me gentlemen, I'd like to get a word," She said.

"Get out of here!" yelled Dash Wilder of the The Revival.

"Leave!" His partner, Scott Dawson, shared the same sentiment.

"I'm just trying to do my job," JoJo said in defense of herself. "The NXT Universe wants answers. We all saw what happened out there. Are you still going to compete?"

"Of course we are," Wilder quickly snapped.

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Dawson.

"I see the trainers taping you up," she responded and her camera crew zoomed in on the trainers applying it to The Revival. "That can't be a good sign."

Wilder hopped off the examining table. " _Watch_ _us_ show the world the difference between 'The Top Guys' versus 'all the other guys.' "

Dawson, joined Wilder to make his leave from the trainers' room. As he approached the door, he leaned forward to kiss JoJo's cheek, but she turned her face away. "Your loss!" He yelled at her.

The next match was Shinsuke Nakamura versus Samoa Joe for the NXT Heavyweight Championship. The match went about twenty two minutes. In the closing moments, Samoa Joe had Nakamura in the Coquina Clutch, but transitioned to his back to further stitch the submission in. Eventually Joe saw Nakamura's hand tapping the canvas, but "The Rising Sun," Nakamura's entrance music, started to play. He let Nakamura go, and raised his own hand up in victory. But the referee placed the championship across the waist of a dazed Nakamura. Joe was confused. The referee tucked his body through the middle ropes, and leaned over Eden for an explanation.

"Per the word of NXT official Drake Wuertz refereeing this match, Shinsuke Nakamora tapped out to the Coquina Clutch," announced Eden.

"Damn right he did!" Joe yelled across to Eden. "Gimme my title!"

" _However_ at the exact moment of Nakamura tapping," she continued. "Samoa Joe's shoulders were down, and a three count was made. Therefore, by default, the winner of this contest and **STILL** your NXT Heavyweight Champion, 'The King of Strong Style,' Shinsuke Nakamora!"

The crowd cheered as "The Rising Sun" resumed, and Samoa Joe was pissed. He spat at Nakamura, gave him a Muscle Buster on top of the NXT Heavyweight Championship, and pushed the stairs on his exit.

 **"American Dream!**

 **He's just a common man,**

 **working hard with his hands..."**

Dustin Runnels and Cody Rhodes came to the ring with the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Tournament trophy as their father's "Common Man Boogie" theme played. The names of the winners from 2015 and 2016 were on four sets of nameplates. Two more would be added today. The two sons of the late Dusty Rhodes were in suits, not their makeup and ring attire from their Golddust and Stardust gimmicks. They sat the trophy to the floor of the commentary table. There were two seats next to Eden's near the commentary desk. They were going to sit there to watch the match.

"The following contest is your main event of the evening!" She yelled and the crowd roared. "And it is the tournament final of the Dusty Rhodes Classic!"

The team of Apollo Crews and Cedric Alexander defeated The Revival. It was not an upset, but actually a competitive contest. The babyface Crews and Alexander did as much as they could avoiding the obvious troubled shoulder and upper arm area of Dawson and Wilder. Corey Graves berated them on commentary for not taking advantage of the obvious taped-up bullesyes. But they were persistent about wanting to show sportmanship, not taking advantage of a situation that favored them.

However after thirty two minutes, all bets were off. The Revival delivered Shatter Machine to Cedric Alexander early on in the match, and he barely made it in the ring to avoid the ten count. The Revival delivered Shatter Machine to Apollo Crews much later in the match. But because Cedric was selling the impact of receiving it on the outside, he was very slow for the save for his partner, and broke up the count after a very long two-and-seven eighths. It was then where the men realized, they were seconds away from losing to The Revival, who were at fifty percent. Crews and Alexander made it all the way to the finals. They had to put morality on the backburner for a moment if they wanted to obtain tangible success.

Cedric hit a slew of his 540 "Kick To Kill" strikes to Scott Dawson's shoulders before dropping him for a devastating brainbuster. Then he tagged in Apollo Crews who executed his standing moonsault, landing intentionally on the arms of Dawson, using his body weight to block Dawson's ability to push up. Simultaneously, Crews hooked his legs to maximize preventing the legal man to deny them from obtaining what they felt was their destiny. Dash Wilder attempted to enter the ring, but Cedric took him out with a running plancha from the middle rope out to the floor.

Eden, Cody, and Dustin presented Crews and Alexander the trophy, and the fans were really welcoming to it. Both men needed and received a big win. The Revival put up a valiant effort, but they had unfinished business with American Alpha. And given the hurting the Authors of Pain put on them earlier in the night, perhaps another chapter to the story was to be written.


	36. Chapter Thirty Six: Switching It Up

**October 6th, 2017**

 **iWireless Center in Davenport, Iowa**

 **Main Event**

Sarita López was walking outside the arena with her luggage. Eventually she made to the building and once again came in contact with a familiar face, who saw her through the transparent door and opened it for her. She entered.

"Nice pick-up last week," said Roman Reigns to Sarita as he began walking alongside her once inside. He pivoted a few inches away to her side just in time before she rolled over his ankles with her gear. He was praising her for the victory over Carmella. "I told you things would work out if you let me come out there and have your back."

"You were right," Sarita with a smile. "I'm sure you'll handle business tonight with Rusev one-on one."

"Oh, you can believe that!" He exclaimed. "You know if you rack up enough wins, maybe you can get yourself in the Divas Title picture again. Another championship would look great on you."

"Shouldn't you be thinking the same thing about yourself Romie?" She asked.

" _Romie_?" He quickly asked back with a chuckle.

"Or would you prefer Mr. Reigns?" Sarita said with a grin.

"No, Romie will work for you," he reassured her. "It's cute when a beautiful woman says it to me."

"Thank you," she replied.

"You're welcome," he responded with a nod. "As for me getting a title? I'm 'The Guy.' So I'm not worried about it. It's only a matter of time before I get my hands on one."

"This is your empire huh?" Sarita asked with wit.

"You know it," he responded with another nod.

"Good luck tonight," She said yelling back at him while taking off. He waited a few seconds she was away from him before he mumbled off something.

"Sad to see you go, but I enjoy watching you leave," he muttered while rubbing his goatee.

* * *

 **Later on in the show**

Tyler was shown backstage sitting in a customized chair with his nickname on it, while the makeup crew was working on him. The chair was very similar to one of the Mahogany brown chairs that directors would sit on at a movie set while instructing their cast and crew. The only major difference here was that Tyler's chair had "Prince Pretty" on the back where the word "Director" would be. Additionally, the arms of the chair had the word "Cuteville" written on them, bedazzled in vibrant colors and cursive fonts.

"Ew!" shouted Tyler.

"Something wrong Mr. Breeze?" asked one of the makeup artists. "We're nearly done powdering your face."

"Something _is_ wrong," he replied with a pout, and one of the camera angles showed Tyson Kidd in his view while looking through the large mirror. "I see mediocrity in my peripheral vision, and it's a hideous sight!"

Tyler did not leave his special seat. Doing so would have been predictable. To keep the pretentious vibe up, Paul suggested he remain in the chair getting worked on as he engaged with Kidd in their conversation.

"FACT: As unique as NXT is now, its notoriety didn't take off until people like myself, Natalya, and Antonio Cessaro made appearances on the brand," shouted Tyson Kidd, to a seemingly uninterested Tyler.

"FACT: At NXT Takeover: Fatal Four Way, myself, Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, and _you_ tore the house down in the main event," Kidd continued, and Tyler still didn't turn to exit his chair.

"FACT: Now that you're here, you know I can push you to your limit," said Kidd before glancing at at some of the items on the makeup artists' table, which in addition to literal makeup were Tyler's selfie stick, fragrance, and United States Championship. "Especially for _that_ ," he added, pointing to the title.

Tyler briefly had a scowl on his face, before licking his lips and beginning to speak.

"Since you weren't blessed with 'the gift of gorgeous,' and bored me in the process during your little interruption, allow me to spew some facts of my own."

Kidd didn't say anything. He just stared at Tyler through the mirror, who inevitably went on.

"FACT: You've proclaimed yourself to be the 'Crown Prince of the WWE' from the very beginning during your debut in the Hart Dynasty faction. But no one else seemed to think so."

The arena audience started to boo, who were looking on at the segment through the large titan tron screens.

"FACT: You've called yourself 'a workhouse' for this company, and yet eight years here, you've been rewarded with very little accolades to support that assertion. Meanwhile, on my very first main roster Pay-Per-View, I obtain tangible success without assistance."

More boos came in as Tyler talked down a well-respected, likable, fan-favorite in Tyson Kidd.

That was true. Tyler did beat a projected major star in Roman Reigns. And it was a clean pinfall victory. Tyler didn't cheat for the 1-2-3 at Summerslam, or during Roman's rematch for the championship on the Monday Night Raw that followed.

"FACT: When your wife escorted you to the ring for your matches at NXT, she was thinking about me _the_ _entire_ _time_. And in singles matches you and I have been in, she wished it was _her_ , not you, who's shoulders I was pinning down to the mat."

Now that was just Tyler being a dick in character, and the heat he got from the crowd was well received. There was no real bad blood between Natalya, Kidd, and himself.

"All done Mr. Breeze," said the makeup artist, after another one combed Tyler's eyebrows with a miniature comb. A third sprayed him with some of the _Gorgeous_ fragrance.

"Muah!" Tyler exclaimed, puckering his lips and gesturing to kiss himself through the mirror. He then stood up from his seat, grabbed his selfie stick, championship, and hurried by a seemingly angry Tyson Kidd, who especially was irked by Tyler's last comment.

"I'm not sure what the implications are here JBL," began commentator Byron Saxton. "Say what you want about a man's career, but his wife should be off-limits."

"So the truth is off-limits?" questioned JBL. "Tyler Breeze has had more success in two months than Tyson Kidd has had in eight years. The man is attractive. And Natalya probably does secretly think about him instead of the husband she _settled_ for."

Tyler told Shannon two weeks ago that he and Kidd were paired for some house shows. Arn Anderson, who was one of the main roster agents, reported good feedback to Paul regarding the work the two men put together. Because of the high praise, he rewarded Tyler and Kidd the opportunity to put it to use with a televised feud.

Some people would have complained about the placement and preferred to see this angle kicked off on a main program such as Monday Night Raw, Thursday on Smackdown!, or on a Sunday a Pay-Per-View took place. While Paul could understand that position, he also had a digital network that needed content. Like many over-the-air television channels, the WWE Network had subscribers with their own niche base. Some fans subscribed for WWE Classics. Others subscribed to get the current main-roster Pay-Per-Views for free. Some fans solely liked the original programming. Some wanted NXT.

Everyone who had a WWE Network subscription had their reasons. But there were also other current product wrestling shows like Main Event, Superstars, and 205 Live that aired on the network. He needed a reason to keep viewers watching those as well. So in his view, with the expansion of the network, and the addition of the secondary title on NXT, which was the Cruiserweight Championship, it gave him the opportunity to essentially "spread the load" with how other angles were presented with members of the roster on the two primary brands. That's what he was doing here.

* * *

 **10:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time**

Shannon was tagged in a tweet through the social media team of the WWE about a recent event. She didn't reply to it, or retweet it, but read it.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtWWE** :

"Fans, did you watch #NXTTakeoverFight on the **AtWWENetwork** last night? If not, you should. Catch the replay on demand AVAILABLE NOW to see **AtTheRock** layeth the #Smackdown on the 'Diamond Diva', **AtSStormWWE**! Did she walk away still champion? Or did **AtNiaJaxWWE** ascend to greatness?"

Dwayne retweeted the WWE's tweet, and then responded himself. He too, tagged Shannon and his cousin in the tweet.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtTheRock** :

"Had a blast **AtWWE** with the **AtNXTUniverse**. No disrespect to **AtSStormWWE** , but ya' just don't mess with family. Especially MY family. I take it personal. Very personal. Big cuz will always be there for you **AtNiaJaxWWE**. ALWAYS."

A fan retweeted the WWE's tweet, Dwayne's next, and then posted one of their own tagging Shannon in it. Apparently, they were "disappointed."

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtOneOnOneWithTheGreatOne** :

" **AtSStormWWE** : "I really, really hate you."

She replied.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Sorry for not being sorry that you feel that way **AtOneOnOneWithTheGreatOne**. I don't hate you. I'm just not incredibly interested in your existence."

* * *

 **Saturday, October 8th, 2017**

The main roster had a live event in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Kevin Owens cashed in his "Money In The Bank" Briefcase at the house show to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. That never happened before. Some Superstars cashed in advance for an upcoming Pay-Per-View like WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam did against John Cena at One Night Stand 2006. Other Superstars cashed in right after a competitive match. Examples of those included WWE Hall of Famer Edge against John Cena at New Year's Revolution 2006; another was Seth Rollins who joined Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 31 to capture the title. But never had it happened at a house show. Until now.

It took nothing away from AJ Styles, who was still well-liked in the company, and remained a top star. The company just decided to pull the trigger on Owens' cash in. AJ had a reputation for having great matches with anyone. Owens was in that conversation as well in some fans' opinions. They definitely put on a fun one.

The main event of this live event saw Natalya defeat Paige in a singles match to win the Divas Championship. Dana Brooke intefered, and cost Paige the match. They were continuing their brewing feud from television through the live events. Now that the title was off Paige, she and Dana could finally work a singles program after teasing it for nearly two months.

Meanwhile, NXT had a house show in Chicago, Illinois the same day. Shannon lost a singles match to Cheerleader Melissa via pinfall. Once revived, she put Cheerleader Melissa's celebration to an end...in a rather smarky way. A fan in Chicago who attended the event tweeted about it, and tagged her in it.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtChicagoCoolCat** :

(1) "So after **AtSStormWWE** lost to **AtWickedSplit** , she attacks her from behind, and takes her down in a sleeper hold, leaving her in the ring. Storm then leaves, walks right over to a fan in the crowd wearing a **AtCMPunk** shirt, and yells, 'That's the _real_ GTS, punk!' Of course, most fans booed and hated it. I loved it though."

The fan had more to say so sent out another tweet.

(2) " **AtSStormWWE** reminds me of **AtFightOwensFight** in ways. Solid in the ring and on the mic, and you know they're heels. But man, sometimes, they're so funny, that it's hard to hate them. I can't wait 'til she gets called up to the MR."

Shannon saw the tweet, and responded to the fan with a song lyric, humbled by his assessment. Being in the same sentence as Kevin Owens was a compliment in her view.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "If you are what you say you are-a superstar-then have no fear. The camera's here. And the microphones, and they wanna' know, oh, oh, oh, yeah! If you are what you say you are-a superstar-then have no fear. The crowd is here. And the lights are on. And they want a show,' **AtChicagoCoolCat**. #NXTChicago"

Those were lyrics from Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco, featuring singer Matthew Santos on vocals for the excerpt Shannon quoted. The name of the track was called "Superstar."

Then she posted her own tweet tagging a Superstar on the main roster.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "That's how you get AUTHENTIC heat **AtRyback22**. Didn't need to steal his entrance. I'm original. ;)"

That was Shannon poking fun at Ryback, who a few years ago took a jab at former WWE Champion CM Punk by performing his entrance. Punk, when entering an arena, would pose on a single knee, shout 'It's clobbering time,' and pretend to punch the hard camera, just as he turned his back to the fans to show off his "Best In The World" shirt from WWEShop dot com. Punk called Ryback out on numerous instances for being unsafe to work with. And that was Ryback's way of saying "Screw you."

Shannon was not involved in their beef, but was just being her smart, snarky self. She knew Chicago was "Punk Country," whether he was in the company or not. And because she was a heel, she was confident in her ability to be unique and creative enough to address it accordingly. If Punk decided to be smug with her and take the gesture too seriously, when she had no intent on starting a war, so be it.

* * *

 **Monday, October 10th, 2017**

 **Orlando, Florida**

 **10:00 AM**

Shannon was awake, dressed, and on her way to the Performance Center. She grabbed her keys and purse with one hand, and the door knob with the other. Then her phone rang. She wasn't in a hurry with anything of dire importance today, so let go of the door knob, and took the call inside. She didn't know the phone number as it was not saved in her contacts previously. However, she recognized the 410 area code. It was one of five from her home state of Maryland. Did her mother get a new cellphone number, and called to tell her about it? Was it another relative? Was it an old friend from high school?

"Hello," said Shannon, answering the call instead of wrecking her brain speculating.

"Good morning, is Shannon available?" asked the caller, who had a male voice.

"Speaking," answered Shannon. "May I ask who's calling?"

"Absolutely," he replied. "This is Kevin Plank, Chief Executive Officer of Under Armour."

 _WHAT THE FUCK? AAAAAAH!_

"Hello again Mr. Plank," said Shannon, who tried to contain herself, diguising her astonishment. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm just fine thank you," He said. "I hope you're doing okay as well."

"I am, thanks," She replied, clinching the phone tighter with her right hand.

"I received your number from Dwayne Johnson, who had quite a bit of nice things to say about you," said Kevin. "He even brought it to my attention that you've had a few exchanges on social media with members of the UA family."

 _Rocky gave him my number!_

"Yes sir, that's true," Shannon admitted. "A couple of months ago, I tweeted Michael Phelps about joining the team, and he playfully mentioned letting me take over the reigns since he's retired from the pool. I believe I actually phrased it as 'trading in the flippers for fatherhood.' "

Kevin chuckled.

"That's funny, a good one," He remarked. "After talking to Dwayne, I called Mike, who told me you were a local kid."

"That's true, that's true," said Shannon with a smile. "I didn't stay home for college, like you did. Neither did Michael, who went to Michigan. But yes, I am a Maryland girl, born and raised."

"Great. I can't believe I didn't come in contact with you until recently," Kevin said while scratching the back of his left ear with his thumb. "While we're a global entity, when we can, we like to support home-grown, home-produced talent."

"That's excellent," Shannon replied nodding her head through her response. "I always felt like UA was home. Other sports companies-Nike, Puma, whomever-didn't really come to mind since I was surrounded by a strong UA influence growing up. Once I changed my wrestling gimmick for good, I didn't hesitate on getting my new gear customized by Under Armour. I still do. Every now and then, I get things at a hometown discount. I understand I can't get them completely free because I have no association with the company-"

"That's about to change-" Kevin said, quickly cutting her off.

"I'm sorry, what?" Shannon asked, who was becoming discombobulated by the second, first dropping her keys, then purse from her left hand.

"I'd like you to join the team," Kevin replied simply.

"You _what_?" She questioned aloud, raising both eyebrows while doing so. "Join the team?"

"Yes, I'd like you to join the Under Armour team," he repeated. "We'd like to offer you an endorsement deal and line with the company. How's that sound?"

"That uh, um…" She paused and removed the phone from her ear for three seconds, just to stare at the phone in awe. She needed confirmation that this moment was not a mirage. Then she placed it back to her ear. "That uh, that sounds awesome. I can't believe I'd even be considered-"

"Not only are you a Maryland athlete, you represent diversity in our brand," He cut her off a second time, but with a thorough explanation behind it. "We pride ourselves on not only being the best performance apparel brand, but welcoming a plethora of diverse athletes. We don't just limit our scope to football or basketball players. Phelps: World Class Swimmer. Spieth: World Class Golfer. Copeland: World Class Ballerina."

"Ballet requires just as much athleticism as it does art and technique," Shannon said, praising the savvy move by Plank to add performance-art, not just traditional sport, to his sphere of colleagues.

"Yes it does," Kevin agreed. "And through Copeland, UA is at the forefront educating people on how much the finesse of sports and fitness comes into play with dance. I understand Dwayne comes from your world partly; but by most people for the past decade or so, he's recognized as a global entertainer. Do you see where I'm going with this? With you joining Team UA, you'd be our first full-time professional wrestler of the brand. What do you say to that?"

"I say, I'm in!" Shannon exclaimed. It was better than saying "Holy Shit" to another potential employer.

"Fantastic," said Kevin with a smile on his face. "Now I'll have to get in contact with Paul Levesque, your other boss. His and my team of attorneys and executives will have to discuss the logistics of the figures and advertising. I understand the WWE partly owns one of our competitors. But UA will solely be working with you as the talent affiliated with the WWE. It won't be a total WWE-UA partnership across the rosters or overall brand. Again, I recognize the relationship they have with a competitor. But the nitty-gritty business complexities will be figured out. Trust me on that one."

"Okay, it sounds a bit complicated," Shannon began. "But I'm confident all parties involved will work something out where everyone feels good about the decision made."

"Don't worry, it will get resolved, and compromises will be attained," He once again reassured her. "When they do, I'll debrief you on them, and have contracts drawn up to be signed."

"Sounds great, but I have to be honest about something before this moves any further," Shannon said as her smile dissipated.

"What's the problem?" Kevin asked as he narrowed his focus at no particular area of the wall in his office at the Under Armour Headquarters.

"It's not really a problem," She started. "More like a concern. UA's an apparel company. I don't have a background in fashion. I don't sew. I don't illustrate logos or graphic art. I'd feel kind of weird having my name associated with something I can't physically produce on my own. You know what I mean? It's like writing a cookbook without being a professional chef."

"I understand your concern Shannon, and it's a legitimate one," Kevin agreed, leaning in his chair. "Many of the people we have signed to endorsement deals like you, have no fashion-designing background. But here's the thing: just because you can't physically construct a shoe, shirt, or the plethora of other products we offer, does not mean you won't work hard for _and_ _with_ us. We do sports apparel, and have expanded to sports tech. That's our thing. You're a pro-wrestler. That's your thing. You know your body, and how you like to perform. You'll contribute with your ideas for products and placement, while our team of engineers, graphic artists, and designers construct, assemble, and promote them. We all work together to develop gear and devices to help you the athlete, perform at your absolute best, where you feel your most elite. I assure you it's a team effort 100% of the way, though our specific tasks may differ."

"How can I say no with a sales pitch like that?" Shannon asked with a bit of wit. "But seriously Mr. Plank, thank you for the clarity. It means a lot to me that I feel like I'm contributing if I'm on board."

"You will be for sure, absolutely," he said. "Like many in the 21st century workforce, schedules and lifestyle can be quite hectic. So there will be times where we'll do some preliminary things over email, or videochat. But of course, you'll have to make time to visit Headquarters in Baltimore for other matters, like testing products out."

"Yes sir, I'll keep you posted on my availability," Shannon said, while looking at her left arm, which wasn't shaking, but had a bit of goosebumps emerging.

"Wonderful," he responded, rising from his seat. "We'll definitely get in touch with you soon. The first order of business is the contractual paperwork. Then we'll proceed to the fun parts of putting your line together. And please, from this moment forward, no more 'sir' or 'Mr. Plank.' Just call me Kevin."

"You got it Kevin," She said through light laugher. "It's a surprising, yet gracious offer. I'm very grateful for the opportunity, and look forward to working with you and everyone at Under Armour."

"You're welcome Shannon," Kevin replied. "The feeling is mutual. Stay humble, stay hungry."

"Stay humble, stay hungry," she repeated Under Armour's company slogan at him. "Have a great day. Buh-bye."

 _THANK YOU ROCKY! Whew. This is unbelievable._

* * *

 **6:00 PM on the WWE Network**

There was a new show streaming on the WWE Network that started this year called "Bring it to the table." It was a part of the WWE Network's line of original programming. As mediums of communication were evolving, and more and more people received news from digital media-whether it be social networking, or audio podcasts-the WWE wanted to embrace that. They also wanted to create a synergy across the platforms, integrating the fans with other people in media who had views about the world of professional wrestling. So this show had an open-forum type of discussion with radio personalities, podcast hosts, wrestlers, and others involved in the business past or present.

On every episode, one to three topics were presented to the panel, and as the title of the show suggested, members of the panel were allowed to express their views and "bring them to the table."

The host of "Bring it to the table," was DJ Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97 FM, based in New York City, NY. He had a huge Twitter following with over a quarter of a million followers. He also hosted a show on ESPN radio, and was one of the regulars WWE talent would be interviewed by when doing media tours in the tri-state area.

On today's episode was John Bradshaw Layfield, Shannon Storm, former WWE Diva Ivory, and Sam Roberts, who was a broadcaster on Sirius XM radio, and hosted his own weekly podcast. Like Rosenberg, he too was New Yorker, a fan, and interviewed lots of talent in the industry before as well.

The first topic discussed was the trio announce booth on the main roster "flagship show," Monday Night Raw. Recently, the WWE returned to a duo team with JBL and Byron Saxton, with Michael Cole retiring from the booth two years ago, and remaining with the company in a behind-the-scenes role.

JBL supported it, and wished it came back, saying it provided opportunities for more voices. Sam Roberts felt it created a "crowded house" environment, and believed the commentators themselves struggled maintaining order as they were focused more on pushing and promoting corporate sponsors, than the performers in the ring. JBL took exception to that, and was irate by Roberts' comment. Ivory believed having two solid commentators was better than a trio or quintet as sometimes the panel had five people announcing during Wrestlemania. For her, it was about quality over quantity.

Shannon agreed with that, and she too was not a fan of this generation's pursuit of trio announcing teams. When it was her turn to speak, she was clear that she didn't totally hate the idea overall, just the current product's attempt at it. She pointed out a few examples where there were solid trio announce teams: Randy Savage, Jim Ross, and Jerry "The King" Lawler in the WWF at Wrestlemania IX in Caesar's Palace. Another example was Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Tony Schiavone, and Mike Tenay in WCW. Her point here, was that in those instances, you had one to two people in those trios who had a deep passion for the business and excelled at an elite level at what they did (be it announcing like Ross, wrestling like Savage, or managing like Heenan). Therefore, they could provide a great perspective in facilitating the story of what the Superstars were trying to illustrate in the ring.

With respect to the multi-person booths of today, in Shannon's opinion, people in the booth-be it Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Percy Watson, David Otunga, etc-none of them had a deep passion for professional wrestling; nor did they have profound success. That made it difficult for audiences to buy into their contributions, and the Superstars in the ring seldom benefited from what they had to say. Even with Michael Cole, he had the tenure in the company, but lacked the knowledge, passion, and ability on the level of people like Jim Ross, Mauro Ranallo, or Joey Styles. That was Shannon's position.

The second topic was the importance of managers and valets. JBL didn't believe they were necessary and felt "if Superstars couldn't talk, they shouldn't enter the business." Sam Roberts pointed out a flaw in JBL's position, asserting that Brock Lesnar was one of the biggest stars of the modern era, and he for the most part of his career, always had a "mouthpiece" in Paul Heyman. Ivory too disagreed with JBL, and argued sometimes a manager enhanced a Superstar's "star power." She pointed out the late Ms. Elisabeth and Sherri Martel. Ivory mentioned fans being aware of the caliber of in-ring talent Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels had. But people were enthralled with Savage even more as a babyface with Ms. Elisabeth. And the opposite gift was given for Michaels, giving him more heat during his first heel run with how he belittled Sherri.

Shannon agreed with Ivory here, and even added to her point. Shannon also believed sometimes unintentionally a valet could become a Superstar on their own, rather than elevating the talent they're working with. So ignoring the opportunity to bring managers back into the WWE could be shooting down an opportunity to find hidden gems. Her example was Sable. When Sable first entered the WWF, she escorted Paul to the ring at Wrestlemania XII. He lost to the Ultimate Warrior, and mistreated her afterwards. Her real-life husband at the time, "Wildman" Marc Mero saw the act during his WWF debut. He defended his then real-life wife on-screen, and she proceeded to be his on-screen manager while he and Paul feuded on television.

Unexpectedly, something strange happened. Mero got injured and when he returned, the fans turned on him; but they fell in love with Sable instead. Vince rolled with it, had the couple feud on television, and she blew up. Sable, although she was never a competitive wrestler, became a _very_ , _very_ , over performer. More over than her husband. More over than many of the midcard males. She too, like many of the other performers, contributed to the Attitude Era's edgy boom. Fans realized in addition to being physically attractive and seductive, she could cut good promos, and expand the viewership even more mainstream. As the only woman in WWE history to be on the cover of _Playboy_ three times, she certainly held her own.

Peter Rosenberg, who was both the host and moderator on the panel did his best to maintain order with his guests. But when the third topic of women's wrestlers came up, things took a turn for the worst.

"Goat, Goat, Goat," said JBL. "I will say it all day. You can't talk about great women wrestlers unless you talk about the 'Fabulous Moolah.' "

"Fuck her!" Shannon yelled. She was upset. JBL kept ass-kissing on the topics, and cutting she and Ivory off whenever he disagreed with something they said. It was getting to her.

"I mean come on now girlie," JBL said as he slapped the desk the panel sat behind with his left hand. "You can't listen to that goofball Sam Roberts talk about Lita and Trish. And Ivory, you can't mention yourself and Alundra Blaze, without mentioning Moolah! It's ludicrous not to!"

Shannon took a deep breath.

"I preface what I'm about to say with appreciation that I am employed by this company. But we're all lying at this table if we refuse to admit that Lita, Trish, Moolah, Blaze, and Young are a few of the 'chosen ones' that the WWE heavily promotes. I take nothing away from the other ladies' accomplishments. I do however take exception to Moolah, all due respect," said Shannon.

"So what now, you're going come on the show with _revisionist_ history, and pretend the 'Fabulous Moolah' never existed?" JBL asked sarcastically.

"Quite the opposite actually," Shannon replied, shaking her head defiantly. "That's the problem. The history is what's missing. Is it fair to presume that for better or worse the WWE is the gatekeeper of wrestling history in the opinions of most fans? And what the WWE promotes as history tends to be taken as the gospel?"

Everyone except JBL nodded.

"That's my point," Shannon affirmed. "Women's wrestling has a much more elaborate history than that narrow scope our company typically emphasizes. It didn't start with Lita, Trish, Alundra, Moolah, or Mae. Women's professional wrestling has been a form of entertainment for the same length of time as men's professional wrestling, despite never being presented to the masses as such."

"We only really hear about women's wrestling-from the WWE at least-from that late 20th century window," said Rosenberg, the host. "Not much before."

"I can't imagine why," Shannon responded in sarcasm, patting her thighs as she did so. "Josie Wahlford, Laura Bennett, Masha Poddubnaya, and Mildred Burke. They're all _early_ 20th century grapplers. The people on the main roster brag about filling 18,000 seated arenas on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday nights. So the fuck what! Burke did that in 1941, and took the title from Elvira Snodgras in Louisville, Kentucky. That led to her not only joining, but being viewed as both a leader and star in the NWA. _That's_ how good she was!"

"Look, this is supposed to be a panel discussion with our opinions dammit!" JBL screamed. "No one asked for a history lecture."

"Evaluating some history is how some people form and shape their opinions, JBL," Shannon responded, not backing down, and narrowing her glare at the former World Champion. He didn't say anything for twenty seconds, so Shannon went on.

"Some shady shit went down with Burke's husband, Billy Wolfe," she continued. "They split, so she formed her own promotion. But like any bad ex, they always find a way to continue to fuck you in the ass."

"What are you talking about?" asked Rosenberg, who looked quite intrigued; and that upset JBL.

"You know how Bret Hart whines about being screwed?" Shannon asked. It was a rhetorical question, but instinctively, he nodded anyway. "Get over yourself bro. You were leaving in '97, and everyone knew. Burke was the real victim who got screwed, long before you cried about it happening to you. Anyways, there was a undisputed title bout for the Women's World Championship between Mildred Burke and her ex-husband's daughter-in-law named June Byers."

"Pete, I'm ready for the next topic," JBL rudely interrupted, but Rosenberg shut it down.

"No JBL," he said. "I'm interested in hearing this."

"Burke's ex-husband, Billy Wolfe, blackballed her from the NWA, promoting Byers as the champion. This lead to a ⅔ falls match between Buke and Byers to determine the true champion in 1954. Burke lost the first fall, but couldn't come back and rally to win the next two because her slimy ex and the NWA double-crossed her. They had the ref end the match right there, giving the fans the impression Byers defeated Burke clean, in the middle of the ring, treating it as a singles match; when it was supposed to be a ⅔ falls contest."

"Wow, that's messed up," said Roberts in a dejected voice.

"Damn straight it was," Shannon agreed. "Shit went to hell afterwards. After a lot more affairs and scandals occurred, suddenly Wolfe wanted out of the wrestling business. He let Moolah handle the women in the NWA, which meant no one but Moolah would matter for the next 30 years, before her eventual WWF jump. Now kids live in this facade that Moolah was some amazing second coming of tantalizing women's wrestling when that was never the case. The reality? She was decent, politicked the NWA for decades, and did the same shit with Vincent K. McMahon when she joined his company. I could name chicks of this generation, and the one before me-like yourself Ivory-who could wrestle circles around her!"

Shannon unclipped the mic to her chest, and walked off the set.

"You're welcome for the lesson," She mumbled before leaving the shot.

Shannon had no idea if there were more topics in the queue of the show, or not. But JBL pissed her off. She heard rumors of him being a bully. He didn't put his hands on her, but he was getting on her nerves with the constant interruptions of everyone. It was one thing as a heel commentator defending dastardly behavior of heels in the ring. That was something he was expected to do. But this was no angle for a show. Here, he was just being a loudmouth and speaking over people just for the sake of doing so. Shannon was human, and had a breaking point.

Shannon knew she was employed by the WWE. But it didn't mean she had to like every single company decision made, past or present. JBL had a right to be a total WWE kiss-ass. She had a right not to be. If Paul or Stephanie thought she said or did anything that crossed the line and contacted her for it, she'd have no problem explaining that to them. She figured they wouldn't reprimand her though. One, this was a show on the WWE Network, which had no content filtered. So swearing shouldn't have been an issue. And even if it was a filtered program, they were no longer PG anyway, so it's not like anything egregious was done.

* * *

 **Tuesday, October 11th, 2017**

 **Orlando, Florida**

 **9:50 AM**

There was a tweet on the WWE's Twitter that was getting retweeted by all of the WWE's sub-accounts across departments, and by millions of other fans.

 **AtRandyOrton** : "Went to Hawaii...and **AtSLoWWE** said 'yes.' "

Attached to Randy Orton's tweet was a picture of Sarita's hand with the engagement ring he proposed to her with.

It was a Platinum Cushion-Cut diamond ring. The ring, which had three stones, was a natural, genuine diamond shape of very good quality. Its center diamond had a carat weight of 2.51. The ring's initial price was $18,855. But Randy paid an extra $1,105 to have some side diamond detailing incorporated to entice his fiancée. The side diamonds, like the center diamond of Sarita's ring, were made of very good quality. The side diamonds unlike the center however, were cut in a half-moon shape. With the side diamond detailing measuring to .80 carats, the finished product totaled 3.31 carats, raising Randy's cost to $19,900.

Shannon didn't know if Randy proposed to Sarita today, yesterday, or weeks ago and just decided to go public with the announcement now. Shannon was tagged in many things on Twitter, and because she followed the WWE's account, many of their associated tweets showed up in her notifications. But she did not log on, read, post, and respond to tweets on a regular basis. She was very selective when she did say something there. So this was news to her.

Shannon decided to text Sarita.

 **Me** : Um, why am I just finding out about this...you becoming #MrsViper?

 **Rita** : Because you're so far removed from the 21st century that it's not even funny.

 **Me** : Point taken, point taken.

Sarita didn't text Shannon back, but decided to call her instead. Shannon picked up after the second ring.

"Congratulations girl," said Shannon when she answered Sarita's call.

"Gracias mamí," said Sarita as she looked down at the ring on her left hand. "It's only been a few months, but when you know, you know I guess. And I love him."

"Not to say Randy is a typical man or anything, but I wonder if your on-going storyline with Joe has anything to do with him putting the rock on your finger," Shannon responded with a smirk.

They were referring to Roman Reigns.

"Hahahaha!" exclaimed Sarita. "Ha, you know after he was through being serious, and I said yes, he did mention that."

"Ha, I could imagine," Shannon replied. "But at least he admitted to being jealous. I mean Joe's married; but Randy loved you enough to know he was ready to put a stamp on it, before your eye wandered elsewhere."

"So, I need to ask you something," Sarita began with a pause.

"Okay…" Shannon said looking on the left and right side of the street before crossing to make it to her car. She picked up some amino acids at a nutrition supplement store. She unlocked her PT Cruiser, and dropped the bag on the passenger seat, then proceeded to the driver's side. "Hold up, I'm switching to hands-free...alright, go on."

"Will you be my maid of honor for the wedding?" asked Sarita. There was a pause. "Hello...hello...did the call drop? Shit, fucking T-Mobile!"

"No, I'm here," said Shannon as she started her automobile up. "My bad. I just didn't know what to say."

"Why not?" questioned Sarita with a furrowed brow. "Do you not want to?"

"I'd love to," She started. "I just thought because Kim, Mary-Kate, and Ash are your girls-"

"They are, and they'll be in the party as bridesmaids," Sarita replied cutting her off. "We're still tight. But I'm here now. I've grown up a bit, and am not a complete Hollywood wild-child anymore. I'm asking you because I want you to be."

"Okay, I'll do it," Shannon said quickly as she pulled out of park and began driving.

"Great!" Sarita yelled. "Thank you. We'll be in touch. You've gotta' meet Samantha. She's our wedding planner. She's spicy, and I adore her. Randy probably won't."

"Ha, oh boy," said Shannon. "Sounds like fun. So when are you getting hitched?"

"January," she answered rapidly. "But the thing is, you may be on Total Divas."

"Ugh!" Shannon huffed. "Why?"

"Because _I'm_ on Total Divas. And I'm pretty sure the producers will want to film me, you, Randy, and Sam making preparations," Sarita explained. "They did a little for Nattie and TJ. They followed Trinity and Jey."

"I don't want this to be a permanent thing," Shannon warned. "The bare minimum. When it's done, I'm done."

"That's fine, that's fine," Sarita agreed. "No one's asking you to be a cast member. I'm just saying be warned that as you meet up with us, Total Divas people from E! may be lurking and getting footage for episodes."

Shannon sighed.

"What are you doing right now?" asked Sarita. "Well, tonight more specifically."

"Right now, I'm driving back to my apartment after a stop to the supp store," She started, before taking her right hand briefly off the steering wheel to rub her itching nose. Her left remained on the wheel. "I had an off-day today after finishing up a house show in Kissimee yesterday. I have plans tonight."

"Too bad," Sarita said with a pout on her face as she stretched her legs out on her hotel bed. "Because I was going to suggest you to come hang out with me later. You didn't go clubbing with me, KK, the twins, and Pamela in Brooklyn for Summerslam weekend. We have a show in Orlando tonight and-"

"I know, Pam told me," Shannon replied cutting Sarita off. "In the US Airways Center. That's why I said I had plans. We were going to hit up Big Daddy's afterwards. It's this sports bar and karaoke spot we go to down here when we're together."

"Oh okay, because the main roster's in Florida today," Sarita said. "My group is in Orlando, and the others are in Northwest Florida. Panama City I believe, is where your boo is."

"Yeah, I know. He said he wasn't going to bother because of the drive," said Shannon. "By the time he made to Central Florida from Northwest Florida, Big Daddy's would be closed, he'd be behind on the road with making it to the next city for the next show. He'd be beyond tired."

"So since you've already got plans with Pam, I guess maybe when I see you for your maid of honor duties, we can hang," Sarita said after sitting up and releasing a yawn.

"Why don't you just join me and Pamela after your show tonight?" asked Shannon. "You both are booked in the Orlando group. Just tag along."

"I don't know," Sarita said shaking her head. "I'm not trying to intrude on your thing. No one likes a third wheel."

"Dude, it's like you told me ten minutes ago with KK and the twins," Shannon replied in a soothing voice. "You don't do everything together now, but are still cool. Pam and I are good. You let us participate in your fashion show this summer. I don't think she'd mind you coming along for our karaoke venture."

"You sure?" Sarita wondered.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Shannon affirmed. "Just tell her I invited you, and you two can decide if you'll ride with her, or you'll ride separate and just follow her car to the spot."

"Okay, see you tonight then," Sarita said. "Later chica."

"Bye Sarita," said Shannon.

* * *

 **Big Daddy's Roadhouse**

 **Orlando, Florida**

 **10:45 PM**

Shannon caught up with Sarita and Bayley and the karaoke bar. Bayley and Sarita wanted drinks.

"Thanks for inviting me again," said Sarita who spoke to Bayley and Shannon before lifting a glass to her mouth. "I'm glad you didn't mind Pam."

"I told you it would be fine," said Shannon to Sarita before turning to Bayley. "Kudos on beating Nikki last night on Raw. I mean, it's Nikki Bella. But still. It's a W. You're on TV. And it's hilarious watching people like her and Nattie butcher your name, and 'not know who you are.' "

"Thanks Shanny," said Bayley. "Fans are enjoying me being treated like a lost puppy, and wandering about the division still hopelessly positive."

"Well given I don't know how much longer you two plan on knocking them back," Shannon started a playful, annoying glare, and they smirked. "I'm going down to the stage and enjoy the atmosphere of those _actually_ performing."

With that, she left her two friends on the upper level.

One woman performed Adele's "Someone like you." She was bit pitchy at first, but the crowd still edged her on to continue. It was karaoke after-all. It was about fun, not perfection for most in attendance.

After a few more performers took the stage, next up was Caucasian man with Charcoal hair and grey eyes. He looked to be in his early thirties, 5'8, and had a slender build. Shannon recognized the keyboards, guitar, and bass of the beat, as well as the introduction that commenced. It was a song by one of her favorite rappers.

" **May I have your attention please?**

 **May I have your attention please?**

 **Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?**

 **I repeat: Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?**

 **We're gonna' have a problem here."**

It was crazy. It was funny. It had serious undertones. It was Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady," one of his biggest hits from the early '00s.

" **Y'all act like you never seen a White person before. Jaws on the floor like Pam** **and Tommy just burst in the door, and started whopping her ass worse than he** **did before,"** began the man who rapped into the mic and looked on at the crowd.

" **...Feminist women love Eminem. Chicka, chicka, chicka, Slim Shady, I'm sick of him,"** the man rapped mockingly. **"Look at him walkin' around grabbing his you know what-"**

As the man made his way through the aisle, Shannon playfully motioned her hand near his crotch as he past her. She did not forcibly reach and grab a hold of his genitalia. One, he past her before she got the chance to. And secondly, she was having fun, and wasn't intentionally being lewd.

" **Flippin' the you-know who...yeah, I probably got a couple of screws up in my** **head loose. But no worse than what's going on in your parents' bedrooms,"** he continued. **"Sometimes I wanna' get on TV and just let loose, but can't! But it's cool for Tom Green to hump a dead moose..."**

This is why Eminem was one of Shannon's favorite rappers. Not only was Eminem a lyricist who was quick-witted and could freestyle against anyone in a battle. He was well-rounded. He could be wild and outlandish. Comical and aggressive, while pointing out hypocrises in society, and mocking them at the same time.

In those bars, Eminem was sounding off his frustrations with American culture on sex. The American media was very, very sexual, and marketed it heavily from magazine covers to exploiting women in music videos. And admittedly, you saw that bubble over during the Attitude Era in professional wrestling. Yet, at the same time, when individuals celebrated and highlighted sex, the masses-not just religious leaders-attempted to make people feel shameful about openly discussing and partaking in a human activity that many enjoyed.

" **And that's the message that we deliver to little kids. And expect them not to know what a woman's clitoris is-"** The man made his way back to Shannon's section when he delivered this line. He got on both his knees, and stared at Shannon's skirt while rapping the next few.

 _I guess he did catch me get a little handsy. Glad to know he's not shy._

" **Of course they're gonna' know what intercourse is by the time they hit the fourth grade. They've got the Discovery Channel, don't they?"**

The audience mumbled "Hell yeah." It was a funny moment. They did it on their own. The guy didn't encourage them to. He made his way through the crowd again.

" **But if we can hump dead animals and antelopes, there's no reason why a man and another man can't elope,"** rapped the man to more cheers of Eminem's lyrics expressing support on the contemporary issue of gay marriage.

" **But if you feel Iike I feel, I got the anecdote. Women wave your pantyhouse. Sing** **the chorus. And it goes…"**

When the man shouted, 'Women wave your pantyhouse,' he made his way back to Shannon, and touched one of her legs with the hand not holding the microphone. She grabbed his hand, and pushed it further up her leg. But that was her limit. She wasn't going to let him make it to her upper thigh, inner thigh, or her pantylines. Shannon was a natural flirt, but did have a boyfriend. She could balance getting a rise out of the crowd without going too far.

"Oh shit!" exclaimed Sarita, still on the upper level with Bayley, but was looking down at the show. "Breezy's gonna' be mad."

"She's just having a laugh Sarita," said Bayley. "Nothing disrespectful. And besides, _you're_ the engaged one."

" ' **Cause I'm Slim Shady! Yes, I'm the real Shady.**

 **All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating.**

 **So won't the real Slim Shady please stand up?**

 **Please stand up. Please stand up."**

While the crowd proudly joined in during the chorus, Shannon asked the guy for his name, to which he replied, "Phil." It was nice to know the name of the person who you allowed to get a feel or two on you while sober.

" **Will Smith ain't gotta' cuss in his raps to sell records,"** Phil began the second verse to a different side of the audience. **"Well I do. So fuck him, and fuck you too! You think I give a damn about Grammy? Half of you critics can't even stomach me, let alone stand me..."**

Phil finished up the second verse of the track on the far left side, and worked the crowd for the repeating chorus on the right. If he thought he was finishing the whole song alone, plans quickly changed. Because someone had other ideas.

" **I'm like a headtrip to listen to, because I'm only givin' you things you joke about with your friends inside your livin' room,"** began Shannon, who grabbed the second microphone to Phil's surprise, and started verse three. The crowd popped.

She loved the next lines because it reflected her character, and she performed them proudly.

" **The only difference is I got the balls to say it in front of all of y'all. And I don't gotta' be false or sugarcoat it at all,"** Shannon rapped then walked over to Phil, and grabbed his hand. She guided him over to her seat, and gestured for him to take it. He acquiesced.

She tapped her microphone, giving off the impression like she wasn't sure if the Big Daddy's staff would cut her off. It was similar to the ending of CM Punk's worked-shoot "pipebomb" on Monday Night Raw in 2011.

" **I just get on the mic and spit it. And whether you like to admit it, I just shitted,"** Shannon said before sitting on Phil's lap. She wasn't going to give him a lap dance. But he could at least enjoy holding her for a while. **"Better than 90% of you rappers out can. Then you** **wonder: how can these kids eat up these albums like Valiums?"**

Shannon wrapped one arm around Phil, and turned to his face for the next two lines.

" **It's funny. 'Cause at the rate I'm going when I'm 30, I'll be the only one in the nursing home flirting."**

She winked at him, and instinctively he knew she wanted to exchange turns for the rest of the track. So he complied.

" **Pinching nurses' asses while I'm jacking off with Jergens,"** said Phil. He did not pinch Shannon's ass. He readjusted her body across his lap, so he could make a fist with his unoccupied hand, feigning whacking himself. **"And I'm jerking, but this whole bag of** **Viagra isn't working."**

" **And every single person is a Slim Shady lurking,"** Shannon continued. **"He could be working in Burger King, spittin' in your onion rings."**

" **Or in the parking lot circling, screamin' 'I don't give a fuck!' with his windows down, and the system up,"** said Phil.

" **So will the real Slim Shady, please stand up?"** asked Shannon. **"And put one of those fingers on each hand up."**

About ten folks stood with their middle fingers in the air and smiled.

" **And be proud to be outta' ya' mind, and outta' control. And one more time, as loud as you can, how does it go?"** Phil rapped as he curled one hand behind his ear like WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan. The fans cheered on, and screamed the chorus a third time.

The beat extended for some time after the chorus. Phil and Shannon together, rapped a section from one of their favorite verses again.

" **And there's a million others just like me,**

 **Who cuss like me, who just don't give a fuck like me!**

 **Who dress like me: walk, talk, and act like me.**

 **And it just might be the next best thing.**

 **But not quite me!"**

Phil and Shannon exchanged lines again in the outro, and got a standing ovation.

" **Ha, I guess there's a Slim Shady in all of us.**

 **Fuck it. Let's all stand up."**

One of the neat things about this performance was that Phil had no idea who Shannon was. He was just a dude having a night out, wanting a good time. He didn't watch professional wrestling. He didn't know she was one, or even contracted by the biggest promotion. When Shannon left to go get a drink of water, and a pit stop to the restroom, someone in the crowd who was a wrestling fan filled him in on the details. He was going to ask her for her number, but didn't see which direction Shannon went to when she took off. There were several restrooms on each floor.

Ten minutes later, Bayley and Sarita came down to the stage. Bayley wanted to do a Destiny's Child number. She suggested "Independent Women" from the 2001 Survivor album. Sarita thought that was a fitting because she was a huge Beyoncé fan, and felt she was a self-made woman. Bayley reminded Shannon and Sarita that the song was on the Charlie's Angels movie Soundtrack, and encouraged her friends to do the signature poses of the angels during the intro and outro of their performances. They agreed.

The ladies looked cute in their leather outfits. Shannon had on a luminous, sandy brown, leather skirt to the knee, with a sweetheart neckline top. She wore bronze, 4" inch pointy-toe pumps on her feet. Her hair was down, straightened, with bangs. Sarita had on an all-black, mesh-back, leather pantsuit from her own line with a pair of 4½" inch high-heeled booties from Kim Kardashian-West's shoe line. Her hair was in a ponytail. Bayley wore a grey, leather dress to the shin with cap sleeves. On her feet were a pair of 3½" inch extended laced, peep-toe booties. Her hair was in a bun.

Following "Independent Women," Sarita was getting more comfortable, and enjoying herself with karaoke. She asked Shannon and Bayley to do another song with her: "Lean Back" by Fat Joe and Remy Ma from 2004. They were rappers from Sarita's New York hometown, and a part of group called "Terror Squad." Bayley performed the first verse by Fat Joe. Sarita performed the second verse by female rapper, Remy Ma. Shannon performed the third verse by Fat Joe. All three ladies performed the chorus together throughout the song.

Sarita, Bayley, and Shannon had their fun, and were going to leave Big Daddy's. But some fan heckled, "Kid-N-Play" at the ladies. This fan must had remembered the very first time Shannon came with Bayley to Big Daddy's in February. The duo performed "Jump" by Kriss Kross first, and Kid-N-Play's "Ain't gonna' hurt nobody." Shortly after their songs were over, to their surprise, a second Kid-N-Play track started from the track list of the particular CD in the karaoke bar that was playing. The staff at the venue didn't throw them off stage, and given their profession called for a lot of improvisation, they went with it. Kid-N-Play's "Roll Wit Kid-N-Play" came on, and they performed it completely: the raps and the accompanying dances.

So this fan who yelled for the Hip Hop duo, wanted the ladies to do another performance by the artists.

"I'll sit this one out," said Sarita who patted the other women's shoulders. "You two still have an audience."

Sarita found a seat in the crowd. Bayley and Shannon stared at the crowd for about twenty seconds. They were still howling and whistling. The staff member working the karoake equipment started a tune by Kid-N-Play. Hopefully it was one Bayley and Shannon remembered at least 80% of the lyrics, so they wouldn't embarrass themselves.

When they heard those opening chords of drums and cymbals, they were relieved. It was the battle scene between Kid and Play from the first House Party movie in 1990.

"Unless you're scared," said Shannon after picking up a microphone, playing off Bayley's hesitation to turn around to an impending challenge. Feeding off her best friend's chemistry, she figured Bayley would play to the crowd's howling, and milk their reaction a bit more. It was necessary. Whenever Bayley and Shannon did their Kid-N-Play personas, Shannon was always "Play," the cool, popular, party-host with the fade haircut. Bayley was always "Kid," the fair-skinned, underdog sidekick with the eraser haircut. In this battle scene, Play went first.

" **It's the P-L-A-Y. Just here to say 'hi.' Asking you may I?"** questioned Shannon who walked to the crowd, and spotted Phil again. She stood in front of him to say the next few lines. **"Tell you about the day I, picked up a microphone, a pad, and a pen. The legend of the champ begins!"**

Shannon placed her unoccupied arm across her waist, signaling a title belonged there. Technically, she was NXT Women's Champion. So Play's rhyme worked for her in that scenario.

" **The party-host, with the most giving you a dose, see?"** Shannon questioned, and cupped her hand before raising it to her lips, feigning taking a shot. **"Leaving instructions, so listen closely: two lines form, and make sure you step soon. Girls at the backdoor. Fellas by the bedroom."**

The original line was "Fellas at the backdoor, girls by the bedroom." But just like they did in February, Shannon and Bayley would stay true to the core of Kid-N-Play's lyrics, but tweak them to make them gender specific; or modernize them to whatever was relevant in context with their situation.

" **The name is Play. Don't dare play me cheap! The microphone is a broom, and I'mma' sweep ya' off your feet with feelings that ya' never felt,"** said Shannon who kneeled down and touched Bayley's shoes as she approached the stage. **"Another notch under the belt."**

" **It's no secret: I like to freak with the best of them. Then head to the stage in a test of women. And when it's done and said, and said and done,"** Shannon paused for a solid four seconds. **"Shannon's gonna' be the victorious one!"**

"Ohhhhhh!" yelled the crowd, who got into round one from Shannon as "Play."

"Yeah, dope ain't it?" Asked Shannon as the beat continued and Bayley moved closer to her. "Ha-ha, yeah I know."

"Woman, gimme that mic!" yelled Bayley.

Big Daddy's had several microphones. But in the House Party movie, Play and Kid shared one microphone for the battle. The ladies were keeping up the continuity from that iconic scene here.

"Oh, you want some of this?" Shannon asked in sarcasm, pointing at the microphone.

"Yo, it's my turn!" Bayley shouted, and snatched the microphone from Shannon.

"Yeah, go for yours," Shannon mumbled.

"Anything she can do, I do better," Bayley turned away from Shannon, and yelled at the crowd. "I can do anything better than her!"

"No you can't," Shannon said.

"Yes I can," Bayley answered back quickly.

"No you can't," Shannon repeated, and the crowd laughed.

"Yes I can, yes I can, yes I can," Bayley repeated and momentarily, began her first round as "Kid."

" **I'm never fessin', possessin' all the tools that it takes to rock,"** rapped Bayley, who curled her fingers and raised them high like WWE Hall of Famer, the "Rated R Superstar," Edge. **"I think it's time for the new kid on the block. With a style that's wild, yet so unique; I can't be stopped from reachin' my peak."**

That was actually relevant to Bayley's WWE persona. Her fandom: from her ring gear, to the Wacky, Inflatable, Tube Men was definitely wild, and unique. It didn't mean it wasn't fun though. Because it was.

" **Because givin' my all: that's how I gotta' live. It's my prerogative. So you know I gotta' give,"** Bayley said, and pounded her chest. **"more on the dance floor, and I'll make your brain sore. Kid's revin' and buzzin', just like a chainsaw."**

Bayley folded her arm to the crease of her elbow, and made a motion like she was cutting a tree down.

" **I'll make 'em say, 'Damn man. That Kid, she's a grand man.' 'Cause I'll bust a handstand on American Bandstand."**

Not caring that she had on a dress, Bayley rapidly lowered her body and did a one-armed handstand pose for two seconds, like a breakdancer. Thankfully, her dress did not rip at the seam, and it helped it came down to her shin, so no one saw her underwear. But she was enjoying herself.

" **With these I please with ease and make her mind freeze,"** Bayley rapped to the audience, pointing at her index finger at her own temple. **"I was born in the '80s, and you in 90s!"** She shouted sharply at Shannon.

" **Givin' you the highs and lows like a drama! And if the mic's got juice you know I'mma' keep whalin',"** Bayley continued, before doing a slow, matrix-like wave, similar to the tube men in her entrance. **"You know I'll have you starin' awhile. Because Bayley's much more than big hugs and smile!"**

"Whoooa!" Yelled the audience, who felt Bayley ended her first round as "Kid" strong.

"Ha-ha. There it is," Bayley started, turning back to Shannon and nodded. "The hype shit."

"Ahh, I see," Shannon said with a light, condescending clap, as she waited for Bayley to give her the microphone back. "You think you're 'all that' now?"

"Yup," Bayley said with confidence as the beat pressed on. " _And_ _then_ _some_!"

"Alright, bust it," Shannon said quickly before her face went from a condescending smug, to aggression. This was the second and final round. Games were over.

"Anything you can do, I do better," Shannon started, repeating what Bayley did in the beginning of her inaugural round. "I can do anything better than you."

"No you can't," Bayley said, shaking her head.

"Yes I can," Shannon said, nodding.

"No you can't," Bayley repeated.

"Yes I can, yes I can, yes I can, _Girl_!" Shannon screamed, and then on she went with her last verse.

" **It's my party, and I'll rhyme if I want to!"** Shannon yelled walking right up into Bayley's face, looking pissed off while going for the win, the kill shot. **"Be careful and don't you, step to the front of this!"** Shannon patted her chest. **" 'Cause I'mma' dismiss with a death kiss, and make you sorry that you ever stepped to this."**

" **Microphone Wizard. So come on and place your bets,"** said Shannon who jogged down the stairs and walked through the crowd. **"Is it gonna' be me, or** _ **that**_ **hugging kid?"** Sarita pulled her wallet out, playing along. Shannon loved that. **"Why put your money on a sorry 'ol poor thing, when you get behind a sure thing?"**

Shannon left the crowd, jogged back up the steps, and the irate look on her face did not disappear as she got back in Bayley's face. You would think she was cutting a promo in a WWE ring, and ready for a match.

" **And that's** _ **me**_ **. The capital P on the high tip,"** Shannon continued and pointed at her best friend. **"Just like Takeover Brooklyn: one false move, and you'll get your ass whipped!"**

"Ohhhh!" the crowd went berserk again at the aggression and relevance of Shannon's line, for those who were wrestling fans in the audience.

" **Just tell me how the rhymes and the cuts sound. You won't stop feeling the pain 'til you touch ground.** _ **Girl**_ **, you're going way out! I'm ready to serve you,"** Shannon said before checking her watch. It was 11:56 PM.

" **If you can stay out past your fans' curfew. Look at her, already a 'has-been,' "**

Shannon rapped, and threw a consoling arm around Bayley. Then she rotated her hand on that arm as though she was flipping a page to a storybook to read to children before bedtime. **"Let Aunty Shannon say a rhyme that'll tuck** _ **yours**_ _ **and**_ **their little asses in!"**

"Aaaah!" the audience yelled again, showing their feelings towards Shannon's final round. She went to the crowd again.

"Ha! Am I paid or what?" She asked them, after dropping the microphone, and extended her arms wide.

"Woman," Bayley began with a sigh. "You're livin' some kinda foul."

"Crazy!" shouted Shannon, slapping hands with members of the audience, who felt she won the battle.

"Alright, two can play at this game," Bayley said, rotating her head, left then right.

" **Anything you can do I can do better.**

 **I can do anything better than you.**

 **No you can't. (Yes I can)**

 **No you can't. (Yes I can).**

 **No you can't. (Yes I can)."**

With the crowd fully committed with them, Bayley and Shannon didn't even have to engage in the pre-round banter. The left and right side of the audience exchanged with the the call-and-response before Bayley started her final round.

" **Not quite a storm. But once again, the girl's blowing smoke, about what she wanna' be,"** began Bayley, holding up a finger implying a contradiction. **"But it isn't, wasn't, and it ain't ever gonna' be possible. 'Cause I got lots of pull. I'm on the main roster. And when** _ **you**_ **talk? There's lots of bull."**

"Hoooo!" the audience yelled, and Shannon pointed her thumbs down at them in disappointment.

" **When it comes time to step to a mic, I don't sit around,"** She said. **"Shannon, you know I don't kid around. So come with it girl, don't even hide your bets. 'Cause Kid spelled backwards describes ya' best!"**

Shannon bent her head down with a smirk, looking at her pelvis. "Pretty sure I don't have one," She mumbled in reference to Bayley calling her a dick.

" **Look around! Watch the people clap hands in unity, as the momentum swings from you to me,"** Bayley continued, and true enough, they were applauding. **"You issued a challenge. Yeah, you threw it up. Step to the stage."**

Shannon proceeded to approach the steps, and when she did, Bayley pressed on.

" **Too late. I blew it up!"** Bayley yelled, and the audience erupted. The pop was even bigger when Shannon, once again, feeding off her best-friend's energy, took a flat-back bump on the stage, making Bayley's "explosive moment," visually epic.

" **The knowledge to build: just filled with excellence,"** Bayley said as the crowd winded down from the hysteria. **"You heard the rhymes. You've been petro ever since. There's no missin' the rhymes that I laid out. You didn't play. You just** _ **got**_ _ **played**_ _ **out**_ **!"**

Another burst of cheers emerged when Bayley turned her thumb horizontally, and ran it under her chin like The Undertaker would when signaling for the end of a match. Shannon got up, and hugged Bayley. The two ladies bowed for the crowd, before they left the stage for good this time, and exited Big Daddy's Roadhouse with Sarita. They had a blast.


	37. Chapter Thirty Seven: Don't Settle

**Author's** **Notes for May 14th, 2017** :

A belated wish of peaceful rest goes out to Matt Anoa'i who was known to many wrestling fans under the ring name "Rosey." Anoa'i in addition to Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa'i), was also related to Eddie Fatu, who was well known as "Umaga." For any younger fans who may be reading this and would like to be debriefed, or for older fans that would appreciate the recollection, in 2002 Anoa'i was paired with Fatu in the WWE. This was during the inaugral year of the brand split. Fatu was known as "Jamal" at the time in a heel duo introduced by Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff called "Three Minute Warning." Fatu was released shortly after Three Minute Warning's run began, so Anoi'a was paired with Gregory "Hurricane Helms," as his "Superhero In Training."

Eventually Fatu was hired back by the WWE, repackaged, renamed, and pushed as the savage heel "Umaga." This lead to the release of Anoa'i. Sadly both members of Three Minute Warning have now passed away. According to reports Anoa'i, who was already a pretty large man, picked up more weight, allegedly weighing 450 lbs at the time of his death. It was also reported he suffered from congestive heart failure, as well as A-fib, which is a condition people who have an irregular heartbeat tend to suffer from.

To **Guest** who reviewed Chapter 35: You would be correct that in the real world, Twitter only allows 140 characters for users to send out tweets. But given that I didn't specify beforehand whether or not there was a character count number for Twitter set in this AU, by default, I'm presuming readers would either assume one of two things: First, the character allowance for Twitter has been increased. Or Secondly, for longer tweets, readers are aware the sender had to reply multiple times in order to answer whatever they did respond to thoroughly.

Thank you for pointing that out, and my mistake for not giving anyone else who that may have bothered proper clarity on which of the above mentioned options was the case. I have since revised that portion of the chapter with a line explaining what occurred, which was a continued reply.

To **Guest** who reviewed Chapter 36: I respect your view to question the plausibility in Shannon's endorsement. It's important to note that the particular scene from this chapter established The Rock acting on his promise to put a good word in for Shannon, so UA gets in touch with her. I did not reveal the precise monetary figure in Chapter 36 of how much Shannon's deal is worth. I solely showed UA's explanation in the interest and pursuit of her joining the team, as well as the UA CEO express the need for details to be sorted out. So you may be prematurely overestimating how massive the deal is at the moment.

Additionally, in terms of Shannon being "a nobody," this is when the AU once again comes into play. As portrayed in the very beginning of the story, Ronda Rousey is Shannon's foil. Their journey to getting into the WWE and what occured while there are not the same; and we've seen Shannon allude to the differences in earlier chapters. The work Shannon puts in and will continue to is unmatched by her foil.

You haven't heard a lot of buzzing from Shannon about Ronda in several chapters, and that is intentional. While Shannon was irritated by the way things occurred with Ronda in the WWE, at the same time, she was focused on the road ahead: pursuing her own dream to someday get to the WWE. Now that Shannon's there, as she alluded to in podcasts, she's still making goals of things she'd like to participate in, and things she'd like the company to pursue at large.

The two ladies will cross paths regarding this issue, and its subsequent tension, in person before the story concludes.

Also To **Guest** : I don't force or pressure readers into reviewing. Nor do I pressure readers into reading the chapters briskly. I am a fan of lengthy chapters, and enjoy providing events in detail both in and out of the ring for a well-rounded experience. For that reason, it's reasonable that everyone reading along is not yet at the same point in the story, or may even need a few days to split time reading the chapters. That's completely fine. People shouldn't feel coerced to skim or skip over parts because of the length. Take as much time as you need. If the story itself is no longer of interest to you, I take no offense to it. Others are still reading. Drama will find its way back into the story for sure. I ask for your patience. If you can't hold on until it escalates again, I understand.

* * *

 **October 12th, 2017**

 **The Airing of NXT TV**

" **Glorious!**

 **No I won't give in, I won't give in!**

' **Til I'm victorious!**

 **And I will defend. I will defend!**

 **And I'll do what I must!**

 **Oh, so glorious!**

 **Until the end, until the end!"**

Ring announcer Eden Stiles introduced Bobby Roode to the audience, and he entered the arena in a Navy Blue windowpane suit with a Dolphin Grey shirt. His shoes were also Navy Blue. The tie, which was stripped had a blend of blue and grey in its color scheme. Rick Rude would probably call him ravishing as he came down to the ring with a prideful walk.

Roode cut a promo talking down on the NXT Heavyweight Title division.

"I'm sorry," said Bobby Roode as he began his promo with a look of dejection in his face. "I am _truly_ sorry for you fans because for a long time at NXT, you people have been missing out. Left and right, right and left, up, down, and all around, champion after champion has been so sub-par-"

"He's kidding right?" asked NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. "We've had great NXT Champions. Neville, Rollins, Owens, just to name a few."

"Was the 'glorious one' finished speaking?" Asked fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves. "Didn't think so."

Bobby Roode's face went from somber and melancholy to focused and serious, as he unbuttoned his suit jacket.

"In order for the championship to become reinvigorated with _glory_ ," He continued before exhaling a breath of gratification. "It needs to be held by a person who has the 'It Factor.' And I am just the man for the job."

A small grin from the right side of Bobby Roode's mouth emerged.

"Thanks to me, the NXT Heavyweight Championship will be free of demons," He said smugly referring to his win over Finn Bálor at last week's Takeover: Fight! "And in due time, it will also be free of someone who lacks style," He followed up, alluding to the current champion.

He was booed after that statement, and minutes later Shinsuke Nakamura appeared on the stage, then made his entrance, in typical Shinsuke-animated fashion.

"It factor," said Shinsuke, who didn't bother asking for a microphone because he placed his mouth in front of Roode's. Then he paused.

"Versus Strong Style!" Shinsuke exclaimed, and the crowd roared as he raised his championship high, reminding everyone he was still in possession of what Roode felt he was destined to acquire.

The producers milked the crowd for roughly a minute before "The Destroyer" played.

"And business is about to pick up because Samoa Joe has entered the building!" Yelled Phillips.

"Jim Ross called Tom," said Graves. "He wants his lines back."

Samoa Joe was dressed in his ring gear as he made his way down the entrance ramp and into the ring. Samoa Joe lowered his hand to Roode, wanting him to give him the microphone. Roode teased not offering the microphone to Joe, not appreciating the interruption. But he ultimately relinquished it to Joe.

"No disrespect," Joe began, pointing his left index finger at Bobby Roode while his right hand clenched the microphone. "But you need to back off!"

Samoa Joe then turned to Shinsuke Nakamura and glared it him. "Because this right here..." He waved his hand in between the gap of space between himself and Shinsuke. "It ain't over!"

General Manager William Regal entered the arena. "I don't fancy you lads disrupting my show. Nor does the NXT Universe."

"It's real simple Regal," Samoa Joe insisted. "Give me Nakamura, or give me my title!"

"I am the law and the land of this here brand Sir," Regal quickly responded back. "Bobby Roode won a number one contender's match to become the next challenger to the champion. You _lost_ your championship match last week."

Cheers erupted from the audience, and Samoa Joe had a scowl on his face.

"If you three plan on remaining employed, you ought to exit the ring immediately, while I contemplate the ramifications of the NXT Heavyweight Championship picture," Regal said before walking away.

"Well it seems like NXT is off to an interesting start," began Graves. "I mean, I thought it was rather easy knowing who was next in line for the biggest prize in our brand given the fallout from Takeover. But I guess it's 'to be determined.' "

A commercial for WWE Network original series "Ride Along" aired. Following this, the show returned to in-ring action as TJ Perkins defeated NXT Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann with a kneebar in a non-title match.

Following this match, there was a video package that aired a three-minute montage highlighting the results of the bouts from Takeover: Fight!

* * *

Shannon made her way to the ring, but was dressed in her gear, not plain clothes. The gear she wore tonight had a black-on-white color-scheme. The fans recalled that Eden Stiles never announced Shannon for an official match. They were curious as to why she was suited up if no match for her was on tonight's marquee. She gestured for a microphone, and Eden handed one to her through the middle ropes.

Shannon raised the microphone to her face, but stared at the crowd a moment or two.

"I have something to say."

The crowd booed.

"Maybe you didn't hear me, but I said, I have something to say," said Shannon, growing frustrated. "I expect you to show the proper respect, not just because I've earned it; but because I _demand_ it!"

They quieted down.

"Ahem," said Shannon, pretending she had to clear her throat.

 **"I've paid my dues, time after time. I've done my sentence, but committed no crimes!"** Shannon started singing intently, and tapped the opposite hand not holding the microphone gently against her hip to the rhythm of the song. She was doing this acapella, so created her own rhythmic pace.

"Is she serious? Is she really doing what I think she's doing?" Phillips whined.

"Shut up! I'm enjoying this," said Graves, with a smile.

 **"And bad mistakes, I've made a few. I've done my share. Got kicked in** _ **this**_ _ **pretty**_ **face,"** Shannon continued to sing, pointing to herself as she cleverly revised Queen's lyrics a little. She had experience improvising lyrics with Bayley on karaoke ventures. So that part wasn't challenging.

This was one of the NXT writers, Ryan Katz' idea. Shannon did quite a lot of serious promos. To Ryan, if she switched her style up a bit-trying something different just for one night-she could get heat there as well. He and few of his fellow writers figured the audience would expect several minutes of stern prose. But if Shannon busted out a satiric performance instead, it would be another proverbial "screw you" to the fans. Because not only did she stump them by doing something they didn't expect; she did something that they found annoying, and didn't want to see.

Shannon was a bit apprehensive about it, not sure if singing to the crowd would get the reaction the staff wanted. The writers once again reinforced the idea of NXT being developmental, and insisted she do it. They even gave her the liberty of choosing which song she'd sing. At least that part was a compromise since there wasn't a way out of them putting her performance in the script for this segment.

 **"But I've come through! On and on, and on and on, and on!"**

She paused before she delivered the next line, and it proved worth the wait.

 **"I'm** _ **still**_ **the champion, my friends!"**

Graves nodded, and continued to smile as Shannon went on.

 **"And you'll keep on fighting. But I'll** _ **always win!"**_

Shannon again revised the lyrics as she pointed a finger out to Bayley's superfan Izzy, per usual, in the front row of the audience during shows at NXT's "home" venue of Full Sail University.

She removed the title from her waist, and draped it across her shoulder. Then Shannon walked to a set of ropes, and leaned over them. She raised the opposite arm high and began rotating it, encouraging the crowd to participate in a wave. The only person in the Full Sail Arena who did was Corey Graves. The moment made for a hilarious visual as Shannon was belting it out over a sea of boos.

 **"I'm** _ **still**_ **the champion. I'm** _ **still**_ **the champion! Screw all you losers,"**

Shannon still with her hand high in the air from doing the wave, curled her fingers so only the middle was visible.

 **"Cause I'm still the champion..."** Shannon paused, then turned her attention to the large NXT logo at the beginning of the stage and pointed at it. " **Of** _**this**_ _**brand**_!"

She dropped the microphone, exited the ring, and walked over to Graves and Phillips to join them on commentary for the next match.

Shannon shook Graves' hand as she sat down, and adjusted her headset.

"How are you Corey?" Asked Shannon. "Good to see you as always."

"I'm well Shannon, thank you. That was an incredible performance," said Graves. "Another one bites the dust," He added, and Shannon grinned, absolutely loving the chemistry they shared in the broadcast with the Queen references.

"Well I was feeling quite festive today. Regal tried to outsmart me but he _failed_ , just like his career as a singles star. I beat Nia Jax, and I am still the champion," Shannon replied with a smile. "Another one bit the dust indeed, my friend."

"Oh so you're going to pretend like I don't exist as you continue your variety hour?" Asked Phillips. "First it was singing. Now it's comedy."

"Yes, ignoring you is _exactly_ what I plan on doing," remarked Shannon.

"You wouldn't understand the 'brotherly love' Tom," replied Graves, referencing the nickname of the city of Philadelphia. "It's a Pennsylvania thing."

"What? You're from Pittsburgh, not Philly," Phillips said. "And second, she's not from Pennsylvania at all! She's from Maryland!"

"Shut up you dork," said Corey in irritation. "She went to college in PA, so that's good enough for me."

"So did I!" Phillips yelled at the two individuals he shared the broadcast desk with. "I went to Penn State!"

Shannon and Graves ignored Phillips as the participants were introduced.

The next match saw Nia Jax versus a returning Becky Lynch to NXT television. In real-life Nia Jax wasn't around because she got her surgery for the deviated septum she told Shannon about the day of their Takeover match. She would be away for a few weeks. But this episode was taped before she went to the hospital.

When exactly tapings were recorded for NXT varied. Sometimes they were done a few hours before a Takeover, and that's how local fans were spoiled with how the Takeover outcomes were going to be, given what they saw there. Sometimes they were taped a few days after a Takeover. In months that had no upcoming Takeovers, several were taped in a row early in the week.

"Why are you in your gear Shannon, if you're joining us on commentary?" asked Phillips about three minutes into Becky and Nia's match getting underway.

"Because I like to be prepared Tom," Shannon answered. "You know, like 'weathering a storm.' That is my thing after all. When you're the champion, people will chase you from all angles."

"I thought you and Corey said you were ignoring me on commentary?" Phillips wondered. "Change of tune?"

"Well sometimes Thomas, you're so damn irritating, that it's hard not to respond to set you straight," Graves snapped at Phillips while turning his face to him. "Apparently, Shannon not only is a woman of preparation, but a problem solver! Becky executed a textbook Jawbreaker on Nia Jax, and it looked like a piece of 'The Lasskicker's' wrist hit the face of Nia in the process."

"How charitable am I?" Shannon asked rhetorically pointing to the ring while looking at the action taking place in it. "I solved the problem of Becky being in danger of a loss by softening up Nia Jax. You see that tape across her nose that she's rubbing as Becky got a piece of it? _I_ made that happen!"

"Lynch is more than capable of obtaining victories on her own, Shannon," Phillips said before a smile slowly emerged on his face. "In fact, one of the last ones I remember, was a pinfall victory over _you_!"

"I also remember Becky Lynch being an absolute 'choke artist,' and failing to get a victory over Shannon when it mattered most," Graves defended Shannon, and pointed at the NXT Women's Championship. "Becky doesn't own this because she didn't beat Shannon for it."

Becky attempted an armbar on Nia, but she powered out and Irish Whipped Becky into a set of turnbuckles. The momentum however caused Becky to charge back rapidly on the rebound. She clotheslined Nia. It took three attempts to get Nia down.

"We're not done!" Becky screamed, looking in Shannon's direction as she raised her body from the ring canvas, resting on one knee. "We'll never be done!"

"We _are_ done!" Shannon yelled over her headset, but stared at Becky while doing so. "You know what you are Lynch? You aren't an obstacle of mine. You are a pimple that needs to be burst. As you dry up like the puss from the core of it, you'll become a footnote in the epicness of my career."

Becky Lynch exited the ring with Nia down, and approached Shannon. The referee began a count on her.

" _That_ is mine!" She screamed.

"Why are you coming over here?" Shannon questioned Becky before turning her body behind the announcing desk. "Security! Security, you need to do your job. Help the ref maintain order. She's not supposed to be near me."

"Lynch, you need to return your focus to Nia Jax!" Yelled Graves. "This isn't Ireland. It's the United States of America. The first amendment grants Shannon the ability to freely express herself. You can't barge over here because you got hot, or disliked the metaphor she chose for you."

The count was at four.

"That's right!" Shannon yelled. "I can say what I want as long as I am not inciting violence."

Becky swung a hand at Shannon, who ducked the attempt of a left hook.

"Get your ass back in the ring!" Shannon shouted. "It's not my fault if I retaliate if any part of her body makes contact with mine. That would be self-defense. I want that on the record."

"Correct, it would be," Graves agreed. "Under that same amendment...Becky get back! You have the right to assemble Shannon. And you've chosen to assemble right here on commentary to enjoy the match in person."

The count was at seven when Becky turned around to re-enter the ring. She bumped into a furious Nia Jax, who left the ring during Becky and Shannon's exchange of words. This restarted the count.

"Uh-oh, lookout!" Phillips screamed. "Nia with a hold of Becky...Samoan Drop to the out-no! Becky wiggles out of Nia's effort, and pushes her into the ring post! Listen to that thud!"

Nia sold getting hit in the nose there, and Becky slid back in the ring.

"Waaaaaa!" Emanated from the crowd as Blue Pants raced down the ramp, and began to attack Nia, who was reeling from colliding with the ring post. This caused Shannon to lose her headset, enter the ring, and go after Becky.

"Chaos both in and outside of the ring!" Shouted Graves. "And the referee has no other choice, but to call for the bell.

Seconds later, General Manager William Regal emerged for a second time.

"Bloody hell!" He screamed walking on the stage in the arena. "I am a very busy man. I am trying to sort through the Tag Team Title picture with pressing concerns from 'American Alpha.' There's matters to address with the NXT Heavyweight Championship. I certainly do not have time for you scoundrels to frolic freely with your panties in a wad. Therefore this contest will be a women's tag team match with the team of NXT Women's Champion Shannon Storm and Blue Pants versus Nia Jax and the 'Lasskicker' Becky Lynch!"

The crowd roared. It wasn't just an opportunity to poke fun of former main roster General Manager Theodore Long, who was infamous for turning brawls into tag matches. This tag match was unique.

Paul treated the fans a few months ago with an intergender tag match with Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, and Shannon, against Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Bálor, and Becky Lynch, where opposite sexes were allowed to get physical with one another. Most recently at Takeover: Fight!, he gave fans a rare championship contest with two female heels. Now, he was giving them a women's tag team match where it was a face and heel member on each team. The last time we saw at least one face-heel team, it was Shannon and Becky who were partners at the Attitude Era Invitational. Fans got two face-heel teams tonight. And Shannon and Becky were on opposite sides this time around.

"No need to powder your noses lovelies," Regal continued. "The match starts _now_. Ring the bell!"

Shannon worked well with Blue Pants. There was no bad blood between the two ladies despite Blue Pants concussing Shannon back in February on powerbomb spot when Shannon landed on the back of her head. That was a house show a long time ago, and no one did anything wrong. It just happened. They moved on.

The match went thirteen minutes, and Blue Pants was about to go down for the three-count when Becky drilled her with an Exploder Suplex.

"For the win!" Yelled Phillips. "1...2...aah, and Shannon Storm with the interference, prevents the three count."

Referee Eddie Orengo argued with a Shannon about illegally breaking the count, and Shannon being Shannon, retaliated.

"What is she doing?" Questioned Phillips as he watched in awe Shannon grab Orengo's package. "I don't believe this woman!"

"Are you really all that surprised?" Asked Graves with a laugh. "You do recall the 'gift' Shannon gave referee Drake Wuertz last month when he didn't count the three for her during the championship match against Becky, right?"

Graves was recounting the moment when a frustrated Shannon delivered Weather The Storm to Becky, however didn't receive the pinfall win. It wasn't because Becky kicked out. It was because Becky's boot caught Wuertz in the midst of Shannon delivering the move. So he took the bump, and was unconscious, unable to count. After smacking him around unsuccessfully waking him up, she decided to plant her crotch over his head, and mock a display of oral sex.

"To your point Corey, Shannon's no stranger to lewd activity, but I figured she learned her lesson after Regal fined her for what she did with Drake Wuertz," He replied. "I guess not…"

Eddie Orengo, with a quick glance down of disbelief to see what physically he knew she had her hand on, glared at Shannon. He raised his right hand hand up, and curled all his fingers except the index one. He was about to signal for the ringing of the bell, calling for a disqualification. But Orengo couldn't. The attempt was circumvented.

"Oh no!" Phillips yelled as Shannon grabbed that right hand of Orengo, and pulled it aggressively down with the opposite hand, not already holding his genitals. She raised him to her shoulders. "No, she wouldn't!"

"She _will_!" Graves shouted. " 'Weather The Storm' on NXT Official Eddie Orengo!"

The crowd booed at the act. Shannon looked at the fallen Orengo, her partner Blue Pants, then her opponents Becky Lynch, and Nia Jax. She shrugged her shoulders at them. She climbed through the ropes, hopped off the apron, and grabbed her championship.

"Fuck this match," She muttered to the camera, which followed her ascend up the ramp, and proceed through the curtain.

There was a method to her madness. Shannon did what she needed to do to prevent her team from losing the match. That was one thing. No, she didn't have to grab Orengo's junk. But hey, he was arguing with an angry heel. Because she decided to grab his junk, she was now putting herself in the predicament of getting her team disqualified. That was another problem she had to figure out how to maneuver around. So before Orengo had the opportunity to disqualify Shannon, handing her and Blue Pants the loss, she gave him her finisher. That meant the match ended officially in a no-contest.

In character, it wouldn't matter. Oh well. She had her title, and that was the only thing of importance to her. In real life, she was happy Orengo was such a good sport. Not in every single case, but quite a bit of referees in NXT were wrestlers previously. Some made the transition because for whatever reason performing as a wrestler just wasn't working out. There were others who had experience in the ring taking bumps as part of wrestling school, but knew in the early stages of their training being a referee was what they always wanted to do long-term.

Orengo and Wuertz were former wrestlers. After a few years in developmental when things weren't panning out the way they hoped for in terms of card placement, they were approached by Paul to stay in the company, but in a new role: as referees. Shannon worked on that finish with Orengo together. Personally, she really would have loved to perform her finisher maneuver on him; but professionally, would be satisfied to settle: just tease it, and let him go.

Orengo didn't like that idea. "If you're going to do it, go all the way with it," He told her. He reminded Shannon about a match he saw her in against Roderick Strong. It was a match when he was the recipient of a WTS. Shannon had no idea Orengo was watching the competition in Ring of Honor. Apparently he was. That was the last time she lifted a male performer on a televised program. She hadn't done it recently. Orengo volunteered himself. Additionally, Orengo also suggested the idea of her grabbing his manhood, setting it up. He thought the crowd would react to it well. It would be a "wow moment," and feed her more heat.

Shannon was a little stunned at first with those pitches from Orengo. But in the grand scheme of things, for the purposes of entertainment, quickly understood it, presented the idea to NXT Creative, and they were on board. Paul didn't lie to her in that first meeting all those months ago after all. He brought in his diverse team responsible for various things, telling Shannon everyone contributes to an extent. Apparently, it wasn't a crock of shit, she realized.

The previous match was an impromptu tag-team match. Tonight's main event was a tag-team match already scheduled. A promotional package recapping the Dusty Classic Invitational aired, and concluded with highlights from the tournament final from Takeover: Fight!

Moments later Team DIY: Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano entered the ring to take on the Dusty Classic winners: Apollo Crews and Cedric Alexander. Although Crews and Alexander were a team thrown together, they were likable babyfaces individually. Team DIY were a solid team for two years, but they too, were fan-favorites amongst the crowd. The collision was meant to be a fun match-up. And it was, until the end, fifteen minutes later.

"And the Dusty Classic winners pick up the win," Said Phillips. "Nice show of sportsmanship as Crews and Alexander exchange handshakes with DIY, before leaving the ring. They're not rubbing it in."

When Alexander's music ended and he joined Crews through the curtain, the main camera returned to the center of the ring. Gargano leaned over a set of ropes, while Ciampa was in the center, with his hands on his hips in disappointment.

"Hey!" Ciampa yelled towards Gargano, who turned around. "What's going on? What was that about?"

"You win some, you lose some man," Gargano said in response to his partner as he left his position on the ropes, and walked over to Ciampa.

Ciampa pushed Gargano, shoving him on his ass as he fell on the mat.

"I'm sorry," Said Ciampa apologetically, rubbing his beard, looking down at his partner, who was looking up at him.

"Perhaps cooler heads have prevailed," Began Phillips. "Sometimes people get hot-headed-"

Gargano pushed his left hand down firmly on the ring canvas, and began to press himself up. But he never had the chance.

"For not doing this sooner!" Shouted Ciampa, who quickly pulled his right knee pad down, and raced toward a defenseless Gargano, driving the knee strike to his face.

The crowd erupted in boos.

"What on earth is Tomasso Ciampa doing?" Asked Phillips wildly as the assault on Gargano continued.

"Turning the page," Said Graves smugly. "Just about every time DIY losses a match, it's _Gargano_ , not Ciampa, taking the fall."

Ciampa delivered Project Ciampa, his double knee powerbomb to Gargano.

"I am not the weak link!" He screamed at Gargano as he slid out the ring, watching his fallen partner. "I was _never_ the weak link!"

A little over a month ago, Paul was skeptical on what to do with the two men. Were they capable of joining the main roster? Yes. But was he ready to send them there? Not quite. Having depth on both rosters was important to him.

So a decision was made to have the talents remain on the NXT brand. As a team, he wasn't sure if there was anything else for them to give. They had great matches with The Revival, and American Alpha. They were doing their part on the house show circuit working with the Authors of Pain. However, he could pull the trigger on the men for runs as single Superstars. To do so, he needed to split them up.

He wanted Gargano as a singles to enter the cruiserweight division of competition on the brand. He wanted Ciampa to pick up his original weight on the independent scene of 230 pounds to compete in the heavyweight division. Neither man would be pushed directly in the title picture of the respective weight classes they would join right away. The plan was to simply cement their participation in them, and work their way up.

With Paul being a notorious heel for much of his career, and Ciampa being a fellow New England alum trained by the late WWE Hall of Famer Walter "Killer" Kowalski like himself, Paul took pride in booking Ciampa to turn heel and break up DIY. A turn was a great way to end television as fans were left anticipating more. They wanted answers. Was this Ciampa just having a violent outburst, a one-off letting out frustration? Or was Team Do-It-Yourself, really no-more?

"Gargano has been decimated by his partner," Said Phillips with sadness.

" _Former_ Tom, former partner," Phillips corrected him. "For all intents and purposes 'Team D-I-Y' is H-I-S-T-O-R-Y. Thank you for watching NXT everyone. We hope you join us next week."

* * *

 **October 13th, 2017**

 **Hotel Zed Victoria**

 **Victoria, British-Columbia, Canada**

 **Mid-morning**

Shannon was in Hotel Zed. It was an eclectic pick near the center of the city, with various bars, restaurants, and shopping areas nearby. Free WiFi, free parking, free local shuttle service, and a hot tub were some of the amenities. There was even a "Zedinator" water slide attached to the indoor pool. Once you got past the very, very, bright colored rooms-which was done to attract the attention of children-it could be enjoyable. And for $70 bucks a night, Shannon wasn't going to complain.

She called her boyfriend. He answered on the second ring.

"Hey babe," He said. "Good morning, afternoon, or evening depending on where you are in the world."

" _Morning_ ," Shannon answered. "Where are you right now? Do you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Presently, I am on the road in Missouri," He replied, looking at a few members of talent in neighboring cars nearby on the road. " _Specifically_ , I am about to hit an exit in a little town maybe thirty miles or so outside Kansas City because I need to stop for gas. I'm not running on empty, but it'd be stupid not to fill her up when I'm near a station."

"Good boy," Shannon said humorously. "Safety first."

"Glad you approve," He said through a chuckle. "Anyways, yes I can talk. What's up?"

"NXT's starting the Canadian tour this week," She began. "And I'm in BC as we speak."

"Oh yeah?" He questioned with a raised eye and steering wheel in hand. "Where in BC? My neck of the woods?"

"Nope, not Penticton," She responded, shaking her head since they were not in Tyler's hometown. "Victoria. We're working the University Centre Farquhar Auditorium tonight. Have you ever been?"

"No, I haven't," He answered. "When I was in NXT and we hit Victoria, we worked in the Royal Theatre. It's very renaissance-esque from an aesthetics standpoint, with great artwork and acoustics."

"Well I hear the place I'll be is the first surround hall built in Canada, with the goal of providing 'clear sightlines, and fine acoustics to all seats'," Shannon replied as she reached for a pamphlet. "At least that's what the brochure says I'm reading from right now. Supposedly, it 'offers creative lighting opportunities too.' "

"Maybe it does," He started, slowing the car down, so he could turn into his exit. "But like I said, I've never been to that location."

"Didn't you say you were off on the 15th?" Shannon asked while angling the phone between her chin and shoulder as she packed a duffel bag.

"I am," He replied. "Why?"

"I checked my schedule, and I finish the first leg of the Canadian tour on the 14th, and there's a free day on the 15th, before NXT begins the second leg in Canada on the 16th," Shannon explicated. "Do you want to spend some time together, even if it's like for a couple of hours at some point?"

"Yeah, totally, that sounds good," Tyler said. "Kansas City today. St. Louis tomorrow. Where do you want to meet up?"

Shannon checked her netbook, and opened up Google Maps. She was trying to find a central point where it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience for either of them to travel to before their respective returns on the road with their rosters.

"Umm," She said, still scanning the map, and thinking things through. "Let's see... St. Louis, Missouri to Denver, Colorado would be 851.4 miles for you. It would be 2,334 miles for me to leave Victoria, and meet you there."

"Keep looking," He requested. "I'm listening."

"Option two could be Rapid City, South Dakota," Shannon replied. "It's 953.2 miles for you to get there from St. Louis. And...2,054.2 for me from Victoria."

"Damn," He mumbled through the phone. But she heard him.

"You don't like that one either?" Shannon asked before giving him a chance to reply. "Okay, I'll try again. How about Cheyenne, Wyoming? It'll take you 882.1 miles to get there from St. Louis, and 1,371 for me from BC. You'd be in the 800s, and I've finally cracked under 2,000. Umm…"

For the next thirty seconds no one spoke audible words. All Tyler could hear was Shannon's frantic clicking and typing of keys, splurged in with a few "Um's," and "Ahh's."

"Um...it looks like Wyoming might be one of the best case scenarios for this spur-of-the moment thing," She said. "You want to look up flight info for us since I did the work narrowing down cities? Let me take one final crack at it to see if there's anything better. Um…"

"You know what baby?" Tyler asked rhetorically. "I get where you're coming from, trying to compromise, and cut costs if we commute the least amount of miles. But it's annoying hearing you sound like a humming tuner in my ear."

Tyler made it to the gas station, and parked his car in front a pump. He unplugged his phone from the internal port in the car, and held it to his ear as he exited the car.

"Shut up!" Shannon yelled playfully. "I'm trying to figure something out. You said you had time to talk."

"I know, I know," He laughed through his response. "But doing that is also making the situation unnecessarily complicated. Look, where will you be on the 15th?"

"Toronto," she answered.

"Perfect," Tyler said. "I'll make both of our lives easier by just coming to you."

"Are you sure?" Shannon asked, when pulling the zipper of her bag to fasten it. "It doesn't seem fair. I thought having middle ground on a potential geographical location would be better."

" _Trust_ _me_ , it's fair," He defended passionately while setting the nuzzle in his rental car to fill his tank. "No complications. No headaches. No stress. That sounds like a win in my book. It's settled. I will see you in Toronto in a couple of days, and will let you know when I'm there."

"Okay then, see you soon," Shannon said.

"Bye Mark," He said. "Have fun in BC."

They ended the call. Shannon grabbed her keys, pulled the duffel bag over her shoulder between her breasts, and exited her hotel.

* * *

 **Thirty Minutes Later**

 **Anytime Fitness**

 **Victoria, BC, Canada**

Shannon drove to Anytime Fitness, and just as the title suggested, it was a gym opened twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. After parking her car, she popped in the earbuds connected to the music on her phone. Then she headed over to the building. But she was stopped abruptly.

"What the-?" She mumbled as felt her left arm being pulled while her right arm was inches away from making contact with the door handle. Shannon removed her earbuds from her ears, and let the neckband they were connected to rest against her neck. Then she turned around.

"If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go," Said a young man with a pistachio nut skin tone. He looked to be about 5'11, and 200 pounds. "I can take you places you ain't never been befo'..."

Shannon remembered reading in one of Chris Jericho's books him telling stories about lurking around hotels in Canada to meet WWE Hall of Famer Koko B. Ware and other legendary wrestlers in their prime when he was a kid. After getting over kayfabe, he mustered up enough courage to ask the wrestlers for tips on how to gain size because he too, wanted to become one of them.

So it wasn't that the idea of someone creeping up on her, or one of her wrestling peers was new. This would be her now, _second_ experience. The first was when she slept with the teen Jason Johnson from Indiana. That was something she should have never done, and it nearly bit her in the ass when he traveled down to Florida to see her. Shannon was incredibly frightened, and had a pretty heavy emotional moment with Tyler that day.

Eventually the problem was resolved, and she never saw Jason again. Shannon didn't know what happened to make him vanish. She figured maybe the boy smartened up, and realized pressing the issue further with legal matters, would only cause problems for the both of them: for Shannon, prison time and a member of the sexual offender registry list upon her release from prison. And for Jason, likely public scrutiny from the media for rest of his life.

Shannon was not aware Tyler confronted the jerk, albeit peacefully at first. She also was not informed that he beat his ass for escalating things, and not being reasonable during their verbiage. Bottomline? Tyler handled her problem. He didn't feel Shannon needed the details. It would only make her worry more, and her WWE career was on the cusp of taking off. Jason Johnson was not going to stop that. Tyler would be damned to let him to.

* * *

 **A couple of minutes prior, just a few blocks away**

"Dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, there she is! There she is!" Yelled Marc McAfee, a Caucasian teen with blonde hair to his shoulders, and earth-green eyes. He was clenching a tablet under his right arm pit, and a folded tripod stand under his left arm pit.

"Yo, make your move Jay!" Shouted Sean Carter, an African-Canadian, who slapped the back of his friend who made Shannon his target. His charcoal-colored hair, which matched his eyes in shade, was in a Flat Top design. His hair was cut on the top and sides with emphasis on flatness to give it a square appearance.

"You've got this Jay," Said Daivari Mahal, an Indian-Canadian, who was walking with the boys of the same age. The chestnut-haired teen with matching eyes, wrapped the straps of his acoustic guitar across his shoulder between his chest. Daivari's hair was cut in a Faux Hawk style. Similar to a Mohawk, the tapered haircut had the hair styled to a point in the center, without shaving the sides.

"Alright Marc, Sean, D, I'm heading over," Said Jared Hernandez, a Mexican-Canadian with charcoal-colored hair and Maplewood-colored eyes. Jared had a Caesar haircut, which was a semi-short style popularized by Julius Caesar. It was layered with one-to-three inches of hair on top, and brushed forward with short bangs to the front.

"Remember guys, on my cue," He warned.

"Don't worry man," Sean started. "Us three have got it all under control. Do your thing."

Jared slapped hands with each of his friends before walking briskly over to the inattentive Shannon.

Jared Hernandez or "Jay" as he preferred to be called by his friends, was a fifteen year old highschooler. He cut school with a few of his buddies in hopes of finding a few NXT Superstars before a live event that was supposed to take place this evening. His pals would be cool seeing any of the Superstars throughout the afternoon or evening, but there was a strong emphasis on going a little beyond just meeting a certain female talent. A few weeks ago, the boys mapped out some gyms in town that were in close proximity to the venue Shannon and the rest of the NXT roster would be performing in.

They scoped out a few, and ran into some stars this morning. It was 12:15 PM, and they were on their fourth spot. They spotted Shannon at Anytime Fitness.

* * *

 **Back to present**

"I got money on my hands that I'd really like to blow," Jared continued, reaching inside the left pocket of his letterman jacket, and pulled out a Canadian dollar, handing it to Shannon. She accepted it, reached inside her fitted UA turtleneck, and dropped it in her bra underneath.

 _Oh God, he's young. This is taking me back to JJ. I'm not doing kids anymore. I swear._

"Swag, swag, on _you_ , chillin' by the fire while we eatin' fondue," He continued to recite the first verse of lyrics of Justin Bieber's popular tune "Boyfriend" from 2012.

"How do you think it's going?" Asked Marc who opened up his tripod, and extended its legs firmly on the ground of the spot the teens decided was a good viewing distance. Then he placed his tablet on the deck of the tripod, and positioned it to an angle he liked.

"Considering she hasn't slapped his ass," Began Daivari who opened up his guitar case, in search of his pick. "I'd say so far, so good."

"Hahaha," Sean laughed. "Yeah, we can take that as a win for now. Let's hope he can make it all the way through."

"I don't know about me, but I know about you," Said Jared, pointing at her. "So say 'hello' to falsetto in three, two, swag!"

 _He's a cutie though. No little fuzz of a stache like JJ. He's got a soul patch on the chin._

Jared raised his right hand high above his head, and snapped his fingers. That was his signal to his friends.

Noticing Shannon hadn't quite removed the fingertips of her hands from the door of Anytime Fitness, Jared finally began to sing, not recite, Bieber's lyrics, starting with the pre-chorus.

" **I'd like to be everything you want,"** He sang, then reached for the hand of hers that was near the door handle. **"Hey girl, let me talk to you."**

Two seconds later, Shannon turned her head sharply. Looking away from Jared, who was in front of her, her neck arched a block and a half away, where she saw his group of friends. Daivari started playing the acoustic guitar. Sean started beat-boxing percussion parts. And Marc was recording Jared's performance on the tablet and Shannon's reaction.

" **If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go,"** Jared commenced the chorus, while his friends didn't let up with their assist. **"Keep you on my arm girl. You'd never be alone."**

Jared, who still had Shannon's hand from a few seconds ago, folded her arm to her elbow and linked it inside of his. She placed her palm softly against his bicep.

 _Adorable_.

" **I can be a gentleman,"** Sang Jared. He removed his Cobalt Blue with gold trim letterman jacket, and wrapped it around Shannon. It was October, but Shannon wasn't cold. He did that to be a charmer. " **Anything you want. If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go. Never let you go."**

When he removed the jacket and placed it on Shannon's shoulders, he revealed that he was wearing the "3G: Get over it. Get with it. Or Get out," t-shirt from WWE Shop Dot com she debuted two weeks after her Takeover: Respect victory over Bayley.

 _He looks like a young Tony Gonzalez. I don't know if he's into football though. Wonder what sport he lettered in._

" **Tell me what you like, yeah. Tell me what you don't. I could be your Buzz Lightyear, and fly across the globe,"** Jared spread his arms wide like an eagle soaring after singing that line.

 _Buzz Lightyear? What? Oh, wait. He means Toy Story! Aww._

" **I don't ever wanna' fight. Yeah, you already know. I'mma' make ya' shine bright like you're laying in the snow. Burr!"**

Jared feigned being cold, stroking his forearms when he sang the above line.

 _Ha, did he just say 'burr?'_

" **Girlfriend, girlfriend. You can be my girlfriend!"** He continued. **"You can be my girlfriend until the wo-wo-wo-world ends!"**

"Holy shit man!" Exclaimed Daivari, still playing guitar. "She's warming up to him!"

"Totally!" Marc happily agreed, as he Sean, and Daivari noticed Shannon relax her arms, staring intently at Jared, and bobbing her head in rhythm. She was seemingly enjoying this impromptu, yet appealing performance outside the gym entrance.

" **Make ya' dance: Do a spin, and a twirl and-"**

Jared, with confidence expanding as the seconds increased, took a chance, and reached for Shannon's wrist. He span her around a few rotations without protest. Then he grinned.

" **My voice's goin' crazy on this hook, like a whirlwind, swaggy!"**

She returned his smile. And it wasn't just because "Whirlwind" was the name of one of her signature maneuvers. Shannon was flattered by the young man's efforts. He wasn't like Jason, constantly hounding her with sexual innuendos or painfully-obvious flirting. This-or so it seemed-was a cheeky, unique way of interacting with a crush.

The next twenty six seconds were spent on Jared singing Shannon the pre-chorus and chorus again. Following this, Jared made another move. It started with him walking around Shannon.

" **So give me a chance. You're all I need girl!"** He hugged her from behind as he sang the bridge not only in the falsetto upper register, but _directly_ against Shannon's ear. **"Spend a week witcha' boy, I'll be calling you my girlfriend."**

"Yo, look at him bro!" Said Sean, after taking a breath in between beat-boxing part of the tune. Daivari's guitar-playing continued to back Jared up as the song went on. "She's digging Jay!"

" **If I was ya' man, I'd never leave, girl. I just wanna' love and treat you right!"** Jared finished the bridge in Shannon's ear. She smirked, and swiped her left thumb against one of his cheeks.

Jared broke his embrace from Shannon, and sang the chorus for a third time, dancing circles around her. She resumed bobbing her head rhythmically to him, only this time she was applauding along too.

" **Na-na-na, Na-na-na, Na-na-na, yeaaah girl!"** Jared started performing the runs in the outro. He winked at her before he started. **"If I was ya' boyfriend. Na-na-na, Na-na-na, Na-na-na, ey. If I was ya' boyfriend."**

Down to the final seconds, Jared raised the same hand he did three minutes ago up in the air, giving his friends a clue to bring the beat-boxing and music to a close. They did, but Marc was still recording, and there was a reason why.

"So will you be my date to the prom?" Inquired Jared, whose hand after leaving the air commanding his friends, quickly descended to the dorsal pocket of his pants.

He pulled out a single red rose, and presented it to Shannon now that he revealed the _true_ meaning behind all of this.

"Let's talk about it inside," Shannon replied after accepting the rose, smelling it, and nudging her head forward, gesturing Jared to join her.

"Thanks fellas!" Jared quickly yelled to Marc, Sean, and Daivari, who gave him a partial grin and a thumbs up. They were happy to help him out. However, they weren't sure if Shannon inviting him in was a "yes" or "no." Jared seem elated, but to them Shannon was quite vague.

* * *

 **10 Minutes Later**

Shannon asked for Jared's name, and how old he was when they went inside of the fitness center. He was over the age of thirteen, so didn't require parental consent to enter the gym on his own. Shannon had to give the young man credit: he had balls. She wasn't going to fuck him like she did Jason. But he was a fan. There was no harm in kicking back with him hours before a show. So the least she could do for him going through all this trouble was inviting him inside to workout with her. He wasn't a member of this gym, so she covered his fee for the day, along with her own.

It would only be the fifth time in Shannon's career of intentionally breaking kayfabe in front of fans in public (not including the times she allowed it during house shows, Make-A-Wish, or post NXT TV tapings when the cameras were no longer running). Three involved her karaoke time with Bayley, which thankfully, wasn't a frequent occurrence-since they'd been on different brands for months now. Another time was a couple of years ago when she went to the Under Armour store at home to pick up new gear when she changed her gimmick. One of the clerks recognized Shannon from some regional independent shows, and mentioned she made his little brother cry. She gave the clerk a pair of free tickets for the next MCW show she was on the card for, following their conversation. The only other time was during a date she had with Tyler in early August of this year, when a fan made a comment about her taking a bite of Key-lime pie.

"What was that all about?" Shannon asked as she returned Jared's letterman jacket to him when they reached the destination of the gym where the machines were. He accepted it, and folded it against a bench, where Shannon placed her duffel bag.

"It was a promposal," He answered rubbing his palms together, anticipating the direction of where she wanted to begin the workout.

"A what?" Shannon quickly questioned back before eyeing a target. "Bikes."

Jared climbed on a bike next to Shannon, and they continued their conversation.

"A promposal," He repeated as he lowered his hand to the monitor attached. "What intensity level?"

"Moderate," She responded, and the two entered the appropriate keys. "And I heard you the first time. I just don't know what that is. Explain it to me."

"Okay," He said with a nod. "A promposal is this thing that guys do where they come up with a really elaborate way to ask a girl out to prom. Some dudes have girlfriends in drama club, and will have the Stage Manager announce 'a final act,' where instead of the cast coming out for a bow, out walks the guy. All sorts of things."

"That sounds like a ton of pressure," Shannon said as they began to pedal. "When I went to prom it was just a simple, 'Hey, wanna' go? Yeah, okay, cool.' So these promposals all vary?"

"Yes to both," Jared responded. "Yeah, they vary, and they're a ton of pressure. It started off being a gesture made as a way for guys to pay homage to girls. Like, we know how much of a financial investment proms can be for females. From the dress, the hair, makeup, nails, limo, yada, yada, yada. A promposal is a guy's way of showing the same way a girl can invest in the prom process, he can put forth a creative effort to propose to his prospective date. Some dudes even save money they earn from summer jobs to pay for anything specific they need to have a 'magical moment.' The ladies deserve it after all of the things they go through though."

"Oh, I see," Said Shannon, who raised a finger to her temple. She hadn't broken a sweat. She just needed to relieve it of an itch. "So there's a bit of sweetness to it? That's appealing. But it's October Jay. You have the rest of fall, all of winter, and the beginning of spring to work on this."

"Not really because I was going to ask you!" He exclaimed with a chuckle. "I mean if I asked someone at school, yeah, I'd have more time to prepare. And I guess that's when the downside of promposals kicks in. They're not officially required. But it's become a high school cultural phenomenon several years now. Every year someone tops someone. Competition tends to happen whether it's openly encouraged or not."

"How'd you even know I was here?" She wondered and turned to look at him, staring in his eyes intently.

He laughed.

"I'm serious!" She exclaimed, swatting at his leg. It didn't break his stride though because he continued pedaling. She ended up grazing his elbow, never landing on his leg. "Were you stalking me? Tell me!"

"I'll backtrack a little bit," He prefaced, holding a hand up. "Some kids ask celebrities, never thinking they budge. I think Taylor Swift went to some American fan's prom since she didn't go to her own. Some lady in the U.S. armed forces had asked Justin Timberlake to be her date to the military ball, which is different. Anyways, I was just going to ask you on Twitter."

 _Uh-oh. I probably would've missed it then._

"But found this way cooler instead, huh?" She asked with a wink.

"Obviously," He agreed. "Thing is though, it wasn't my idea originally. My boys dared me to do it in person, reminding me that NXT was coming to Victoria. We found out the date and venue, and I told them I'd make it happen."

"Just like that?" Shannon asked with a smirk. "Seven minute mark. Crank it to high," She added, and he complied. As she anticipated, her breathing picked up as the intensity level on their bikes changed.

"They thought I would chicken out, but I told them I was game, provided they helped put things together," He explained. "It was my idea to sing to you. I wanted my friends to help out with music, and record it as proof to relive the tale if we did pull it off. We agreed to ditch school, and search gyms all around the city to track you down. We ran into Dillinger and Roode earlier this morning at a different spot. They were real friendly. Nice dudes. By that point, we knew we were pretty warm, so just kept riding around looking at more gyms."

"Excellent teamwork on your part," Shannon replied with a smile. "You guys found me. It worked out well."

"Well, I don't know for sure," He said before exhaling. "You haven't given me an answer."

"We're finished here," Said Shannon as she leaned toward her monitor, and ended the session on the bike. "10 minutes is more than enough for a warmup. Cardio's not my thing. We just needed to get our blood flowing a bit to prepare for what we're about to put our muscles through."

Shannon and Jared slowed down their pedaling before finally suspending it altogether. They got off the bikes.

"And I'm still thinking about it," Shannon added in response to his pending inquiry.

* * *

 **1 Hour and 15 Minutes Later**

Following their workout and cool-down, Jared and Shannon took a seat on a vacant patron bench. They were sweaty, with towels hung around their necks. A minute prior Shannon went to the vending machine and bought herself a Kiwi-Watermelon flavored Propel water. It was bottled water, but with electrolytes and essentials vitamins added. It also had zero grams of sugar. She asked what Jared wanted, and he told her he liked the Glacier Frost flavor of Gatorade. Shannon made the purchase for him. Then she decided to buy three more, so Jared could give one to his friends once they left the gym.

"Why that song?" Shannon asked as their bodies recovered.

"Player move," Jared replied swiping his left shoulder with his right hand.

"Are you on your school's show choir or Glee Club?" She asked, with genuine curiosity.

"Psst, no way!" He shouted after a snort. "The letterman jacket was no prop. I'm a jock! Varsity Basketball. That wouldn't be cool with the boys."

"A bunch of football boys were in Glee Club in that one show-" Jared cut Shannon off before she could finish.

"That's _TV_ ," He retorted. "This is _real_ high school."

"You have a nice voice though," Shannon said as she placed a hand on his left knee. "You'll pull chicks the more you use it, believe me."

Jared shrugged his shoulders unconvinced.

"It pulled _you_ ," He ultimately replied. Shannon blushed.

"So are you looking forward to prom?" Shannon asked, grabbing a piece of her towel, and dabbing the corner of it around her eye. There was a specific gland of perspiration meticulously on a side of her face, dropping painstakingly down from her eyelid. She didn't want it to enter her pupil. That would be a painful, burning sensation. "It's junior prom for you. They'll be another one you'll have a year later. But still, prom is prom, right?."

"Yeah, I'm pretty stoked because it's on my birthday weekend," He nodded through his response, before folding his arms backward behind his head.

"I don't believe you," Shannon said, before taking a gulp of her water. Jared got up, and walked over to his jacket. Then he came back to her.

"See?" He asked convincingly, extending his identification card at her after retrieving it from his wallet, which was inside his jacket pocket. Then he showed her a PDF from his phone on the date set for his school's junior prom. The dates were back to back.

"My bad," Shannon apologized after examining the evidence exonerating Jared from her accusation of him lying about the his birthday and prom having simultaneous occurrences. He waved her off. It was okay. He was a stranger. She had every right to doubt him or blow him off.

"That's why I'm glad my friends and I found you. We didn't know the next time NXT would be in Victoria, or British Columbia at large. Once everyone was on board looking for you, it became that much more important to me," He explained. "In the off-chance we spotted you, I could be potentially looking at a dual present. Prom with you, then celebrating my sweet sixteen the day after."

"Well in that case, how can I say no?" Shannon asked, then finished off her bottle of water.

"Wait, really?" He questioned dumbfoundedly, sprouting up from the bench.

"Jay, I planned on saying 'yes' the entire time," Shannon responded with a smirk. "I'm a heel. We work our shit. Take our time and decimate. Even if your birthday wasn't the next day, I'd go."

"Oh, this is awesome!" Jared shouted. Without thinking, Jared leaned over and hugged Shannon, picking her up from the bench as he did so.

Shannon did not like being greeted by someone sweaty, or even her sweaty body colliding with others, with the exception of sex or if she was in a match with someone. She and Tyler got into it about that all the time. When he'd intentionally rub on and press against her right after matches before cleaning up, he found it cute. Shannon found it disgusting. However, Jared was a fan, who other than today, prom, and tonight's show, Shannon would likely never see again. So she allowed it.

"Jay, Jay, Jay put me down, please," She begged.

"Right, right," He said, and lowered her.

Ten minutes later Jared came out, and greeted his friends.

"Jay man, what the hell dude?" Asked Marc, who disassembled the equipment once Shannon and Jared entered the building.

"Yeah bro, it's been over an hour!" Daivari yelled as he clamped his guitar case shut. "What were you doing in there…" A devilish grin emerged as a mischievous thought came to mind. "That we weren't inside to film? Dammit!"

"So what's up?" Asked Sean, throwing his arms around Daivari and Marc. "What'd she say?"

"It's a 'no' fellas," Jared said with a dejected voice. "She let me workout with her purely out of sympathy for me being a desperate dork. She said I was lucky I caught her on a good day, and didn't get smacked for barging in on her like that. She thinks I'm a young, immature, creepy bastard."

"Fuck man, I'm sorry," Sean apologized, and pulled him in for a hug.

"I guess Shannon's a bitch on NXT _and_ in real life," said Marc. "Wasn't like you were trying to be a goon or a knucklehead."

"Not a _total_ bitch," Jared defended. "She did buy us some Gatorades. Here you go."

"You just wanted to live out a small dream," Daivari said after popping the cap of the bottle Jared handed him. "Gosh, some celebs can be so anal. To hell with her!"

"Whatever dudes, it's alright," Jared said, shaking his head. "I'm over it. Sean, grab my jacket. I'm hot as hell after that workout."

Sean grabbed his jacket nonchalantly before taking a double glance at it, seeing marks on the back.

"Yo, be careful where you place your clothes man," Sean said. "I don't know what you did in the gym to get crap on-oh snap!"

Sean spat the mouthful of Gatorade to an adjacent side of the curb the boys were walking along. This caused Daivari and Marc to stop dead in their tracks. With one hand holding Jared's jacket, and the other cupping his mouth, Jared cracked a smile as Sean read the words beholding his eyes.

Before Shannon hit the showers, and Jared left Anytime Fitness to greet his friends, she autographed the sleeves of his jacket. Plus, there was a special message on the back of it:

 _Yes Jay, if I can fit it into my schedule and the WWE will allow it, let's Weather The Prom in the Spring of 2018. #WTP It's a date! -SS_

Jared's friends pushed and shoved him a few minutes for pulling their leg as they fell for his sadness. Eventually though, they celebrated with one another, and posted a picture of the jacket on Twitter, tagging Shannon and the Twitter account of his high school in the tweet.

* * *

 **October 14th, 2017**

 **Roy Thomson Hall**

 **Toronto, Ontario Canada**

Tonight's house show for the NXT brand was in the Roy Thomson Hall. Host to many concerts, lectures, conferences, and live performances, the 2,630 capacity venue had a spectacular architectural design, spacious stage and seating area. The doors to enter and exit the hall lead to balconies and mezzanines. But it was designed in such a way that dispersed crowds efficiently, getting everyone to and from their seats in a comfortable fashion.

With a circular, cozy layout, the sound of the acoustics in the building was rich and clear. The speakers were well placed, and people had few problems hearing or seeing the main attraction, regardless of what type of event was being held.

Ring announcer Eden Stiles welcomed everyone in attendance, and made introductory remarks for the opening contest.

A loud air-horn played, then music to a familiar Hip-Hop tune.

" **It may not mean nothing to y'all.**

 **But understand nothing was done for me.**

 **So I don't plan on stopping at all.**

 **I want this shit forever, man!"**

Fans were confused. They heard Eden announce that the opening contest would be a women's division match set for one fall. Yet, actor-turned-rapper Aubrey "Drake" Graham's music was playing.

Perhaps the audio engineers in production botched a spot. Either that, or perhaps Drake could be stopping by for a performance. Fans knew the former Degrassi teen drama star was a native of the city. He was also an avid Toronto Raptors fan. He could be seen in the Air Canada Centre watching games from the floor seats, particularly during the NBA Playoffs. It wouldn't exactly be out of the ordinary for him to show up where something popular and positive was happening in his hometown.

" **Last name: Ever.**

 **First name: Greatest.**

 **Like a sprained ankle, boy:**

 **I ain't nothin' to play with!"**

 _I mean, I did work a house show in September against Asuka with a bad ankle, but that's besides the point. I love this song._

Shannon being Shannon, was trolling, choosing not to enter the arena with her usual entrance music. When Shannon walked out on the stage, she received a heel's welcome of boos. Just like Takeover: Respect, Shannon was no rookie with taking "cheap heat" to the next level. She loved elevating that ability, and inciting the crowd while doing so. The crowd wasn't just pissed because they were denied of their beloved Drake. They weren't just pissed because she entered the arena using the Hip Hop Superstar's music instead of her own. They were also pissed because of special piece of clothing she was wearing.

Sometimes at house shows, the WWE would produce special merchandise for Superstars on a limited release that wouldn't be available for purchase at other arenas. One example of this was the red and black hockey jersey of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson from 2001. The jersey had a red Brahma Bull in the center with the horizontal line of the letter T used as an elevated eyebrow on the bull's face which had "The Rock" printed on it. "People's Champ" was on the back side.

Another example of this was a collection of John Cena shirts from 2012. Finally embracing the polarizing reaction the fifteen time World Champion received from fans, the WWE produced a tee shirt that emphasized that point. "Let's go Cena? Cena sucks!" was printed on the front side. On the reverse was a cartoon image of Cena doing his signature hand gesture above his face, with the image crossed out, like the "Right To Censor" heel stable during the Attitude Era. Cena's mantra was that people could not see him. The implication of the shirt was that instead of people not being able to see him, fans were very much _sick_ _and_ _tired_ of seeing him.

At this particular house show, Shannon was not wearing her typical, bedazzled UA hoodie. She was sporting an exclusive shirt for fans in attendance for this live event. She wore a white V-neck cut shirt with one of the biggest symbols important to the country in the center: a Maple Leaf. However, instead of it being colored in a deep, fiery red, like Canada's flag, the Maple Leaf was filled in with the stars and stripes pattern of the United States' flag.

Her boos increased when they saw this. But the volume went up even further when some fans in the crowd noticed the text in red below the Maple Leaf: " **Canada's** **Favorite** **American**." Boy, did they crap on her for that.

"Give it time Toronto, give it time!" Shannon shouted at the crowd. "You'll love me in a sec!"

When Shannon made it to the middle portion of the ramp, she held up the index finger of her right hand, and slowly turned around. She stood there with her back to them for fifteen seconds, so they could get a good look at the reverse side. The shirt read: "... **Except** **in** **Montréal or** **Calgary**!"

She received a big pop for that. And she milked in that rare, babyface reaction. She was not in WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart territory today, and happily embraced it with the smarky crowd.

"I told you Toronto!" She yelled back after turning around and continuing to walk down the ramp.

" **...Everyone that doubted me is asking for forgiveness.**

 **If you ain't been a part of it, at least you to witness! bitches!"**

Once Shannon entered the ring, she started to do her bow and diamond pose, but stopped. Nothing was wrong. She didn't suddenly forget to do it, or abruptly become ill. She spotted someone in the crowd wearing a Kenny Omega "Goodbye and Goodnight" shirt from New Japan Pro Wrestling. She rolled out of the ring, and greeted the fan in the front row.

* * *

 **Flashback: Two Weeks Ago, October 1st, 2017**

 **Korakuen Hall in Tokoyo, Japan**

 **New Japan Pro Wrestling**

 **Road to Destruction Pay-Per-View**

The World Championship for the NJPW promotion was vacated two months ago by Tomohiro Ishii. Various wrestlers in New Japan Pro Wrestling over the course of several weeks, were competing in a tournament, which would eventually crown a champion.

The final four participants in the tournament who were vying to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship were babyfaces. Earlier in the night in first semi-finals match, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated NJPW Intercontinental Champion Kazuchika Okada to advance in the finals. In the other semi-finals match, Kenny Omega defeated Hirooki Goto to advance in the finals. This set up the tournament final which would see Hiroshi Tanahashi versus Kenny Omega. That match was currently in progress.

Both men were down after a lengthy exchange of defensive counters. While they were down, a visitor approached the arena to spectate.

"What's he doing down here?" asked New Japan Pro Wrestling Commentator for North American audiences on AXS TV, and WWE Hall of Famer, Jim Ross. "Takahashi was eliminated long ago in the quarterfinals by Katsuyori Shibata."

"The Tokyo Pimp" Yujiro Takahashi did not physically attack anyone, but his presence was strong enough of an impact to get Tanahashi to roll out the ring, and yell for him to leave. But he did not.

"Watch out, watch out!" Yelled fellow New Japan Pro Wrestling Commentator for North American audiences, and former UFC Champion, Josh Barnett. "Tanahashi took his eye off the ball...Senton by Kenny Omega!"

"And here comes Okada!" Ross shouted as the crowd screamed wildly. "He's coming to restore order and give Takahashi second thoughts before he taints the finals of this tournament. We want a new champion without any funny business."

"We're kinda back at square one JR," said Barnett. "Omega looks like he's trying to recuperate from the war he's been having with Tanahashi. Meanwhile Tanahashi is laid out on the mats reeling from Omega's Senton to buy time."

"Well thank goodness for referee Kenta Sato for adhering to Tanahashi's request, and seeing that Takahashi is out of here," Began Ross with bitterness in his voice. "Who I have no doubt in my mind was plotting to start trouble."

"Takahashi?" Questioned Barnett smugly. "Why are you all on his back? Okada's still out here! What about him?"

"Oh for goodness sakes, Josh!" Ross explained. "You saw Takahashi prance down the ramp, and circle around the ring up to no good. Okada came down to even the odds."

Okada assisted Tanahashi up, presumably to lead him to the ring. Well, that was until he quickly grabbed Tanahashi, and delivered his finishing maneuver, Rainmaker. It was a pull-back clothesline. The crowd gasped.

"You were saying Jim Ross?" Barnett responded arrogantly, while Ross shook his head in disbelief.

"I don't believe it," Ross remarked with hysteria. "I don't understand...Okada tosses Tanahashi back in...Omega's recovered and turns, looking for Tanahashi. Omega sees a groggy Tanahashi back in the ring...and Sato didn't see the preemptive strike from Okada...he was focused on getting Takahashi outta' here…"

"Omega gets Tanahashi up, One Winged Angel!" Barnett yelled as Omega landed his one-handed Electric Chair Driver finishing maneuver.

"No, not this way!" Ross shouted. "1..2..3. We have a new champion, albeit under questionable circumstances."

Kenny Omega captured the IWJP Championship. "Devil's Sky," the entrance music for Omega, did not commence following his victory, however. Referee Kenta Sato presented the title to him anyway, and raised his hand. Fans in Korakuen Hall gasped for a second time momentarily.

" **Bu, bu, bu, bu, Bullet Club!**

 **Fo...fo...fo..fo..for** _ **life**_ **!"**

A run of guitar riffs started playing, followed by snare drums and cymbals.

" **I shot a human.**

 **Shot him with my gun.**

 **I killed a human.**

 **I think I'm on the run.**

 **I shot a human..."**

Outwalked members of the Bullet Club: Cody Hall, the "Guerillas of Destiny": Toma Tanga and Tonga Loa, "Bad Luck" Fale, "Hangman" Adam Paige, The Young Bucks: Matt and Nick Jackson, and Adam Cole. "The Tokyo Pimp," Yujiro Takahashi returned to the arena with the group as well.

Cole, and The Young Bucks were wearing their "Elite Club" shirts while the other members were wearing their standard black Bullet Club shirts. These shirts had the BC initials on the right sleeve, with two crossing rifles on the front side, accompanied by the image of a skull and the Bullet Club name. Adam Cole, who was the frontman of the faction, lead the way down the ramp with a grimace on his face as he carried Kenny Omega's signature broom. Omega's gimmick was that he was "The Cleaner."

"I guess Cole is upset that Kyle O'Reily is still the World Champion in Ring Of Honor, and none of his 'Bullet Club' boys made it to the finals, _including_ _himself_ in order to become IWGP champion in New Japan," Said Ross.

"Cole doesn't give a damn about any of the competitors in that ring, and looks like he wants to give them a piece of his mind," Said Barnett.

Omega clenched his title with a very worried look on his face. In his eyes, he became the IWGP World Champion cleanly, with his One-Winged Angel finisher. He didn't ask for Okada's interference. Nor did he even know why he was ringside to attack Tanahashi in the first place. Because he didn't even see it happen.

Whatever Okada's reason for being at ringside was though, it had to be suspended for now. There was only one Kenny Omega, but eight Bullet Club members entered the ring. Omega was as valliant as any other babyface. But he didn't have magical powers to stop what he felt would soon be an ambush on himself.

"Oh, Tanahashi's up again," Ross said in excitement, hopeful that despite his loss to Omega, would gather his bearings, and put his disappointment aside to aide Omega in a forthcoming attack. The same for Okada. "Tanahashi's side by side next to Omega...showing some solidarity here...Okada's gotta' think big picture here. You lost to Tanahashi, so drop it. It's 3 on 8 here...oh, what the hell is this?"

Adam Cole tucked the broom between his right arm pit, securely enough to motion his hands. He pointed figurative guns at both Omega and Tanahashi, ordering the Young Bucks to attack. However, Matt and Nick Jackson only hit one target.

"Tanahashi's down! Dual superkicks to Hiroshi Tanahashi!" Yelled Barnett. "And Omega can't believe it! He's totally alone now as Cole looks on at him, and Okada to my surprise, has made no effort to race to Omega's aide inside."

The crowd booed.

"Hey, nice job buddy," Said Nick Jackson to Kazuchika Okada, who was still outside. Jackson pulled a shirt from his back pocket, then tossed it over the ropes and out of the ring to Okada.

"Oh no!" Ross screamed. "You're not telling me...he sold his soul to the blue-eyed devil Adam Cole? Has 'The Rainmaker' done the unthinkable? Has he joined The Bullet Club?"

Yes he did. The man didn't come to the ring to help Tanahashi and Omega. He was there to turn heel. The crowd booed even louder as Okada-the biggest babyface in the promotion since Nakamura's departure for the WWE-put the shirt on, and slid into the ring hugging the other members, beginning with Takahashi. Omega's mouth was wide open, and he rubbed his goatee in disbelief. Sweat fell intricately from his fingertips as it left his face.

Matt Jackson took the broom from Adam Cole, then walked behind Kenny Omega. He started sweeping around Omega's feet. Cole counted to three, holding a single finger up each time the number increased. He stopped at three, and pointed to Omega. Omega repeated Cole's counting, but did not stop at three. Omega did not stop until he raised his fourth finger. All of the Bullet Club members-including the Young Bucks and Adam Cole-started smiling.

"What in the world is so damn funny?" Asked Jim Ross.

He was about to find out.

Nick Jackson, pulled another shirt, this time from his other back pocket, and tossed it at Omega. The shirt said "Elite Club." Omega put it on, and embraced the faction with his arms extended fully. Their theme music, "Shot 'Em," by Q-Brick, restarted as the show ended.

"Oh my God!" Ross yelled. "That damn snake, Adam Cole! He said all night on the Pay-Per View 'before the show was through, they would have _a_ _fourth_.' Well and ladies and gentlemen, it appears, they've found their man in 'The Cleaner,' Kenny Omega. Okada and Omega have turned their backs on New Japan Pro Wrestling!"

"Cole, the Bucks, and now _Omega_ represent 'The Elite' of The Bullet Club, J.R," Said Barnett. "Adam Cole's no fool. He is very selective about who he surrounds himself with. Kenny Omega is not merely the first, but _only_ non-Japanese native to win the G1 Climax tournament. He's a winner! He's a star! He's a…"

"Absolute _jackass_ for making a mockery out of us all!" Ross angrily interrupted.

"I'm not sure if Cole has amazing persuasion skills, or planned this well in advance!" Yelled Barnett in amazement. "But whatever the case, New Japan will never be the same. Bullet Club keeps growing!"

* * *

 **Back to present**

Shannon had yet to work with Kenny Omega in person, but was a fan of him from afar. She even filled in for him at an independent show last winter for CZW against fellow Canadian and wife of Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae of PWG. Omega was supposed to take on Candice who was defending the Wired Championship of CZW. But he got injured, and Shannon took the booking. It was the match where she hit the Perfect Storm on Candice through a stack of burning tables last December.

Shannon left the "Elite Club" stable when she was fired from Ring of Honor almost a year ago. Like life, professional wrestling did go on. She had no hard feelings. ROH and NJPW continued to have a strong working relationship, and Omega was the largest North American star NJPW had on their roster. It made for a great business decision. And it made for a great moment on Pay-Per-View for him to turn right after obtaining the promotion's top prize. And minutes before they had their top native babyface do the same turn during the same segment, at the same event.

Shannon pulled her "Canada's Favorite American" shirt over her head, and presented it to the fan wearing the Omega shirt. That was Shannon's symbolic way of giving rub to Cole, The Young Bucks, and Omega. This was how she cleverly illustrated her approval of Omega replacing her as the fourth member of "The Elite Club." She didn't have to tweet them kudos, nor was she going to. Shannon was fairly confident someone in the Toronto crowd had their smartphone out recording the exchange; and "the boys" would see it online fairly soon.

Shannon faced WWE Divas Champion Natalya in the opening contest. Paul pulled Natalya from tonight's main roster house schedule just for this date, sending the first female third-generation star to Canada for the bout against Shannon. A few weeks ago Shannon and Paige worked the fans into thinking they had heat, or were in the works of starting a cross-brand rivalry. They were not. They were just toying with the fans.

However, playing off that ploy, Paul decided to swerve fans who were lucky enough to be in attendance at the Roy Thomson Hall. NXT remained a popular entity in the wrestling world among die-hard fans. For lovers of quality wrestling with relatively solid booking, edginess, and raucous crowds that rivaled independent promotions, NXT was the place to be. That was the alternative to the more entertainment-based direction the main roster had transitioned into for some time. Many would argue the only significant difference between a promotion like Ring of Honor and the NXT brand was the larger budget NXT had because of the WWE giant. Pound for pound, the talent on each roster could hold their own match-wise.

Feeding off that attraction for NXT die-hards and the need to keep the fans happy with good surprises here and there, Natalya was brought on board just for this show. Fans were going to see for the first time the main roster's WWE Divas Champion squaring off against the NXT Women's Champion. The fact that Natalya was a native Canadian gave the ladies extra fuel for the crowd to be into the match.

Fate could be weird sometimes too. Back when WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross had Shannon as a guest on his podcast "The Ross Report," she mentioned one of her goals was to face Natalya in a match one day. Well, she got it. No, it wasn't on a NXT Takeover Special. No, it wasn't on a main roster Pay-Per-View. It was just in front of 2,600 people. But, the building was sold out. Both ladies had titles. And the crowd stayed with them for the entire ride. Shannon was on a high from that, and had nothing to complain about.

The fans got their money's worth as the match went twenty five minutes. Shannon put Natalya over in the end, tapping out to the Sharpshooter, made famous by her WWE Hall of Fame uncle Bret "The Hitman" Hart. Or, if you were a WCW mark, WWE Hall of Famer Sting, who had the same finisher, but just called it the "Scorpion Deathlock."

When Natalya was declared the winner by ring announcer Eden Stiles, she exited the ring, and retrieved both Shannon's and her own championship.

"Which one do you want?" Asked Natalya, and the fans popped by a moment they found rather epic. It was a clever way of Natalya illustrating that she respected Shannon's ability, and she was worthy of holding either strap.

It wasn't the first time the WWE ever booked a "Champion versus Champion" match. But, it was the first time a women's contest with dual champions from opposing brands was booked. They were thankful, and honored to be a part of history. The women received a standing ovation as they made the most of the moment they created for each other, and the fans.

Shannon selling the leg, limped, then took a stutter step or two, before placing her hands on her hips. Facing the woman that defeated her moments ago, she stared at Natalya's left hand, which held the NXT Women's Championship, then the right, which held the WWE Divas Championship.

"Both!" Shouted Shannon, who tried to blindside Natalya by making a grab for the first title she could get her hands onto to strike Natalya with it.

Natalya however, was rather elusive, and side-stepped the attempt. Shannon tried charging into her again, but became the recipient of a Backbody Drop delivered by Natalya. Natalya lowered herself to a rising Shannon, seeking to give her a Vertical Suplex. To Natalya's surprise and the audience's disapproval, Shannon pushed off, granting herself enough inches of space to gather her bearings, and get Natalya in position on her shoulders for the WTS.

Once Shannon delivered the WTS, like a true sore-loser, she grabbed both titles, and held them above her head high, while she looked down, mouthing off at an unconscious Natalya.

" **Break the walls down!**

 **Break down the walls!"**

Ten seconds later, an incredible pop-not just literally from the vocal screams of the audience-but an enormous explosion of pyro for Chris Jericho, and his titan tron followed on the screen.

" **For those about to rock, and what ya' want.**

 **Baby you know you're Judas, and I'm your Priest.**

 **Baby, what I got is not from the least.**

 **Bring it through the stage in the rage of a beast!"**

Shannon dropped the titles on both sides of Natalya, and turned around as vocals from Sevendust carried on. But so too, did the legs of Chris Jericho, who appeared on stage with a microphone. He was wearing Charcoal Black skinny jeans, a Smoke Grey vest without a shirt, and his infamous Navy Blue infinity scarf with loafers on his feet to match.

" **...Awaken from a deep sleep.**

 **You're all weak!**

 **You're living in the agony of defeat…"**

Natalya was helped to the back by extra referees as Chris made his entrance.

" **Step in town, and break the walls down!**

 **Your heartbeat is the only sound.**

 **Step into the light, and then you'll know.**

 **You were** _ **stopped**_ **and** _ **dropped**_ **by the Walls of Jericho!"**

Once inside the ring and with the music suspended, Shannon extended her arms out for a hug. She was playing off her hope that Chris would quickly forget about the fact that she just took out a fellow Canadian. She wanted him to relish in the fact that she could be his "new best friend" since he and Kevin Owens were through. He was her first podcast interviewer after all.

Chris smiled at Shannon and proceeded to follow through with a hug. But it was a tease. Inches before they met, Chris grabbed hold of Shannon's lower half with a double leg take down, dropping the microphone while doing so. When he did, he quickly transitioned, turning Shannon onto her stomach, trapping her in the Walls of Jericho. She tapped expeditiously. With it being a house show, and trying to give the fans a great time, Chris kept the hold in for a solid two minutes. Every time Shannon tried making an effort to crawl towards the bottom ropes, he'd pull her back in the center of the ring.

Ultimately, he released the hold, and the crowd resumed cheering for him. When Shannon got up, she grabbed her championship title a second time. She couldn't hit Natalya with it, so figured in character, with a distracted Chris Jericho milking the pops from the fans, she would succeed here.

"Raaaaaah!" The crowd roared.

She was wrong. The only thing Shannon succeeded in doing was taking a Codebreaker, and as a result, like Natalya once was, laid unconscious in the center of the ring. The audience ate that shit up, and thoroughly enjoyed the moment. Chris then proceeded to humorously step over Shannon to pick the microphone back up that was dropped when he executed his submission hold on Shannon.

Chris cut a promo. He talked about how much he missed Canada, and was going to give fans "the gift of Jericho," so they ought to "drink it in maaaan." His gift was that he would be competing in the main event of the house show against NXT Heavyweight Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura.

It was a win-win for everyone involved. Paul granted Chris some live events, which he preferred nowadays to television. And the fans got to see yet another "first time ever" match, first with the women's "Champion versus Champion" bout, and later with Shinsuke and Chris facing off.


	38. Chapter Thirty Eight: Next In Line

**Author's Notes for June** **5** **th** **, 2017:**

I attended the Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View last night, which prompted me to publish the next chapter. Shout out to **Beagle Brother** for giving me something special to use in the update. You should know what it is. If you forgot, PM me, and I'll remind you.

Well I was wrong about #AdamColeBayBay appearing at #NXTChicago. However, it was quite cool seeing the NXT staff take a page from my book not only with Ciampa's turn, but doing it at the end of the show like I chose to do in this story weeks ago. Hats off to everyone involved piecing together the angle. Well done.

We have yet another in #WrestlingHeaven at just six months into the year. Rest in peace to "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers who passed away on May 16th at the age of 65. Somers for some time was a part of a tag-team with a wrestler by the name of "Playboy" Buddy Rose. The two men had some solid matches with the Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Janetty) in the AWA in the 1980s. Some of the classic bouts-including bloodbaths-with "Playboy" and "Pretty boy" helped put Shawn and Marty on the map, and gain attention from other promoters. Other than hearing about Somers suing the WWE some time ago over a dispute concerning royalties for footage of AWA matches he was featured in, I don't believe Doug Somers made any significant news in the wrestling world since retiring from the ring itself (aside from sporadic appearances at independent shows working as a valet or commentator).

 **Special note** (A repost from an updated Author's Note posted at the conclusion of Chapter One on May 25th, 2017):

It has been brought to my attention that events in the surrounding AU of the Broken Arrow story have been intentionally and suddenly changed by its author. It is in this world where WTS serves as a prequel into the introduction of Shannon Storm, who makes her way into the Broken Arrow story. The author has done so due to a long falling out about their deliberate refusal to retain commitments (and give proper acknowledgement to contributors, including myself and others) of actual written plot ideas, scenes, and chapters, set in stone and agreed upon well over two years ago. As a result, what you folks are reading in Weathering The Storm remain true to the original intended creative as it pertains to core events regarding Shannon's foil, Ronda Rousey. Anyone reading WTS prior to the Spring of 2017 has had the opportunity to see the world as originally landscaped if they checked out Broken Arrow back then.

Unfortunately, for those of you who are new to WTS, and are referring to actual Broken Arrow chapters currently as we speak, (reading it and WTS simultaneously), the author's backhanded tactics of altering and reversing history may seem both confusing, and classless. I wouldn't disagree with you. I however, do not intend to plan literary whack-a-mole with this project.

Rather than revising stories and profiles to satisfy a bruised ego like a former collaborator of mine has done, I will continue to take the higher road. I will complete WTS (and it's sequel) as intended from certain core events outlined and finalized in 2015. No need to worry about me disguising doing substantial edits as adhering to a new, polished, standard of grammar and punctuation, when what I really am doing is deceptively changing PLOT and/or CONTENT. If that's what I was actually doing, I would just come out and say so; rather than conveniently update my profile again and remove the acknowledgement of what I just did once I completed my true objective. The author of Broken Arrow is aware I assisted with grammar and punctuation errors for them before they uploaded chapters of that story; in fact, it was per their request for me to proofread. "Beta" was the name they referred to me as on those tasks. And that's IN ADDITION to the literal content I contributed. So I know for a fact that was merely an excuse for them to return to the story and make changes out of spite. And unsurprisingly, I was proven correct.

For those of you who have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy WTS, I thank you for dropping by for as long and as often as you have. I welcome you to remain on the ride. For those who would rather depart, that too, is your choice. Either way, WTS will march on.

* * *

 **October 16th, 2017**

 **Calgary, Alberta, Canada**

 **10:18 AM**

Tyler caught a flight through United Airlines at 1:25 AM in route to Toronto, Ontario. He finished his live event in St. Louis three hours prior at 10:30 PM the night before, but his flight to Canada wasn't for a few hours. The other flight options were four hour durations or better for his arrival because of split time stopping between cities. Tyler was opposed to that, and wanted to get in Toronto the quickest way possible; so he could get some hours of rest, even if just a little.

Therefore, while at the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, Tyler caught a non-stop flight with United Airlines to the Lester B. Pearson Airport. This flight would land in Toronto in two hours and ten minutes. He had plans for the entire day with Shannon. So there wasn't much he wanted to do at 3:35 AM when he arrived, other than sleep. And that's what Tyler did.

"Where are we going?" asked Shannon, who had been in the rental car with Tyler driving through the city for about ten or fifteen minutes.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" Tyler asked sarcastically, before taking his eye off the road for a quick second to smile at Shannon's pouting.

Apparently, pouting didn't work. Shannon didn't get an answer to the destination. So she tried something else.

"Probably to a hockey game," she mumbled. "Hockey is to Canadians what burgers are to Americans during summer barbeques."

Crickets. He continued to drive.

"What?" Shannon asked, turning to him with a raised eyebrow. "Was that a horrible analogy?"

"Given that hockey is a sport, and a hamburger is a type of food," he began with a smirk. "Yes, Shannon. I'd say that's a bad analogy. You were better off saying hockey is to Canadians what baseball _used_ to be for Americans: a past time. That is until American football took over."

"I guess you're right," Shannon agreed with a sigh. "That was pretty dumb what I said, huh? Your analogy had more synergy, and congruence."

"I wouldn't say it's that serious to articulate so eloquently, but yeah, mine was better," Tyler agreed, and nodded. "More sameness with my comparisons."

"Where are we headed?" She questioned again, tweaking the way she asked him. Maybe if he revealed where they were _headed_ , she could figure out on her own, where they'd end up.

"Still not telling," he teased and lifted the index finger of his right hand on the steering wheel fourteen degrees north, before swiveling it sideways.

"But I was quite giving this morning for breakfast," Shannon whined rubbing his leg, reflecting on their session of oral sex. It wasn't a literal meal, but was appetizing all the same.

"You owed me for three hours of sleep," He retorted.

He slept until 6:30 AM, then just cuddled with Shannon for another half hour. That's when he dropped a bombshell, stunning Shannon by telling her that they had a flight to catch to a different city in Canada. A city that they'd arrive in roughly three hours. At 7:00 AM, they left the Lester B. Pearson International Airport with a non-stop flight from the WestJet Airline to the Calgary International Airport.

And just before they left for the airport, Shannon gave him some relief below the belt.

"You suck!" Shannon yelled, still bratty about him not revealing where they were going.

"No. You did actually," Tyler corrected her, and started to laugh again. "Swallowed too. _Twice_."

Shannon blushed, and remained silent the rest of the drive. He was right-about each instance.

* * *

 **Twelve Minutes Later**

 **7130 Barlow Trail S.E.**

 **Calgary, Alberta, Canada**

"Close your eyes," Tyler requested as he and Shannon exited the now parked rental car. "I will guide you out. I promise you won't hurt yourself."

"Okay," Shannon said with closed eyes, as she flailed her hand around aimlessly like a newly born bird, trying to figure out just what exactly wings were, and how to use them.

"Here we are," he said navigating her after walking several paces. "Aaaand...now you can open."

"Whoah!" Shannon said as she gasped. "Storm Wrestling Academy. Wow, looks incredible."

"It's even better on the inside," Tyler replied, grabbing her hand, and they continued to walk up towards the entrance. "I remember in August when we were together in Brooklyn, you asked me what was the most impactful moment of my career."

"You said it was the moment everything clicked for your character," She replied. "The in-ring talent was always there. But the _character_ , the _gimmick_ , and all the little pieces took time to mold as one. You said when management got behind you the same way you got over with the crowd, it was an awesome feeling."

"I did, and you said some pretty amazing things to me about my value in the company, my leadership, and desire," Tyler said, stopping when they were two feet from the entrance door. He rubbed her knuckles. "Your words meant a lot to me as well. You weren't here in developmental for as long as I was to see my ups and downs in the flesh. And yet, the way we connected during that date, it was like you were here with me the entire time. You could appreciate from afar my perseverance and passion. You didn't view me as a dead-end jobber."

"I admired your journey regardless of how long it took," Shannon replied, staring intently into his blue eyes. "I know you worked your ass off, and earned that call-up."

"I know, and I thank you for that," He responded, returning her gaze. "That's why I brought you here. Because I know you recognize and thrive on drive, I figured you'd want to see where it _truly_ began for me. And that's right here in this building."

Shannon's green eyes started to water a little. Like Tyler, she was a life-long wrestling fan, and felt compelled to pursue it as a career. She was finally employed by the number one employer of her chosen occupation. She was surrounded by a pool of talented peers she could put on awesome shows with for the fans. She received her first ever championship a couple of months ago. And had a great boyfriend as a wonderful strawberry on top. Life couldn't really be any sweeter for her right now.

Shannon unclenched her fingers from Tyler, and reached up for his neck, pulling him down for a kiss.

"I lo-" She started, but was interrupted by a door bursting open. It caused her to jump from the embrace with him, following their kiss.

"Hey, Mattias!" Yelled Lance Evers, known to many wrestling fans by his wrestling persona of "Lance Storm." He was the owner and head trainer of Storm Wrestling Academy. "Great to see you. You make me proud every time you're on my screen."

That was the second time Shannon was about to tell Tyler she loved him. She almost got it out in June at Takeover: Passion. And it nearly happened here. She loved him for a long time, and in conversation she mentioned it, but it was just expressed differently when it came out of her mouth. Phrases like "my love for you," or "the love I have for you," he heard her say. But the direct articulation of "I love you," had yet to spew from her lips. Something, or in this case, _someone_ always got in the way.

"Thanks Lance. I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Shannon," Tyler said after Shannon turned towards the older man with the shaved head.

"Pleasure," Lance said after extending his right hand out to Shannon, waiting for her left. After five seconds elapsed, she offered it to him. She was shaking off the markdom.

"Likewise," She responded, shaking his hand.

"So am I your uncle, or long lost cousin?" Lance inquired, as he gestured for the couple to enter the building, holding the door for them as they walked through. Lance knew who she was. He watched NXT.

"Pardon?" Shannon questioned, rather confused. She had no idea what she missed.

"Your name babe," Tyler responded after laughing. "Your ring name."

"Oh, right," Shannon said, blushing, then softly slapping her forehead. "Actually, when coming up with that name, something, or rather a certain person was on my mind at the time," She added, alluding to the giant buzz around WWE's most popular female talent at the time, Ronda Rousey. She departed the company amid lots of scrutiny and a firestorm of controversy.

"No offense taken," Lance said, while they were passing through the main hall. "Just a small joke."

"Yeah, the Storm name had nothing to do with you initially," She reiterated. "I don't say that as an insult. A separate issue bugged me, which became the catalyst for the name. Then once I came up with it, I loved it so much that I found it easy to add layers of a gimmick to: both from a character standpoint, and creatively with promos, names of moves, and the like."

"Makes sense, makes sense," Lance agreed and nodded.

"Though, if I can be serious for a minute," Shannon started, and the two men stopped dead in their tracks with laughter. It was one of Lance's most infamous lines to every promo he delivered.

"Between the three of us, _you_ , not Shawn Michaels, had the best superkick," She continued and he laughed. "And this is coming from an HBK fangirl. God, especially in your ECW work! Incredible matches."

"Thank you, thank you," Lance said, and lightly tapped Shannon on the shoulder. "Matt, I think I like this one. Keep her."

"Thanks, I think I will," Tyler said, winking at Shannon before everyone started walking again.

Shannon stopped when she saw a framed photo blown up.

"Holy cow!" She exclaimed staring at the picture painstakingly. "I recognize this… from…Jericho's second or third book."

"Yep, Chris took a full two years off from the crazy road schedule that comes with being a WWE Superstar," Said Lance, who stopped when Shannon stopped to share the story behind the photo. "When he contacted Vince about returning in the fall of 2007, while the WWE was working on Creative, Chris came to Calgary that summer to train at my school. While I was teaching my students, he was getting himself reacclimated to taking bumps. It wasn't easy at first. But he got back in the swing of things. We took this photo after a session."

"Check out the hot blonde in the front on the right hand side," Tyler noted with a grin.

"Ha, wow that's you babe?" Shannon asked. Chris Jericho was a hot blonde. But he wasn't on the right side. He was in the center.

"Yup, that's me a decade ago," He confirmed. "I believe I'm the only one from that particular class of students who 'made it.' Some were lazy, not advancing from their potential. Some weren't tough enough and quit."

"He's right," Lance confirmed, before checking his watch. "Hey, I've got a class at 11:00. Do you two want to stick around to watch me teach, talk to the kids, or get a little hands on?"

Shannon turned to Tyler who quickly nodded. Lance gave so much to him. Why would he refuse an opportunity to impart wisdom on the next batch of hopefuls at his school?

"We don't have any gear on us right now," Shannon said with hesitation. "It's at the hotel."

"Do you see my facility?" Lance asked with wit. "Top-notch. I have a few pairs of sweats from my store on Pro Wrestling Tees dot com. I assure you they're clean because they're brand new. Every month I have a variety of sizes brought to the building in case anyone needs them. I have some gently used boots and pads in storage you can borrow as well. Some are donated from retired wrestlers. Some I find in second-hand, or thrift stores in the sporting goods section. I don't have any half-sizes in though. So if you're a whatever and a half, just grab a pair that's the next size up."

"Well, in that case, deal me in," She replied.

"Cool, I'll take you to storage for the gear and sweats," He began, throwing an arm around his protégé Tyler, as they resumed walking. "Matt can show you where the lockers are to get changed. The day group should be here in fifteen minutes."

Tyler and Shannon ended up staying for the full two-hour session with Lance's students. Lance's school emphasized the wrestling aspect of professional wrestling. It's a concept that the average person would assume should be a given, but most schools didn't emphasize it as heavily. Trainers understand a majority of their trainees' goals are to become WWE Superstars, who cater to entertainment. For that reason, some trainers will limit the fundamentals in the ring for their students, opting to focus on character and showmanship.

Lance however, was the exact opposite. In fact, Storm Wrestling Academy's motto was "Putting the _sport_ back into 'Sports Entertainment.' " The point being, if your goal was to become a great wrestler, where technique, precision, and ability were paramount to you, and more important than character, then you came to the right place. Shannon loved that about Lance's school. While she was a proud American, she had to give credit where credit was due: not every American professional wrestling school placed entertainment over wrestling. But more often than not, it was never doubted how serious, passionate, and elite Canadian and Japanese dojos were to the molding and honing of the physical craft and athleticism of pro-wrestling. No wonder she ended up falling for a Canadian.

After about twelve minutes in the ring with one group of students, Shannon had to retrieve headgear from Lance. The students were grappling so attentively and aggressively that she could feel herself getting cauliflower ears. Before things got too drastic where she needed to visit a hospital to get fluid drained from her ears, she paused on the side of caution. Once the headgear was strapped on, she resumed the class until she and Tyler were ready to go.

* * *

 **Three Hours Later**

 **Ricoh Coliseum**

 **Toronto, Ontario, Canada**

 **4:13 PM**

After Shannon and Tyler finished up with the students at Lance's school, they stayed in Calgary for lunch. They had their meal at Charcut Roast House in Alberta. It served a variety of Canadian, American, contemporary, and gluten-free options.

Once they finished their meal, it was time to hop back on WestJet to fly to Toronto again. Upon their arrival in the city, Tyler took them to an arena he was familiar with that Shannon hadn't been to.

"Welcome to the Ricoh Coliseum," Tyler said after removing his hands from Shannon's face. Last time he told her to close her eyes in Calgary. This time around he did the honors for her, in the event she'd be a little defiant and noncompliant.

The Ricoh Coliseum was the venue the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League played their games.

"Ha, I knew it. I knew we'd see hockey before the day was through!" Shannon exclaimed. "Has the season started yet? What team's are we watching? NHL's not my thing."

"It's fairly early into it, but yes the season has started" Tyler began. "Playoffs aren't until the spring. This isn't NHL though; it's AHL, and we're not watching a game today."

"What's the AHL?" She asked as she looked at the barren venue. "And what do you mean we're 'not watching a game'? This is a hockey rink, is it not?"

"AHL stands for American Hockey League," He answered. "Toronto's NHL team is the Maple Leafs. They play in a bigger arena called Air Canada Centre. Where we are is a smaller spot, where their top minor league team plays. The Marlies."

"Kind of like how we have NXT for developmental before people graduate to the main roster?" She inquired.

"Bingo!" He exclaimed before leading her to one side of the penalty box. "That's exactly what a farm system is like. The AHL is their NXT. NHL is their main roster. And we're not watching a game-"

He opened up the penalty box door.

"Because we'll be playing one," He continued. "You and me, one on one. I have a friend who works security here. I called him a few days ago. He put me in contact with the right folks to rent the rink for 90 minutes, skates, and equipment on short notice. Good thing we went to Calgary to get sweats from Lance. Because I didn't even think about clothes for you. This would be bad in a dress."

Within six minutes, Shannon and Tyler had on the helmets, gloves, skates, and pads. Tyler grabbed a puck and hockey sticks for them. He removed the covers to their blades, and proceeded to the ice. He made it to the center of the rink, but Shannon wasn't there. She kept falling on the way over.

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't skate?" Tyler asked turning around, to see how far behind she was.

"Because you didn't tell me we would be in a rink!" She yelled as she zig- zagged, and extended her arms trying to balance. "I haven't had skates on since I was...maybe 4. And they were roller skates."

"Totally different ball game," He said. "Rollerblades help prepare you for ice-skating. They're in-line, like ice-skates. _Roller Skates_ are for pussies. It's like a bike with training wheels."

"Well I guess it's good I have a pussy then, huh?" She asked sarcastically. "Whoooah!"

She fell. This was the eigth time. He skated over to her, intentionally waiting before offering to guide her up.

"You look cute on your knees," Tyler said with a grin. "It's a hotter visual when my dick is in your mouth though from this angle."

"I don't have anything to say about your dick right now," Shannon said, planting her gloved hands down trying to press herself up. "I...I…"

She fell again.

"Baby, help me!" She cried.

"This is what I'd be doing if I wasn't wrestling," He responded while holding a gloved hand out to her and skating backwards, pulling her forward as he did so. "Playing pro-hockey."

"I don't understand hockey," She whined, staring at the puck he dropped, before he presented her a hockey stick.

"You're from Maryland, right?" He asked rhetorically, and she nodded. "You guys have like a perennial stranglehold on lacrosse there. So many collegiate powerhouse lacrosse teams come from that state. Try to think of hockey as lacrosse on ice. We just have pucks instead of balls."

"I don't do lacrosse either," She mumbled.

"Alright. Well, fine. I'll explain things as we go along," Tyler reassured her. "Don't sweat it."

Shannon admitting she had no knowledge of hockey or lacrosse played strongly to Tyler's advantage. While her skating and balance improved a little bit the longer she was on the ice with him, the gameplay did not. Part of that was because Tyler was making up rules and penalties as he went along. One of the "rules" he said existed was the first person to score a goal, earned the right to drive to the opposing side with an open net and no goaltender, rather than a face-off for the next possession.

Bullshit like that he did all throughout their session in the rink. Shannon didn't know any better. For all she knew, that was the way the game was played. She believed what he said.

Shannon at least knew hockey had an aggressive side to it. It was a contact sport. At one point she swung her stick at Tyler in an effort to slow his speed down from skating. She ended up hitting his leg.

"Aaah!" He screamed, as he dropped down, tossing his stick, removing his gloves, and rolling on his back.

"Oh my God, sweetheart, I am so sorry!" Shannon apologized vehemently, skating over to him.

Tyler growled.

Not even caring about the cold, she sat on the ice.

"Baby, where does it hurt?" She inquired. "Tell me where the pain is."

"My knee, the right one," He answered with a hiss.

"Shit, that's the one you got surgery on in the summer!" She said in an outburst, and started to cry. "I...I don't...if you get setback on the main roster again...and it's all because of me, I..."

Tyler groaned again.

"Can I touch it?" Shannon asked leaning forward. "Let's see if you can put pressure on it-"

"Laps!" He screamed.

"What? Ty we've gotta' see if you can put pressure on it to figure out how bad it is-" Shannon was cut off again.

"Laps!" Tyler repeated. "You have to do five laps around the rink, goal post to goal post for striking a defenseless defender."

No such rule existed, despite sounding official.

"I don't care about penalties right now," Shannon said shaking her head violently. "I care about you and your knee. 45 to 3 sounds like a formidable win for you anyhow."

Another thing Tyler made up was scoring. One goal was supposed to mean one point. Tyler though, told Shannon one goal was three points. She scored once, giving her three points. He scored fifteen times, accumulating forty five points.

"Do your laps first, and then we can go to a hospital to see a Doc," he commanded. "It's just five laps. I can wait while you do them."

Against better judgment, Shannon did what he said, and by lap three, Tyler miraculously made improvement. Not only had he stopped groaning, and wincing. He was no longer clutching his knee, or even leg at large. Tyler wasn't in a fetal position either. Tyler was sitting upright, on the ice. And a smile was erected on his face.

"You were _faking_ it this _entire_ time?" Shannon asked bewildered. "You asshole! I felt like shit for these past ten minutes, thinking I hurt you!"

"You should've seen the look on your face, babe," He said, rising up. "It-"

"Was a look of genuine concern, a look of empathy, of regret," She said, folding her arms cutting him off. "I don't believe you right now!"

Tyler picked up his gloves and hockey stick, and skated over to Shannon. He grabbed her stick and removed the gloves from her hands, and packed them in the bag he retrieved from the penalty box. Then he returned to her, hugging her closely. She didn't resist his embrace, partly because she didn't trust her skating skills. Even though Shannon was upset, she probably would fall if she brushed away from him. But she did turn her head.

"Why are you getting so emotional?" Tyler asked and received no response from his girlfriend. "We're pro-wrestlers Shannon. We work people all the time. Calm down. It's no big deal. Relax."

He didn't get it. Sure, it was part of their job selling injuries in angles to set up getting people over and advancing storylines. But this was no script she knew about in advance. She legitimately thought she caused him injury on a body part she knew he had operated on. On a body part she remembered playing nurse to him when he was in rehab. She remembered giving him pep-talks on days his mood was low because the injury came at a time he was recently called up to the main roster. Being the recipient of a big push, the injury couldn't had come at a worse time.

Shannon would've been gutted to know she took time away from him doing what they both loved. For Tyler, this was harmless fun, a rib, a practical joke. It carried more weight with her.

* * *

 **Wasaga Beach**

 **Ontario, Canada**

 **11:05 PM**

Eventually they left Ricoh Coliseum, got changed, and made plans for dinner. Tyler apologized, and wanted to make it up to her. Men and women thought differently. Tyler admitted he did not view the situation as serious as Shannon, but in hindsight, probably should have.

At 7:30 PM, they had dinner at a Thai Restaurant. Shannon wasn't a gold digger. While Tyler purchased their tickets to fly to and from Calgary the same day, Shannon covered her own meal at Katmani's. It was Tyler's choice to attend the Thai spot for their meal.

Katmanis was a Thai restaurant that had a good selection of Asian-inspired home cooking with fresh, natural, and chemical-free ingredients. It received great reviews from natives of Toronto as well as tourists. Because it wasn't summer, it was considered an "off-season" at Katmanis. So Shannon and Tyler got to experience a very quiet, cozy atmosphere, and had an opportunity to really appreciate the restaurant's immaculate decor.

Tyler shared the crab rangu appetizer. As for entrées, Shannon had the Palo Thai. Tyler had the Pad Thai, which was quite spicier. Despite the contrasts of heat in their cuisine, both were excellent choices, and Shannon picked up the tab for their dessert.

To make up for upsetting Shannon, causing her to believe she injured him during hockey, after dinner, Tyler took Shannon two hours North of Toronto to Wasaga Beach. Wasaga Beach was home to the longest freshwater beach in the world, and welcomed more than two million visitors every summer. The hot tourist spot in Ontario stretched more than fourteen kilometers (or a little over eight-and-half miles) of Nottawasaga Bay.

Part of the appeal of Wasaga was its size. Because it was so massive, rather than one, it was actually divided into six smaller white sandy beaches. Tyler spent two hours showing Shannon around beaches one through three. She got to see the places there that drew a lot of attention from the larger crowds, including some boating, fishing, and canoeing trails alongside the Nottawasaga River. He also told her neat stories about each location's tourist attraction's history among its perspective beach.

Another neat fun fact was that Edge and Christian spent time living in Wasaga Beach during college and their early days of professional wrestling training.

Presently, they were in a beach away from the six major ones of Wasaga for a more private and quiet evening. Still not bored or tired, Tyler decided they actually take a walk on the beach, not just the pedestrian-friendly portion with curbs and streets, along the city lines. It was October, but it was Indian Summer, a time in the fall where summer temperatures lingered on through the autumn season. Currently, it was 79 degrees. They were talking.

"You know that talk we had about not being insecure?" Shannon started, as she reached for Tyler's right hand. "I think I may have changed my mind on that."

"Yeah, and why's that?" Tyler asked, intertwining their fingers once he felt Shannon's left hand extend for his right. "Are you cheating on me?"

"What? No!" She screamed. "I thought maybe you were cheating on me. Pam showed me some fifteen second clip on...was it Periscope, Vine...err, I don't know what it was. And granted it was like three weeks ago, you and your band were having a jolly 'ol time with _and_ _on_ one another."

Shannon was referring to a time Tyler's band, The Retro Mechanics, had a concert. It wasn't on a day-off. Lots of WWE Superstars multi-tasked, and did side projects while maintaining their wrestling schedule. Dolph Ziggler was one of them who would perform at late-night comedy clubs a few times a month after house shows. Chris Jericho was another one who performed with his band Fozzy while still being a WWE Superstar. The Miz hosted a fantasy football radio show on Sirius XM during the regular season of the NFL.

In the clip Shannon was referring to, Tyler was on the floor of the stage, flat on his back singing a song. While there, his bass player, who was female, knelt on her knees and planted her pelvis at his face while playing guitar.

"It's just entertainment Shannon," Tyler defended himself, addressing Shannon's jealousy. "No different than you getting a rise out of that one dude at karaoke."

"Oh, I guess Pam told you about that," Shannon said through a blush.

"Yes, she did," He confirmed.

"The ladies were all nice when you introduced me to them in Brooklyn before you opened for Fozzy Summerslam weekend," She began. "But after seeing that clip, I'm not sure how I feel about five women in your band, and you're the only man."

"Well, you know," Tyler started, and shrugged his shoulders. "We may break up. I've gotta' keep my options open, and remind them of my availability."

Shannon unclenched her left hand from him, and stopped walking. She was silent.

"What?" He questioned with a smirk. She still didn't say anything. "What?"

 _Did he just basically imply that he was making advances on the chicks in his band on purpose? He's essentially mapping out his hookups blatantly to me, insinuating our relationship's demise. Ugh, men._

Seeing that he traveled about twenty steps, and Shannon hadn't made any since she unclenched her hand, Tyler turned around and jogged back to her.

"I'm joking, I'm joking," He assured her. "Besides the broads in my band aren't my type."

"Female's your type," said Shannon, who finally broke her silence.

"Females," Tyler began with a nod. "Who _aren't_ lesbian," He added.

"I'm sorry," Shannon apologized, raising her right palm to his left cheek and caressed it.

"It's okay," He said with a smile to her. "Jealousy can be a bit of turn on though. I dig it. Makes it more apparent that I'm wanted."

"Ha!" Shannon laughed as she removed her hand from his face. "Speaking of being wanted, I got asked to the prom by a boy in Victoria."

"Did you turn the loser down nicely?" Tyler asked.

"No," Shannon responded, and shook her head horizontally. "I didn't turn him down at all. I said I'd go."

Now Tyler was the one who stopped dead in his tracks.

"What the hell do you mean you said you told him you'd go?" Tyler questioned and snapped.

His tone went from playful to angry. "I thought you were done fucking kids? Have you forgotten about that one guy who showed up at Full Sail who made you all anxious and distraught? I know I haven't forgotten what you told me about him. This is a _bad_ idea. You should find out how to contact him, and tell him you changed your mind."

"No, no, no, no, calm down," She replied and reached for both of Tyler's hands, massaging his knuckles with her thumbs. "It's not like that. He wasn't creepy, and annoying. It was innocent courtship. He mapped out this whole plan with his friends where they'd cut class, peep out all these gyms in Victoria, in hopes of spotting me. When they did, the guy sings to me, while his buddies back him up on music, and recording the entire deal. It was a promposal."

"A what?" He asked.

"A promposal," She repeated.

"I've never heard of that," said Tyler.

"Neither had I 'til he told me about it," Shannon said. "It's this really nice gesture where the boys plan an intricate way of asking a girl out to prom. It's their way of doing something elaborate and dramatic as tribute to their understanding of how intense the drama and costs of prom can be."

"Oh, well, it sounds like something a girl would find cute," He began. "But you could've just snapped a picture with him, and left it at that."

"Now _you're_ getting jealous," Shannon said still holding his hands, but stood up on her toes to lean up and kiss him. "At least I was jealous about _women_ in your band. This is a _teen_ _boy_. If I get approval from the WWE, I'm doing it. It's one night, not even a full night, but a few hours. He'll turn 16 the next day. It'll make his weekend!"

"So where's the rest of the Canadian tour for you?" Tyler questioned, changing the subject, and no longer interested in his girlfriend making plans for a venture with yet another teenager she didn't know personally.

"Edmonton-Alberta in the Clareview Community Recreation Centre," She replied. "Next up would be the Rozsa Centre in Calgary-Alberta, and finishing at the Charles A. Barbour Arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba."

"That last one in Winnipeg rings a bell," He said. "It's a decent, functional arena. But it doesn't have the best lighting. And they have really tiny dressing rooms."

"We'll manage," Shannon remarked simply, and they started walking again.

"I'm sure you will," Tyler said calmly. "So did you like Lance's school?"

"Yes I did. It was great," She replied warmly. "Thank you for taking me. Not just checking out the academy, but meeting Lance too."

"You're welcome," He replied. "Lance is _very_ honest. Too honest for some. He will tell you when you're wrong, when wrong. But he'll try his hardest to get you to learn and do things properly, afterwards."

"Good balance, and I have appreciation for stern instructors," Shannon noted in regards to Tyler's comment about Lance being direct in his evaluation of students. "How much does he charge students at SWA?"

"$4,250 for twelve weeks," said Tyler. "He takes you from zero to moderate experience, to working full matches."

"Gees, almost four and a half grand is pretty steep to expect a someone 16 or 17 to kick out," She said with a hiss. She wasn't in physical pain. That was just the instinctive audible noise that escaped her mouth when she heard the price tag. "They're probably too young or immature to get a job that pays them enough where that figure is feasible to pay."

"Well for starters, Lance doesn't take anyone under 18," He began, holding a finger up with the opposite hand not holding hers. Eventually, he stopped moving, and gestured for them to sit in the sand. Since Shannon had on a dress, he assisted her first. Then he lowered himself to sit. "Students must be 18 and up, and sign a waiver. As far as the cost goes, he does offer a bit of a payment plan."

"How does it work?" Shannon asked as she watched Tyler fold his legs, kicking off his brown loafers just before he did.

"There's a $2,250 down payment with $1,000 payments due after weeks four and eight," Tyler explained. "A $500 deposit will reserve your place in a session, and an additional $500 payment is due two months before training begins."

"Wait, so his students are pushing five grand now?" She interrogated, wondering where Lance's motives were with the math. He appeared to be a stand-up guy, and she knew training wrestlers was his line of work for over a decade. But at the same time, she hoped Lance wasn't taking advantage of prospects.

"No, no, no, no, no," He defended his fellow Canadian and initial instructor. "Those separate $500 deposits are meant to avoid last minute cancellations. Both are applied to your tuition cost, so it is not a payment increase. It still totals the $4,250. The cost is also an incentive to recruit the most committed students. Lance likes to keep the class size at a reasonable number to ensure adequate ring time for everyone involved."

"Oh, okay, I was hoping he wasn't scamming the kids," Shannon said.

"Not at all," Tyler once again defended Lance. "He wouldn't do that. He's not that type of guy. He had a nice gig training folks in developmental at OVW in the early 2000s for a bit. He wasn't fired from the WWE. He left on his own, and with his own money went back home to form his own wrestling school to give back to Canucks...or any other marks around the world who sought to learn from him. There's a discounted price for anyone who pays up front though."

"How much?" She asked, folding her legs too as Tyler did. Her dress was long, so unfortunately for him, even with a slight breeze, he didn't get a thigh gap show.

"$3,750," Tyler announced.

"We have something similar to a discounted price, where I was trained," She revealed.

"Yeah?" He asked. "How'd it work out for you?"

"Well for starters, MCW _does_ allow minors to train," Shannon answered. "The youngest we take is 16. 16 and 17 year olds in addition to the waiver you alluded to signing, also have to bring in a consent form from their parents or guardians. The parents or guardians also have to be present for all interviews with the trainer, as well as the time of enrollment."

"I guess Lance didn't want to have to deal with the potential stress that could come with younger folks and parents," Tyler thought aloud. "Did you start that young?"

"Nope," She responded, scooting a few inches forward, reaching her hands across Tyler's legs, rubbing his knees. She knew they weren't hurt. This was more of a comforting embrace. "I went through high school and college before getting trained. As a matter of fact, I trained while in college, during my last year."

"That had to be intense, huh?" He inquired. "Training to be a wrestler, a good one especially, is challenging on its own. Hard for me to imagine doing that and university."

"Like anything worth having, it's worth pursuing," Shannon answered. "But to your point, it made for a heck of conversation between my parents when the warmer months came. I couldn't exactly hide the rope burn and whiplash marks across my flesh during the early stages of training, before my body adapted to the feeling of running ropes and hitting the canvas."

Tyler chuckled.

"Yeah, they didn't know I was training to become a pro-wrestler. But the way I saw it, I played the game their way. I stayed in school, got good grades, and no-one's perfect, but I think I turned out to be a decent human being. So it was my turn. I made the decision to pursue what I always knew I wanted to do-like much of us who are in it-since being a fan as a kid. My parents aren't millionaires, but we didn't starve either. They certainly could afford paying for my training, gear, and travel for bookings. But I never approached them on the subject. I paid for my training all on my own while still going to college. I was covert with it. Didn't give them the news until training was over and I graduated."

"Impressive," Tyler said with a smile. "How much was training?"

"$2,000," She said.

"That's it?!" He exclaimed. "What a bargain!"

"It's a bit more than that," She began with a grin. "We break our training down into two parts: Beginners and Advanced. In Beginners, students pay $2,000 up front, and for twelve weeks are taught about conditioning and ring shape, chain wrestling, and bumping. After the twelve weeks, they make the decision on whether or not professional wrestling is for them. If it isn't, that's it. You walk. No refunds for your initial training. You just leave the business."

"And obviously it was for you," Tyler responded with a half of grin.

"Yeah, those twelve weeks went by in a jiffy," Shannon said warmly in reflection. "I went to college in Pennsylvania, and my training center was in my home state of Maryland. I commuted twice a week for twelve weeks straight in that Beginners' session."

"Wait, twelve weeks for a beginners' group?" He asked bewildered. "My sessions with Lance were twelve weeks _total_. There was no Beginners or Advanced group. It was progressed over the course of the twelve weeks from novice to experience, to advanced. And we didn't train twice a week. We trained five days a week! Lance has four sessions a year for each twelve week period, in addition to making guest trainer appearances at other organizations."

"Well I guess that explains why Lance's school is so much more expensive," She said with a contemplative look. "It was boom, boom, boom for you guys. Twelve weeks, non-stop, with the exception of the weekends."

"Exactly," Tyler agreed. "Tight, but _efficient_ ship. Anyway, back to your journey."

"So after the twelve week Beginners' session, if you still have the bug, the Advanced session costs $1,500," Shannon replied. "With the Advanced session, as an incentive for going straight through, you don't have to pay the $1,500 up front. You can start with the $500 deposit, then pay your $1,000. Advanced is where we're taught about ring psych in depth, perfect our movesets, and work matches. Not only do we wrestle those in the regular MCW roster, but other independent national and international stars too. That includes former TNA, WWE, and ROH talent who swing by for our indie shows. We piece all aspects of our training together in 'Advanced' as we prep for our professional wrestling debuts in front of a live audience of fans."

"So $3,500 total?" He asked.

"Over time, yes," Shannon answered. "But like at SWA, if you want to pay for the complete training all the way through, MCW offers what they call 'The Champions' Discount.' It's when you're serious, want to take a chance on yourself, have the cash, and want to go all-in. They knock off $500, and you just pay $3,000 up front. That's what I did. I also saved more money by not purchasing gear."

"MCW had some to loan you?" Tyler questioned.

"No. The staff will recommend some websites and stores to get gear from, but I just re-used my singlets and boots from my amateur wrestling career," She explicated. "Gilberg and Elsworth tweeted a picture to me for 'Throwback Thursday' a little over a month ago. It was when I was just starting out, working Maryland indies. Wore the boots out 'til they grew holes. Anywho, that was going to be my 'in.' I drafted this plan since I was around 10."

Shannon held her fingers out as she revealed her plan, and told him aloud.

"1. Try to start working out as a tween. Even if it's not intense, begin to familiarize yourself with a gym.

2\. See if you can do amateur wrestling in middle school. If not then, certainly for high school and college.

3\. Try to pick a major in college that deals with public speaking because it'll help with character and promos."

"Damn good list," He said with a smirk. "All due respect to Hunter and Jericho."

"Thanks. Amateur wrestling was going to be my base for an athletic background because it was the closest thing _physically_ to what I planned on doing _professionally_ ," She continued. "I needed to get the mechanics of grappling and footwork down. So once I made it to the world I always wanted to be in, I could quickly piece together the other things: character, promos, psychology, yada, yada. Picking Poly Sci and Comm as majors in college facilitated that."

"Very smart, I love that about you," said Tyler. "Like me, this was your dream since forever. You didn't give up on it. You penciled in small goals of how you were going to tackle it, and embraced the journey. The same way you're proud of me, I'm proud of you."

He leaned forward and pecked her lips.

"You said you commuted in and out of town between training and school," Tyler started, after pulling away from the peck exchange. "Did MCW have any housing arrangements for people who were looking for a bit more stability?"

"No. Students have to figure that out on their own, and just make the best decision based on their financial situation," Shannon replied. "Same when it came to gear."

"Well I was asking because Lance didn't make direct accommodations for us," He began while rubbing his hands against the sideburns of his hairline. He started to grow them out a bit more. They were well groomed however. They stopped at the base of his cheeks, but were not thick. "For people that wanted to be as close to the school as possible though, Lance purchased a house that he rented out to SWA students. It wasn't next door to the facility, but on a bus route near it."

"Oh that's nice of him," She responded. "I bet people who weren't native Canadians, or even Canadians who lived far from Calgary, took advantage of that. How much was rent?"

"For sure, for sure. Me being from BC, I needed to do it because that was a long trip," Tyler said, placing a hand at his chest. "Some of the Aussies, Brits, and Americans rented rooms in the house too. When I was there, rent was $1,800 for the twelve weeks. The house was fully furnished, with access to the telephone, cable, and Wifi."

"For a poor, struggling independent wrestler in the very early stages of their training, trying to learn the ropes, that's not a bad deal," Shannon explained. "That averages out to about $600 a month. Maybe $600 just for a room and not a full apartment to the outsider, is a lot of cash. But again, you have to take into account the close proximity to the school, and getting trained by one of the best who has contacts and friends in the biggest professional wrestling promotion on the planet."

"There you go," He said and nodded. "Lance went up on rent for the kids a few years ago. It's $1,850 now. But he increased it by $50 bucks because they made upgrades to high-speed internet, and added the WWE Network."

For the next three minutes they were quiet. They watched the waves dance on this uncharacteristically warm autumn evening. They listened to the light breeze whisper.

"You're doing it again," Shannon spoke, breaking the silence, and looking on at Tyler.

"Doing what?" Tyler asked returning her gaze.

"Like the night you were teaching me how to tie a bow-tie before we went to the Hall-Of-Fame," She responded. "The blue in your eyes is growing intense in shade. Usually when you're focused on something."

"Well I am focused," He admitted. "Focused on having a good time with you. Have you enjoyed yourself, spending the whole day with me?"

"I have," She answered. "Very much."

"Then I've succeeded," he said quickly, before turning his head back at the waves.

"It's so peaceful and gorgeous here in Wasaga," Shannon started before pausing to lick her lips. "I know it's corny, and you hear people talk about it in movies all the time, but I'd consider having sex on a beach."

Suddenly Shannon shrieked.

"Who says we can't?" Tyler asked seductively when he rapidly pulled Shannon from her seated position, and into his embrace. He laid on his back combing through her hair with his fingers, while she was on top of him resting on his chest.

"Isn't it illegal?" She asked.

It was a fair question to make. She hadn't had sex on a beach before. But was pretty sure it wasn't permissible even if she wanted to mark it off a bucket list.

"There are ways around that," He answered mischievously. "For starters, we're out here at night."

"Don't people still travel to beaches at dark?" Shannon questioned. "I don't think we're the only ones."

"Some do, but I lied to you a bit," Tyler remarked.

"About?" She asked, folding her fingers and pressing her fists together, forming a bridge to rest her chin on, while looking at her boyfriend.

"Remember how I said Wasaga was broken up into six beaches?" He asked. She didn't respond, figuring it was a rhetorical question. It was. "Those are only the main inland beaches. There are two additional, smaller, more private ones."

"I'm not the only one who maps things out I see," Shannon said, tracing his jawline with her manicured fingers.

"New Wasaga, and Allenwood, which are cut off from the Nottawasaga River, are the other beaches," Tyler explained. "Residents and tourists here are seasonal. And it's no longer 'seasonal.' "

Tyler lowered Shannon's face down to his, and they began to make out.

"Wait," She said stopping the lip-lock. "I don't want to get sand in my ass...or any other delicate crevice of mine."

"We can get a blanket," he said before engaging in the kiss again. It lasted for only twelve seconds before Shannon stopped again.

"We didn't bring a blanket with us, and I don't expect you to drive back to the hotel to steal one," Shannon pointed out.

"I will if I know I'm getting something out of it," Tyler replied while groping Shannon's bottom through her Bubblegum Pink flair-fit dress."

"What if we're in the middle of the act and a bug, or shelled animal crawls up on us?" She asked. "And I don't want you to just leave a condom on the sand for a seagull to fly by and swallow it tomorrow morning; or a human being to accidentally step on it. That's disgusting."

Tyler wasn't giving up.

"For the insects, we can grab a couple of umbrellas and open them up against the blanket, forming a barricade around us," He argued. "As for the condom, um, if you still have your IUD, that shouldn't be a problem. But when my load runs out of you and into the sand, ha-ha, yeah, I see what you're saying. That's not a pleasant surprise for a bystander to get their feet on."

Shannon started to squirm and shuffle, figuring this wasn't going to work out. Tyler pulled her back.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, don't get up, don't get up," Tyler begged. "We can still do it, but in the water, standing up. In the off chance we're spotted, from the waist up, it'll just look like we're embracing. No one could tell. And hey, the water will wash off the cum."

"You're so damn determined to make this happen," Shannon grinned against his face.

"You backing out?" He questioned.

"I'm game," She replied.

For the next five to six minutes Shannon and Tyler had a heavy makeout session. They groped and rubbed each other's sensitive areas heavily, doing what was necessary to heighten one another's arousal. Once Shannon was wet and Tyler was hard, Shannon kicked off her sandals. They each got up, and walked over to the water. They didn't travel severely out, careful not to pick a spot vulnerable to a high wave that would sweep them away. But Shannon and Tyler did manage to walk far enough to shield the intimate areas at their pelvis out of sight from unwarranted spectators.

Bending slightly, Shannon inserted her left wrist in the water and under her hips, peeling her matching pink panties off her body. Once she stepped out of them, her left arm ascended above the water, and quickly stuffed them in her cleavage. If it were up to Tyler, he probably would just push enough fabric to the side lazily, without removing her underwear at all. The problem with that was that for Shannon, depending on how long they went, or if a second round was on the horizon, it wouldn't be the most comfortable. Hence, her decision to remove them all together.

While Shannon was removing her underwear beneath her, Tyler had already unzipped and lowered his black slacks, as well as boxers of the same color. He didn't give Shannon the opportunity to leap into his arms. With his hands already at his sides, he reached under Shannon's dress, cupped her bottom, lifted her, and brought her pelvic bone to his. The union caused her to instinctively wrap her legs around his waist.

"Mhhmmm," Shannon groaned as Tyler slowly guided his manhood to her sexual tunnel.

"Aaaah, that's it baby, take it," said Tyler after a grunt while he continued to enter Shannon. "It's an amazing feeling. Your buoyancy in the water makes you much lighter than on land."

"Eh, eh, eh, eh," Shannon started to pant when Tyler began his stokes. "Are you calling me fat?"

"No sweetheart," He replied lowering his head to her shoulder, resting his chin on the cap sleeves of her dress as he continued to pump inside. "I'm just saying it creates a new dynamic of sensation. Because I can bang the hell out of you, and feel like I'm not carrying you at all."

"Oooh, oh yea, ooh," escaped Shannon's mouth before closing her eyes, and licking her lips in pleasure. Before her tongue re-entered her own mouth, Tyler greeted it with his own. They made out some more in between every few minutes of intense strokes.

Making love at the beach and in the water was fantastic to Tyler. It wasn't his first time doing it, but his first time with Shannon. When he and Shannon had sex the very first time together, and talked about it the morning after in bed, there was no awkwardness. They communicated well, and remained as playful as they typically were with one another before they slept together. Tyler also mentioned a bunch of scenarios in his head of where he wanted to have sex with Shannon while they recounted the previous night's events.

Doing it here was illegal. But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't willing to risk being arrested. The potential of being eyed by beach-goers, seamen, or even the cops was a turn-on. He loved the thrill. It was as though the idea was hot, and the actual intercourse itself was a bonus.

"Fuck yes," Tyler remarked after gently biting the front of Shannon's neck, while she reached her arms up to aggressively pull the collar of his three-quartered sleeved, buttoned-up white shirt. She did it several times in a row, which caused a bit of a rug-burn at the back of his neck. But he didn't care. He was glad she did it. He didn't tell her to stop.

With the water taking a majority of Shannon's weight, the sexual intercourse was quintessentially effortless. Shannon opened her eyes and greeted his. Eventually they progressed to a pace they both enjoyed and could consistently maintain, locking in their gaze and moaning simultaneously.

Unfortunately, because she wasn't naked, the dress was still on. He couldn't play with her breasts the way he would have wanted. But, oh well, whatever. Tyler was grateful Shannon didn't chicken out, and actually let him fuck her on the beach. It would've been even more of a risky turn-on if it were during the day. But a small victory, was a victory nonetheless.

Forty five minutes in, they still weren't tired. So Tyler removed one of his hands from her ass cheeks, and pinched various spots on her upper inner thighs with that hand. Shannon gritted her teeth in a painful, yet pleasurable wince as Tyler's strokes didn't cease. Her inner walls stroked him hard, encouraging him to embrace his release.

"Give it to me babe," Shannon whined. "Shoot me that load."

"In time Shannon," He whispered on the right side of her face, against her ear. "I'm not right to the edge, then back off as quickly as I would any other time. Ride it out."

Tyler's goal was to prolong his ejaculation. The lovemaking here, brought his pleasure to a slow peak. With it, he felt he could stop himself from coming if he needed to, or allow Shannon to force him to go mad. There was no fear of losing his nut. It could build. And he insisted that Shannon work on him to build it even further. It was a partnership one hundred percent of the way. When she was ready for him to let loose, he'd know.

"Aah, Aaaah, aaaaah, aaaaah!" Shannon screamed as her pupils widened and she looked over Tyler's shoulder. "A sail...a sail… a sail has passed!"

Tyler took her words as cue to let it go, so he did. When he felt her liquids coat him, he thrust several powerful strokes in succession. He returned to groping her ass cheeks with both hands. Momentarily, he quickly glided a single finger from one hand horizontally across her core to squeeze her clit.

He went deeper. He went harder. She cried out, and he emptied inside of her. Together they twitched as Tyler's legs buckled in aftershock from feeling so rubbery.

"My, my...my sail did pass," Tyler mumbled against Shannon's face through pants.

"No baby, a real…a real one," Shannon responded through a pant. "I see a sailboat over there."

Without hesitation and their sexual organs still connected, Tyler took a breath and descended deep into the water with Shannon clenched closely. It happened so quickly that with her legs still wrapped at his waist, the only thing she could do was grab his neck and take a deep breath.

He swam backstroke with Shannon still on his torso. Three minutes later, they popped up when the boat went away.

"Caught red-handed," Shannon said with a grin.

" _Almost_ , almost caught," He replied. "You had my back, and I'm still inside your front."

They each chuckled; both in legitimate hilarity and in relief they evaded giving anyone a show, or themselves a jail sentence.

* * *

 **Wednesday, Oct. 19th, 2017**

 **NXT TV**

The NXT roster was finishing their Canadian tour in actuality, but tonight's episode-per all of those on NXT-was recorded earlier, and aired today.

NXT did something different this week. Rather than opening with the usual theme music and titan tron video, the episode commenced in General Manager William Regal's office. The wide shot panned on his notorious cups of tea, the Queen of England painting along the wall, his desk, and finally zoomed in on Regal himself, sitting in his chair.

"Good evening everyone," said Regal with his hands folded atop his desk. "As I have reminded several members of this roster, as General Manager of NXT, 'I am the law and land of this here brand.' That means I am the _sole_ authority figure, the _one_ true decision-maker."

Regal paused placing emphasis on the words "sole" and "one" with regards to those having leadership roles on television. It was Regal's clever way of giving rub to those fans in the internet wrestling community who may have enjoyed 'The Authority' on the main roster on a weekly basis in its genesis; but over time, the longer the heels in power were on television, and the more the stable grew (from beginning with Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Randy Orton, to including Seth Rollins, Kane, Jamie Noble, Joey Mercury, and The Big Show), it became tiresome and less intriguing. There was no legitimate jab being taken at Paul or Stephanie. That was a scripted line in Regal's opening promo to get a rise out of smarks, as he acknowledged their gripe.

"We have a show to get to, so I will try my best to get right down to business as quickly as possible," He continued and held up his fingers to accompany what appeared to be a creed in list format. "Due to the heinous attack two months ago on Jason Jordan and Chad Gable at the hands of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder, tonight, American Alpha will meet The Revival in a grudge match. That match will be contested in a Steel Cage."

A bit of a roar caused Regal to pause again. NXT episodes were taped, but taped like all other WWE in-ring television shows, in front of a live crowd. So vocals from the audience were recorded.

"Announcements within the Tag-Team division do not stop there," He pressed on, raising his second finger. "I have not forgotten about the title shot American Alpha earned shortly before they were assaulted by The Revival. They will get it next week when they take on TM61. Also next week, The Authors of Pain, who made a statement at Takeover: Fight against The Revival, will square off against Dawson and Wilder in an elimination tag match."

A repeat of the roar emerged.

"Finally, the NXT Championship," Regal said, while holding out a third finger. "While I am aware Bobby Roode won a future title match against the champion, both Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe have legitimate cases to have proclaimed victory at Takeover: Fight. Rules are created for a reason, and must be upheld. At the time of call, in his position, referee Eddie Orengo made the right decision. Nevertheless, I don't fancy leaving things in complete ambiguity. So tonight, in addition to the Steel Cage match between American Alpha and The Revival, Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe will face each other one more time in the Full Sail Arena to determine who the _undisputed_ heavyweight champion of NXT is."

The two previous roars were eclipsed with an even louder one with the last announcement.

"Very well then," Regal replied in response to the elation from the audience. "Enjoy the show."

The camera zoomed out and cut to the normal introductory music and video package. Once it concluded and commentators Corey Graves and Tom Phillips welcomed the crowd, the episode went straight into the opening contest, which was the steel cage match between Jordan, Gable, Dawson and Wilder. The men were given eighteen minutes, and put on a good match. The Revival looked to be the favorites early on, given they were the aggressive heels.

American Alpha however began the match smartly, working the arm body part of The Revival, noting it was a targeted area from The Authors of Pain at the most recent Takeover. Eventually Dawson and Wilder gained the upper hand, and hit their finishing maneuver Shatter Machine on Gable. As you can imagine, The Revival weren't the type to be humble in their victory. Instead of escaping the cage, the men attempted to perform a second Shatter Machine on Jordan.

The crowd grew excited when Gable and Jordan fought back and eventually hit their finishing move, Grand Aptitude on Dawson. Jordan proceeded climbing up the cage, while Gable remained inside to combat any recovering members of The Revival. Dawson remained down from Grand Aptitude, but Wilder was on Jordan's trail. Seconds later, he was the recipient of a German Suplex from Gable. Jordan continued to climb the cage, while Gable exited from the doors. American Alpha obtained revenge.

Following Graves and Phillips' final thoughts on The Revival and American Alpha's rivalry, a commercial for WWE 2K18 aired. It was one of same commercials aired during NXT episodes weeks ago. This time a countdown was added, marking the days until it was released across all major videogame platforms.

Following the commercial, the head cameras did not return to the ring, but backstage. They were not in the locker room area. A sit-down interview was taking place.

"JoJo here everyone," said Joseann, the WWE's lead interviewer for the developmental brand. She was wearing a white jumpsuit with her hair up. "I'm joined by NXT Women's Champion Shannon Storm. Thank you for being my guest once again."

"Per usual Josephine, your pleasure, not mine," Shannon said in annoyance, adjusting the microphone clip attached to the cleavage of her Lime Green romper.

"We've gone over this before Shannon," began Joseann calmly. "It's Joseann, or just JoJo, not Josephine."

Shannon did not reply. She just sighed.

"Anyway, you haven't had a good couple of months," Joseann continued. "The General Manager made a match for you and Nia Jax at Takeover-a match you never wanted, and one you barely escaped from-" She was cut off.

"Who's hand was raised at the end of that match?" Shannon asked angrily, snapping at Joseann.

"Yours," Joseann said shyly.

"That's all that mattered," Shannon said sharply. "Nevermind the irrelevant details. Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Those are what you journalists hunt for when putting your little reports and soundbites together, right? The _Who_ was Nia Jax. The _What_ was a defeat she suffered at the hands of me. _When_? On October 5th. _Where_? At Full Sail. _Why_? Because I'm too damn good, and I said I would. _How_? By pinfall. Anything else?"

"Yes, I was going to continue to reiterate how unfortunate things have been going for you," Joseann pressed on, glancing down at her tablet to read her "notes" on Shannon's misfortunes. "You were fined for lewd behavior. You walked out on your partner in a tag match last week. Something else the NXT Universe may not know about is that you were also arrested."

Shannon grimaced.

"Do we have it?" Joseann asked aloud, placing a finger on her earpiece. "I'm being told by producers that NXT is in possession of exclusive footage regarding this incident, and will play it now."

* * *

 **Flashback: October 12th, 2017**

A few days before NXT's tour of Canada, there were some live events in Washington state. The film crew shot an angle with Shannon in Seattle.

Shannon was working out with Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, two ladies on the NXT brand who were heels. Billie and Peyton had singles feuds in the women's division with Asuka and Ember Moon respectively, following Ember and Asuka's match against each other post Takeover: Respect in Brooklyn this summer. Billie and Peyton kind of were channeling their inner 90s pop-culture film Clueless, meets WWE's 'Laycool' with their bullying and superficial personas.

After finishing a set with dumbbells, Shannon took a brief rest before making her way over to another apparatus.

"Step away from the squat rack!" yelled Donovan McNabb, a police officer who walked into the section of the gym Shannon was working out in. She was about to position herself under it. "Seattle PD!"

"We repeat: step away from the squat rack ma'am!" yelled Troy Aikman, a second police officer, accompanying McNabb. He pointed at his badge. "That is a direct order from an officer of the law!"

"I was going for a personal best!" Shannon yelled.

No she wasn't. Well, before this was recorded, she could have already. She, Billie and Peyton were working out. Paul wanted them legitimately sweating when shooting this out-of-ring segment. He also wanted the men in uniform to be real. It would be hokey he thought, to shoot an arrest in a gym where everyone was dolled up, looking fresh and sexy; and just in the nick of time some rent-a-cop looking dudes, who looked like security guards at the local mall, showed up. That would not only be too convenient, but lame.

Shannon told Paul, Billy Kidman, and Jamie Noble what she planned on doing workout wise, leading into the timing of when she would get "arrested." Billie and Peyton were also informed and were working out in the same area to facilitate the authenticity to the scene. Road Dogg thought it would be hilarious for one of the cops to barge in yelling, "Step away from the Squat Rack" just as the ladies were legitimately exercising. Shannon was never going to actually use the squat rack for the scene. That was the whole point, and the cue to capture the look on her face approaching it, when the officers arrived.

"Shannon Storm, you are under arrest," said McNabb as he reached into his left breast pocket for a warrant.

"I'm what?" She asked nervously, backing away from the squat rack, but in no hurry to join the men. "On what grounds? I'm no criminal!"

"Sexual Harassment, Disorderly Conduct, Assault-" said Aikman, who stopped when Shannon tried to scurry away, jogging between them.

"And add Resisting Arrest to the list of charges," McNabb barked, as he grabbed hold of Shannon's right arm, twisting it behind her, putting Shannon's brief effort for escape to an end. This gave Aikman the opportunity to slap the handcuffs on her wrists.

The scene continued for a few more minutes with Shannon mouthing off as she was escorted out the room, out the gym, into the squad car, and getting booked at the station. The cameras returned to Joseann and Shannon back at Full-Sail.

"I've been informed you spent three days in jail," Joseann said, looking at her guest. "One day is definitely more than enough for some people."

" _Three_ when it should've been none!" Shannon yelled. "But it's all because of that stupid Orengo. Everybody seems like they want to make a statement these days. He was upset that I grabbed his junk last week, so pressed charges on me."

"Stupid referee?" Joseann asked rhetorically. "We all watched NXT last week. What you did was sexual harassment Shannon. And you physically assaulted Eddie Orengo when you delivered a WTS. You sexually harassed another ring official as well."

"So what!" Shannon screamed. "I'm sure both Orengo and Wuertz liked getting that sort of attention from me. Regal told me I would be fined for the Wuertz incident. I paid the money, and it was over. I don't know why Orengo couldn't play along."

"All due respect, these are two different individuals," Joseann reminded Shannon. "Eddie Orengo had every right to press charges if he wanted to, and he did. But that leads me to my next question. Because he did press charges, and we saw your arrest, why are you here tonight?"

"After the disregard for hygiene, not getting the opportunity to shower after my workout," Shannon started, lowering her voice, and twisting her lip, getting angrier and angrier. "After the humiliation of taking a mugshot photo, and having my fingerprints stamped, after the embarrassment of getting my jewelry confiscated, after spending 72 hours in that horrific cell with a bunch of bums and low-lifes, after all of that, _then_ is when Orengo informs my attorney he's changed his mind, and wants to suspend pressing charges."

"Just like that, the second feelings emerge?" Joseann pondered.

Shannon inhaled, and exhaled. She didn't speak for thirty three seconds.

"No, not 'just like that' Josephine," She mocked. "I had to agree to go to Sexual Sensitivity Seminars on the weekends at Full Sail University for the next six months. Like Wuertz, I paid another fine. I had to transcribe a written apology to Orengo. I was also informed he would no longer officiate my matches. If I do those things, the charges would be dropped, my photo and prints would be destroyed, and this incident would be expunged from the records. That's what my lawyer told me."

"And you agreed to all of those things?" Joseann, questioned with raised eyebrows.

"How the hell else do you think I'm here?" Shannon snapped again. "Yes, I agreed! Otherwise, I'd be on the way to doing _real_ time."

Joseann bit the corner of her bottom lip to prevent herself from laughing at Shannon's frustration.

"There was one other thing he made me do," Shannon started and narrowed her eyes. "I had to volunteer at one of the local markets in Seattle with the seamen, catching and tossing fish. God, when I look at my nails, I can just picture the scene all over again. I can't look at my cuticles without being reminded of the smell. Ugh!"

"I hope you've lear-" Joseann suspended her thoughts, when distracted by a tap on her shoulder.

"I can take it from here JoJo, thank you," said a female voice, who took Joseann's seat once she departed.

When Shannon looked up from her cuticles and saw who the person replacing her was, elation wasn't exactly the emotion she conveyed. The audience however popped for the visitor's appearance.

"When you first came here, there was a lot of expectation, and a lot of hype," said Ember Moon, who was wearing a Canary Yellow dress with a princess neckline. "And you lived up to it."

"Thank you," Shannon said with a smile. "I have no problem with you interrupting, if it's to praise me."

"You lived up to it," Ember started, and rotated her left hand sideways "...to a _certain_ extent."

"Come again?" Shannon asked, raising a single eyebrow.

Ember did not stutter. Nor did she have a problem elaborating if Shannon sought clarity.

"Things started to change this summer," she continued. "You and Becky Lynch went on to win the first ever Attitude Era Women's Tag-Team invitational. Hey, Becky even went on to become the first woman to force Asuka to tap out. It was quite the accomplishment for the both of you. But like the coward you are, you end up betraying her. You attack Becky, Trish, and Lita at the end of the tournament."

Shannon rubbed her forehead a few times, getting tired of hearing this same spiel from people over and over again.

"So?" She questioned defiantly.

Ember readjusted her position in her seat, then pressed on. "Bayley hosted the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and during the commercial shoot, you ambushed her in front of children. You pushed the kids too!"

The crowd booed. Ember let it go on for about ten seconds before continuing.

"I'll give you credit, you did beat her at Takeover: Respect," said Ember. "But once _again_ like the coward you are, you just couldn't be gracious in victory. You had to attack her two days later before her main roster debut."

Shannon smirked.

"The fact that you smile at that sickens me," Ember said with a grimace. "And what's even worse is what happened afterward. Let's see, Becky Lynch got a pinfall victory over you in a non-title match. When the title was up for grabs you got yourself DQ'd on purpose. Then post-match you attack her, and leave her in a pile of her own blood. At Takeover: Fight, you escaped Nia Jax by the skin of your teeth-"

"Do you plan on making a point anytime soon?" Shannon asked, clearly pissed off while cutting her off. "Because my patience is wearing thin."

"You want a point?" Ember asked rhetorically. "Here it is," She responded before leaning forward in her chair, staring intently at Shannon, wanting her to reciprocate the gaze.

Shannon didn't give her the pleasure. She was looking back at Ember, but hadn't removed the sunglasses she had on her face since the interview began with Joseann several minutes ago.

Still, Shannon asked for a point, and Ember gave it to her. "I can't recall the last time you've had a clean, meaningful submission or pin on anyone!"

The audience screamed in support of the babyface Ember, and her claim.

Shannon finally removed her shades. She adjusted them with the lenses resting in her hair, and the stems behind her ears.

"Are you trying to question the legitimacy of my title reign?" Shannon interrogated, and rose from her seat.

Ember shook her head.

"I'm not _trying_ sweetheart," she corrected, then also stood up. With the women being closer in height, they meet each other bosom to bosom. "I just did."

Shannon rubbed her entire face twice with her right palm, then turned her head away from the hard camera and beaming lights in their view. After milking the crowd's reaction a bit more, Shannon looked Ember up and down. She was now ready to talk.

"When people question my capabilities, I take it as a sign of disrespect," Shannon began. "When I'm disrespected, it pisses me off. So rather than waste my time, pandering to these idiot fans of Full Sail and millions of others who subscribe to the network; Rather than waste time listening to you _attempt_ to talk shit when you already _know_ I'm better at it than you," She added smugly, and the audience booed. "Ember Moon, why don't you put the _flame_ where your _mouth_ is? Woman up! Admit that the real reason you're here, why you made Josephine bugger off, is because you want a championship match against me, next week!"

While Shannon was a heel, the crowd appreciated Shannon not beating around the bush. She did her part in facilitating with Ember a much wanted, and inevitable television bout between the two.

"On one condition," Ember started holding one finger up. "When you face me, I want it mono a mono. Straight up, with no bull. You get disqualified: you lose the title. You get counted out: you lose the title. Now can you weather _that_ storm? Or are going to do what you do best: evacuate and retreat?"

Already standing up just a few feet away, Shannon walked right to Ember's face. Intensity was exchanged this time around not with verbal insults, but glaring stares between the women. Seconds later she extended an opened hand to Ember.

"You're on!" was all she yelled before she pivoted her left ankle to leave the sit-down interview setting.

But that was what she wanted Ember and the fans to believe.

"Oh Shannon Storm with a right hand!" shouted Phillips cutting into the audio as he and Graves were aware the speaking portions of the segment were finished for the women. "But it's blocked by Ember Moon! Dropkick to the knees of Shannon...which sends Shannon backwards, tripping over her seat...Quickly though, she makes it back to her feet...takes another swing...and doesn't connect. Shannon gets armdragged into the lighting fixture by Ember!"

"Ember Moon is out of control," said Graves. "Shannon already agreed to the match. This assault is uncalled for!"

Chairs, plants, and pieces of equipment were knocked over as the two women made their way out of the sit-down interview area. They were combatting along campus grounds of Full Sail University, from the lobby to outdoors. Because they weren't in the Full Sail Arena where the NXT ring was, Road Dogg didn't want referees to separate them. If they were brawling around campus, it would make sense for university staff, not on-screen WWE employees, to break them up. Paul agreed with that logic; and as the cameras from the new angles the women were scuffling to and from were in view, campus staff rushed out. They were trying to separate the women. They stalled on the effort initially, but eventually pried the ladies a part.

"Are you kidding me Corey?" Phillips asked, feeling insulted. "Shannon was the one who tried to get a cheap shot in! So Ember doesn't want to wait another week."

Shannon continued to struggle breaking from the staff's grasp, trying to get back to Ember. Her sunglasses fell forward, from the top of her head, back down to her face. A few students who were informed about the brawl surrounded the rumble. That too-the college students spectating around the brawl-provided some authenticity to the fight scene Paul and his colleagues produced.

"Let them fight! Let them fight! Let them fight!" chants filled the Full Sail Arena as the fans watched on from the titan tron.

Before the segment came to a close, the cameras that filmed the outside brawl, returned inside to where the interview was located. The chairs and lighting fixture were neatly reassembled. There was something slightly different though. A mask was on the chairs. It was an Asuka mask.

* * *

When NXT returned in the ring, Baron Corbin defeated newly separated from DIY, Johnny Gargano. The plan for Gargano to compete in the cruiserweight division was still in tact. However, storyline wise to give Corbin some relevance and reemergence since going under the radar a bit, the two were paired on tonight's episode. Corbin cut a promo about Tomasso Ciampa's beating on Gargano being a fraction in size to the one Gargano had awaiting from his hands.

It wasn't exactly untrue. It was a squash match for Corbin. When he won, he gave Gargano the End of Days an additional two times, which resulted in the referee reversing their decision, and awarding the victory back to Gargano. Corbin was upset, and the fans reacted in sympathy to Gargano. That was the goal.

Lastly, the episode concluded with NXT Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defending the title against Samoa Joe.

The match hit the twenty first minute mark when the finish approached. Shinsuke out maneuvered Samoa Joe on a Coquina Clutch attempt. Shinsuke kicked out late on a Urnage Side Slam. Bobby Roode proceeded to make his way down the ramp. He was in a suit, observing.

"What I tell you last week?" Joe asked angrily. "This ain't your business! Back off!"

Samoa Joe hoisted Shinsuke up for his Muscle Buster.

Bobby Roode continued to walk down the ramp. He didn't make a turn for the announcers' desk to join commentary late. Nor did he proceed to scold the referee officiating the match. He simply stood at the very end of the ramp, a mere two feet away from the ring, and watched the contest.

Samoa Joe hesitated, just slightly before dropping Shinsuke. It was as though he wanted to execute the Muscle Buster directly in front of Roode as a warning, or taunt for approaching the ring. That hesitation proved fatal however. It gave Shinsuke an opportunity to rotate Joe for an inverted Victory Roll. Joe had the awareness to quickly kick out. But the minute he rose to regroup, Shinsuke created enough separation for the Kinshasa, nailing it, and obtaining the win.

Once Shinsuke was announced the victor, Samoa Joe recovered from his daze. He grabbed hold of the bottom ropes.

"What the hell was that?!" He yelled at Roode.

"Me 'backing off,' " Roode answered with a coy smile, holding his hands up in surrender.

He was right. He did back off. He didn't do anything to anyone. But the cunning Roode knew exactly what he did despite not doing a thing. He cost Samoa Joe the championship. And he did so, without even laying a finger on either Joe or Nakamura. If Samoa Joe could do that a month prior to Shinsuke, indirectly aiding Kassious Ohno with a big non-title win over the champion, why couldn't Bobby?

Mischievous? No. It was _glorious._


	39. Chapter 39:Good friends, better enemies?

**Author's Notes for July** **24** **th,** **2017** :

 _Another person has joined #WrestlingHeaven since my last update. Rest in peace to Chris Bryan, also known as "Chandler Biggins" who passed away mid-June. He was a co-promoter of independent promotion Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) in Cleveland, Ohio. He was hospitalized since March of what was initially believed to be complications of the flu. It instead turned out to be a bacterial infection, and he was placed in a medically-induced coma. Condolences to Johnny Gargano, who is from Cleveland, and all of those who were or may have been part of the AIW family._

 _Another event that has passed since my last update was the 10th anniversary of the murder-suicide of Chris Benoit and his family on June 25th, 2007. Similar to my thoughts in October when discussing the anniversary of the loss of WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero, I choose to hold the amazing matches they participated in close to my heart. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions on the demons Guerrero endured or the heinous acts outside the ring Benoit partook in. Recently I've re-watched the Smackdown! tribute show to Eddie Guerrero in 2005 a few times. The main event on the episode was Triple H, (who was a member of the Raw roster at the time) versus one of Eddie's best friends, Chris Benoit. From the entrances, to the match, and closing embrace, wow. Boy was it both touching, yet eerily tragic looking back, to not know then what would happen two years later._

 _We're also upon the 29_ _th_ _year anniversary of the murder of Frank Donald Goodish, better known as "Bruiser Brody" to wrestling fans. Brody was fatally stabbed in July of 1988 by Puerto Rican pro- wrestler José González. A jury determined in 1989 González acted in self-defense, and he was acquitted. However there are several published books that question the efficacy of both the investigation and trial._

 _Well wishes are being sent out to former wrestler Matt Cappatelli, who was the 2003 co-winner of Tough Enough with Johnny Nitro/Morrison/Mundo. Cappatelli had to retire due to health issues. A form of the brain tumor he suffered from a decade ago sadly, has returned, and more aggressive this time. Hopefully he pulls through with whatever surgery or treatment options are available._

 _I'm sending belated Happy Birthday wishes to Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, and Shawn Michaels of #TheKliq who celebrated on the 9_ _th_ _, 13_ _th,_ _and 22_ _nd_ _. And early Happy Birthday wishes to Triple H who will be celebrating on the 27th. I hope all of you gents enjoyed it._

 _Rest in piece to Chester Bennington, lead singer of the band Linkin Park, who was found dead on July 20_ _th_ _, from what is believed to be a suicide. While the awful news of his death isn't wrestling-related, I am a fan of the group, and have used one of their songs as a previous NXT Takeover theme song for this story. Linkin Park just released a new album in May, and were scheduled to start a tour this week. As fans, we may be concerned with those things, but it's also important to note six children are now without their father, and a wife without a husband. Condolences to Bennington's family, Linkin Park band members, as well as all others close to him._

 _Finally, congratulations to Lio Rush who reportedly signed with the WWE on_ _July 11_ _th_ _. I'm proud to see another grad from one of the local indies in my area obtain a contract from the WWE. Before the WWE, ROH, EVOLVE, CZW, and some of the other independent organizations Rush competed in, he was a member of the MCW roster. He and Patrick Clark (2015 Tough Enough_ _Contestant and now NXT's "Velveteen Dream") were a great tag-team in MCW_ _by the name of "Sudden Impact." Best of luck to both gentlemen._

* * *

 **Thursday, October 20** **th** **, 2017**

Shannon's day was loaded. Bright and early, straight from Canada, on her return to the U.S. she had to visit the Under Armour Headquarters in Maryland at 9:00 AM. Following this she would fly to South Carolina for a meeting in the afternoon with Sarita around 2:00 PM. Then finally, she'd hop back on a plane to head west for another NXT house show to take place that evening.

But first, there was a tweet she needed to send out, per usual for a certain someone in a notorious group.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "Heeeeeey yo **AtSCOTTHALLNWO**! Happy birthday chico! #KliqChick Enjoy it #LoneWolf!"

She wished the other members of 'The Kliq' birthday wishes online, well minus Paul. She sent him a text. Scott was the only random Kliq member with a birthday in October. The other guys' birthdays were in July.

Apparently, he was awake at 6:00 AM too. Scott replied.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtSCOTTHALLNWO** :

"Heeeey yo, **AtSStormWWE**...thanks mang! Grab a toothpick in my honor. That would be #TooSweet of you. #KliqBiz"

* * *

 **Charleston, South Carolina**

 **1:30 PM, hours before Smackdown!**

Shannon was backstage at the TD Arena, a venue occupied by the main roster. There were no plans of her being promoted from NXT at this point. She was simply there through invitation of Sarita López, who made Shannon the Maid of Honor to her wedding with Randy Orton. Shannon was scheduled to meet Samantha Morgan, the wedding planner, today. Sarita was going to introduce them.

As Shannon was passing through one of the halls nearing catering, she saw Eva-Marie, the female Tough Enough contestant winner in a makeup chair getting worked on. She was just a few feet away from members of E!'s Total Divas camera crew. That was an eye-opening visual for Shannon. Not the Total Divas crew, because Sarita warned her about that beforehand; but the fact that Eva-Marie apparently was in the cast.

"Using the wedding as a stepping stone to get a permanent cast spot on Total Divas I see," said Nikki Bella who was approaching Shannon from behind, with a scowl on her face as she did so.

"Far from Nicole, _far_ _from_ ," Shannon responded back quickly. "I'm not a fan of the show. I find it even more perplexing that you're not directing that comment and your attention to the woman over there, who four weeks ago won the opportunity of a _lifetime_. Yet she's spending time here doing God knows what instead of in Orlando getting reps in the ring."

A few members of the Total Divas crew positioned their cameras in the direction of the ladies, figuring the verbiage was just getting warmed up, and they'd have an intriguing storyline on the 'reality show' that was still scripted. If something juicy happened, they wanted to capture it.

"I see _right_ _through_ that," Nikki barked, pointing a finger at Shannon. "You agree to be Sarita's Maid of Honor. You pretend to hate Total Divas. You do that so it can be your persona on the show. Your plan makes sense. You ease your way into becoming a permanent cast member, and get promoted to a main roster spot."

"That's not how it is, and that's not how it ever was," Shannon said calmly, restraining her irritation of Nikki trying to instigate a conflict. "Look, can you please lead me to wherever the women's locker room is; or let me know if Sarita has her own?"

"Such a shame," Nikki began, and bit her bottom lip before continuing. "Sarita could've just asked me to get John to help out with her men's line a long time ago. He's great friends with Michael Strahan, who has his own chain of menswear. Just because it's doing fine now, doesn't mean Sarita's projects won't _die_."

"I think Sarita did a pretty good job on her own without John's connections," Shannon responded sharply. "She didn't ask for, or need them. Just like she didn't need a decade _like_ _you_ to have a decent match."

Nikki arched her left hip back, and right hand forward in an effort to slap Shannon hard.

"Let's not do this," Shannon said, catching her wrist.

The two women started to argue even louder, and a few people in other rooms inside the building ventured out to spectate what was behind the commotion. Bayley was one of them. When she realized her best friend was one of the "lead performers," Bayley rushed in to separate her from Nikki.

"C'mon , C'mon, C'mon," Bayley said grabbing ahold of Shannon's shoulders, but not before Nikki managed to sneak her cheap shot across Shannon's cheek. Due to Bayley's interference, the slap didn't connect as strongly as Nikki would have liked; but it still landed.

"That is the first and _last_ time I'm letting that slide!" Shannon yelled back at Nikki, while walking away with Bayley.

The Total Divas cameras remained lurking, but Bayley calmed her friend down as she and Nikki traveled to different areas of the building. About six minutes passed since the argument with Nikki, and Shannon was still waiting on Sarita. So, the two best friends rambled on camera. Annoyed that Total Divas cameras were still in her face, Shannon decided to comically let Bayley's fans in on something.

"Contrary to popular belief," Shannon started while pointing a thumb at Bayley. "This one wasn't always a good girl. She was quite the villain on the California indies. I would know. That's how we met."

It wasn't something incriminating Shannon let the viewers in on, but likely shocking to the "Bayley Buddies." That was a term fans of her best friend referred to themselves as.

"I beat you the first time we met," Bayley responded.

Sitting on some production crates, the two friends continued their quirky banter.

"No, you beat me the _second_ time we met," Shannon corrected Bayley. "The first time it was a warning at one of your shows. You thought I was bluffing about coming for you."

Bayley laughed.

"I mean she wasn't evil _all_ the times I was in the ring with her, but there was a point when we both were on the indies, where she was not yet in NXT, where this little get-up," Shannon paused to point at Bayley's fringed jacket, a part of her Randy-Savage inspired gear. "Was a huge contrast in some places!"

Bayley's mouth gaped open. The eyebrows on her shocked visage raised when Shannon started to list some of Bayley's former ring names when she worked heel in the past.

"I mean...not that I'm trying to rain on the parade of your Candyland-playing, Fruity Pebbles-eating, 3 to 10 year-old fan base," She clarified.

"Oh, so we're going there?" Bayley asked with a smirk.

" _Going_ _there_?" Shannon questioned, raising her arm and pantomiming dropping a microphone like she won a rap battle. "I think I just went!"

"Okay, okay. It's like that then," said Bayley, nodding with motivation. "I'll have you people know this one," Bayley paused, repeating Shannon's gesture of pointing at her friend. "Granted a wish for an amazing little girl last month suffering from Sickle Cell. Rather than just meeting the girl, when she finds out her best friend is a fan of mine, she flies the friend's family out to Florida too; and calls me to hook her up with some Bayley merch. Sorry about your rep."

Shannon held her face in her hands, while Bayley patted her back.

"Don't even!" Bayley shouted humorously with a grin. "You started it. Now it's my turn to expose how much of a bitch you really _aren't_."

Bayley suspended her attention to her friend, opting to look directly into the camera. "Moral of the story America? She may be Black, but her heart _isn't_."

 _Fuck!_

What Bayley said may have been cute. Viewers of the episode would probably find it funny. But Shannon hated it. She had this conversation out of annoyance for being on Total Divas, and needing to cool off from the unexpected Nikki confrontation. The moment Bayley got her back, dismantling her heel persona, Shannon instantly regretted it.

Kayfabe remained important to Shannon, and this time she screwed it up. It was completely on her. This wasn't one of the times she was comfortable breaking it, and protected for being at a house show. Shannon was certain she would get crap for it online whenever the episode aired on the E! Network. It wasn't like she could just walk up to producers and go, "Hey, could you edit that out?" The Total Divas show aired on the E! Network with their own writers, executives, and producers. The WWE's team wasn't in control of the content, nor did they pay Superstars for being cast members. That was all on the E! Network. Shannon had no leverage to pull.

* * *

 **Ten Minutes later**

Sarita and Samantha finally showed up to the arena, with coffee in hand and seemingly ready to go with continued wedding preparation discussions.

"Hey!" Yelled Sarita, who was wearing a black and silver beaded dress with a halter wrap-around neck, and open back cutout. "Glad you made it. We're not late, but right on time. The security guy was giving Samantha trouble entering the building. We come in a different way than the fans, and because she wasn't a wrestler, he was giving her a hard time."

"Samantha Morgan," Samantha said, extending her hand out with her 10-carat gold, open-weave cuff with diamonds, dangling from her wrist.

Samantha was a middle-aged, Caucasian, blonde-haired woman with blue eyes. She was also one of the premiere wedding planners in the Northeast, and recommended to Sarita by her good friends, the Olsen twins. Samantha didn't like being late, always was formal, and worked her hardest to deliver the best weddings for her clients once a standard for the vision was established. Mary-Kate and Ashley loved that about her, and figured Sarita would as well. She did, and Samantha was hired.

"I'm Shannon, it's nice to meet you," She replied, reciprocating the handshake. "No worries about the time Sarita. Like you said, you're not late. And I've been bouncing around too. From Canada to Maryland in a matter of hours, South Carolina to meet with you guys, and I have a live event afterwards. Thankfully, it's in Reno, Nevada. West, not East Coast, so I'll gain hours back."

"Busy, busy bee," Sarita said with a laugh.

"Yeah, it's like that Michael Jackson song, 'Working Day and Night.' " She responded, matching Sarita's light chuckle. "But you gotta' do what you gotta' do if you enjoy your life, and want to remain successful."

"I hear that chica!" Exclaimed Sarita. "Alright, now that we're here, let's head over to the dressing room: less noise and chaos than wandering these big halls."

"Actually Sarita, do you mind if I have a private word with you?" Shannon asked, before looking on at the planner. "No offense Samantha."

"None taken Miss..." Samantha answered, dragging the S consonant sound, not knowing Shannon's last name.

"Harris," Shannon replied with her legal last name, figuring Samantha wanted to keep things professional, which was both fine, and appropriate.

"Ms. López, I'll let you have a moment with Ms. Harris," Samantha said. "It'll give me a chance to pull up things on my tablet, and to settle Rosalie."

"Wonderful, thank you Samantha," Sarita said to the wedding planner. "We'll try to keep it brief." She redirected her attention to Shannon as they passed the other side of catering, and walked into an unoccupied broom closet. Shannon closed the door behind them. "What's up?"

"Apparently I have heat with Nikki Bella," Shannon said.

"How?" Sarita asked, not expecting that to be the subject in the conversation the two women would have.

"I arrive at the building, minding my own damn business, and she just randomly talks crap about me. Saying I'm helping out with your wedding as a catalyst to join Total Divas-"

"You hate the show," Sarita cut her off.

"Thank you!" Shannon yelled. "I know. She says nothing about Eva-Marie who's not even made an NXT debut, yet parading along main roster venues to be on this show though. Anyways, she's talking all this garbage about me using the Total Divas appearances as a means to jump ahead of people getting on the main roster."

"You don't control who gets called up. Hunter does," Sarita answered, folding her arms.

"Again, something I know," Shannon answered, nodding as she did so. "Then she talks shit about you, implying that your fashion empire is doing hot now, but may take a turn for the worst. Nicole even made comments about you needing to reach out to Cena through her for his connection with Michael Strahan for your men's line."

"What the hell?" Sarita questioned angrily. "None of this shit came up backstage at my show this summer, or even in the planning stages when I was recruiting Superstars in the spring to participate! I could have had _real, reputable_ models in the industry. Under no obligation was I required to have WWE Superstars involved. That backstabbing, ungrateful-"

"I defended you and myself from the shade," Shannon clarified. "She tried to take a swing at me. I blocked it. We got loud, and people came out. Pam separated us, and Nikki managed to sneak a hit in. But I backed off, and went to Pam."

"You okay?" Asked Sarita.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Shannon replied. "I barely felt the sting. I just thought you should know about it, given there'll be a few more times I meet up with you in person when she's around."

"I appreciate you telling me," Sarita said, and placed a hand on Shannon's lower back, rubbing it in a friendly embrace. "It's amazing how people can veil that animosity, and appear totally different than who they really are. She's probably just jealous I've found success both here and in my one true love: fashion."

"Yeah, plus the fact you're going to have a _husband_ ," Shannon added. "Something she's never going to have. People can say what they want about Randy, but I don't think she wants to get into a war with you about John's image. He isn't as squeaky clean as some think. At least Orton isn't milking the cow for free with you."

"I can fix the situation," Sarita remarked as her brown eyes darkened in intensity. "I was going to have her be a bridesmaid in the bridal party. She won't be now, just a guest. John can still be a groomsman. He's Randy's friend. He wasn't involved. _She_ was starting drama. C'mon, let's go get Samantha."

Sarita grabbed the door of the broom closet, and she and Shannon made their exit.

Three minutes later, Sarita, Samantha, and Shannon were in one of the women's locker rooms. Sarita rolled her suitcase into one of the corners of the room. The three women sat on the couch. Samantha leaned forward to attach her stand to her tablet, and placed it in the center of the table. Their cups of coffee were on the far corners.

"Okay, so Samantha and I were looking through 10,000 gowns, and as you can imagine, Randy wasn't helpful," Sarita said.

"Men shopping for dresses _period_ can be challenging," Shannon began, turning her body to Sarita. "Browsing through 10,000 probably felt like hell to him."

"We did manage to cut it down to 7,500 Ms. Harris," said Samantha, who had a PDF opened with images posted to the clipboard of the progress she and Sarita _believed_ they achieved, eliminating 2,500 options.

"Do you have a theme yet for the wedding?" asked Shannon. It seemed like they were working backwards.

"Ms. López has instructed me to work with an inversion," Samantha answered. "So no, we do not have a theme. Sarita would like to select a theme based on the dress she selects first."

Sarita, Samantha, and Shannon perused eighty nine dresses.

"There are some great ones I have compiled which resemble a bit of a retro Hollywood look," Samantha stated, pointing examples at Shannon.

"And there are some I also like that remind me of flappers from the pre-Great Depression years," Sarita noted. "We're torn."

By dress three hundred sixty two, Shannon felt like the ladies weren't getting far, and many more things needed to be discussed. So she spoke up.

"As the third wheel here, I can break this indecisive tie with a compromise," Shannon declared, pushing Samantha's tablet further back. "Samantha is eyeing Old Hollywood. And you're eyeing Gatsby. I say we combine them and make your theme: 'Gatsby goes Hollywood.' This way, your ceremony gown can reflect Old Hollywood from the 1940s, and your bridesmaids' dresses could reflect Gatsby from the 1920s."

"Perfect!" Shouted Sarita. "I knew choosing you as Maid of Honor was a good decision. We don't have to leave early 20th century, _and_ can get sophisticated looks from the mid-20th century. Great designs from two amazing decades in the time period."

"A dual theme does make it easier for me," Samantha admitted, and reached for her beverage, taking a sip shortly after. "It helps me have a laser focus on what to assemble for this wedding, versus essentially organizing two different weddings, and ultimately divorcing one of the concepts."

"Cool, I'm here to help," said Shannon. "Don't feel too bad Sarita. I get it. You're a designer. Whether you admit it or not, looking at 10,000 gowns isn't a pain. It brings you lots of joy. It's to be expected for you to feel stuck loving all of them for different reasons. Now where is the location of the wedding?"

"Randy and I talked about it, and we'd like a destination wedding," Sarita answered, staring at a random spot on a wall in a deep gaze with glee. "We're getting married in January. So we want to go somewhere warm. Hawaii, Vegas, or Miami."

"Not bad choices, but I think I can do you one better," Shannon said with confident defiance as though she dared Samantha and Sarita to listen without giving her option a chance. "What are you ethnically?"

"Latina, girl, c'mon," Sarita said, folding her arms. "You know this!"

"Duh! I mean geographically and culturally," Shannon explicated. "What within the Latin community would you identify as?"

"Boricuas," She answered. "I'm Puerto Rican."

"Okay. Have you ever been to the home island?" Shannon questioned, reaching down for Sarita's cup.

She wasn't going to steal a sip. She wanted to know what it was. When she knelt her nose down, Sarita's cup smelled like caramel and mint. Maybe Sarita had a frothy frappé.

"No. I was born and raised in New York," Sarita replied. "Mama López too."

"You want a destination wedding," Shannon began with seriousness in her demeanor, staring at dresses, but focusing on their conversation. "You got engaged in Hawaii, so you probably don't want to revisit that. Florida's nice, but this is your wedding we're talking about. Why not have it in Puerto Rico? You've never been, nor your mom. It would mean a lot to both of you. Plus it's a tropical place Randy would dig."

"She makes a valid case Ms. López," Samantha said, who spent the past few minutes typing up notes with some points Shannon explained to Sarita.

"I love it!" Sarita shouted, leaning over and hugging Shannon tightly. "Mama López will adore you for it. Once again, with your help we're chugging along. Thank you!"

There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" asked Sarita, dragging the three words along as if she were singing them, or that they had extra syllables.

"It's me baby," said Randy Orton, who opened the door as he announced himself. He was dressed casual: dark jeans and a white tee shirt. "Heard this was where you were. So I was thinking as I walked Sasha-"

He was cut off by Samantha. They hadn't really gotten along. Sarita mentioned this to Shannon over the phone when she asked her to be the Maid of Honor weeks ago.

"Did you propose to this woman?" She asked with a no-nonsense attitude.

"What?" Randy asked back with hysteria. "Obviously! We wouldn't have hired you if I didn't!"

"Does she like the ring?" Samantha asked in a condescending fashion, speaking _at_ Randy, rather than _to_ him, peering at the notes on her tablet.

"Given she said 'yes' when I proposed, and is still wearing it, sure," Randy responded. "I'd say she does like it."

"Then your job is done Randal," She concluded. "And I would appreciate it if I could do mine _without_ interruption."

"Why don't you give Rosalie a walk, Papí?" Sarita asked trying to diffuse the tension.

"I just walked Sasha, _our_ dog," He answered quickly, emphasizing Rosalie did not belong to them.

But he saw the look on his fiancée's face. She may have _asked_ him verbally, but physically through her expressions was _telling_ him to walk Samantha's dog. Randy walked over to Sarita, and handed her Sasha Fierce, their white Maltese.

They purchased the dog together as an engagement present to one another. They hadn't finalized a decision on their living situation, so weren't yet cohabitating. Until they concluded their search and found a home together, while Sarita continued to live in New York, and Randy in Missouri, Sarita's mother looked after Sasha in Brooklyn. Every so often the couple would retrieve the dog from her mother to bond with it.

Samantha dangled Rosalie's leash, and the white Miniature Poodle perked up excitedly, raising her body from Samantha's second purse. Randy gulped in reluctance, but eventually obtained the leash, the dog, and made his way out.

"Bitch," He mumbled as he opened the door.

"You wouldn't be the first Mr. Orton, and you won't be the last," Samantha remarked.

The ladies continued to address tasks on today's agenda, until it was time for Shannon to catch her flight to her NXT live event.

* * *

 **Sunday, October 23** **rd** **, 2017**

Shannon saw a tweet from fans of Sarita that made her laugh.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtRitaRiderAllDay** :

" **AtSLoWWE** , girl I AM SO HAPPY 4U & **AtRandyOrton**. Seeing him getting yelled at by ur wedding planner on TD was funny. UR still cute though. #Sarandy."

"Wow, her fans have given them a nickname already," said Shannon aloud while sitting in a dressing room in Cocoa, Florida.

She wasn't booked on today's house show, but helping produce a match on it. Every since Kidman and Noble pulled her aside at a live event to produce an Austin Aries-Apollo Crews match almost two months ago, she became hooked. Shannon was nervous at first, but quickly picked things up and enjoyed it. Producing wasn't something Shannon did every house show obviously. But when presented the opportunity, just like Creative meetings, she engaged.

"I suppose it suits them," Shannon continued, scrolling through the comment section. " I bet Sarita loves it."

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtSLoWWE** :

"Awww, muchas graciás mi amor for the blessings **AtRitaRiderAllDay**! Sam's a tough cookie, but glad u were entertained. SARANDY?! ;) Adorable! Thank you!"

"Ha, I called it!" exclaimed Shannon. "She perked up for that _real_ quick."

Another tweet came in. It was one that made her shake her head.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtBlandyOrton** :

"So **AtRandyOrton** can show up for a reality show **AtSLoWWE** , but can't on **AtWWE** tv? #FuckRandyBORE-Ton"

That tweet made Shannon shake her head because it seemed preposterous. This fan was upset that Randy wasn't on the television program he _preferred_ him to be on, a wrestling one. But the situation was like apples and oranges. Randy appeared in an episode of Total Divas because of something going on in his personal life. He was off WWE programming because of something that happened professionally: his shoulder injury. The two had nothing to do with the other. Him being out on injury didn't prevent him from accompanying his fiancée to events, and giving feedback on a wedding he would be partaking in.

The second reason Shannon shook her head was because Randy's in-ring return was imminent. The last report she heard in August at the fashion show was that Randy would be cleared for competition mid-fall. So it wasn't like this fan had anything to be pissed about...besides finding Randy boring, which was subjective.

Shannon didn't reply to Sarita or Randy's tweets. She was about to close up the app on her phone when a new notification came in. This one, was for a tweet a fan directed at her.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtSuplexCityCitizen** :

" **AtSStormWWE,** I want to break in the biz. Any tips? #TotalDivas"

Shannon predicted this. No, not this specific question. She predicted getting a lot of backlash from fans for being on the show in the first place, and second out of character.

Yet, neither of those things happened. She got attention, yes. But this person wasn't being anal about her appearance on the show in any regard. Based on her interaction on Total Divas, she seemed approachable. So they took a chance and asked something.

On instinctive defense, publically, she replied in character.

 **AtSStormWWE:** "Yeah **, AtSuplexCityCitizen**. Don't even try."

Five minutes later, Shannon went to this fan's profile, before returning to the tweet they sent. Two minutes after that, she sent a direct message.

 **Shannon Storm** : Hello. This is not a troll on a fake account. You're reading a DM from the real Shannon Storm of the WWE. I apologize for being shitty to you. But kayfabe is important to me, and I'm very selective when I break it.

 **Suplex City Citizen** : OMG, I can't be believe you replied! It's OK. I wasn't pissed you blew me off. I didn't expect a response anyhow. Seldom do famous people write back. Surprised you hit me up.

 **Shannon Storm** : Do you still want tips?

 **Suplex City Citizen** : Definitely.

 **Shannon Storm** : Well here's the thing, I don't know anything about you, other than your current location is in the U.S according to Twitter. I don't know if you're a vet looking to catch a big break, a total newbie with no previous involvement in the industry, or what. Not sure if you're interested in becoming a wrestler, referee, writer, pro-wrestling journalist or photographer, booking assistant in a promotion, etc.

 **Suplex City Citizen** : I'm a noob. Ultimately I'd like to be a wrestler, but I'm a little skeptical (really frightened is what I am, but was too chicken to say in a public tweet, LOL) to take falls at this point. I'm 14, and my body is not where I'd like it to be to feel comfortable getting slammed around on a regular basis. So I'd like to get into refereeing for some years. Once I get my body how I'd like, then as a wrestler.

 **Shannon Storm** : Okay then, you at least have an idea of what you want. That's good. Whether you're a ref or wrestler, you'll still need to attend and graduate wrestling school. The youngest some schools take is 16, so you'll have to wait. Unless you live in an area that I'm not aware of that enrolls students younger than 16. Warning: Even in ref classes, you'll learn a little about falls. Because in actual shows, sometimes for a match, the booker plans spots for ref bumps.

 **Suplex City Citizen** : Not a ton though right?

 **Shannon Storm** : Right, not a ton. Just wanted you to be aware of it so you don't go in thinking 'because I want to ref, I can stay on my feet at all times during training.' Alright, check it out. I have about thirty minutes of free time within this hour. If you're very specific with your questions, you can continue to DM some, whether it's stuff about wrestling training, advice on picking a pro-wrestling school, working out, dieting, how to get booked, gear, fears, whatever. Only on here though. I'm not giving you my personal contact info.

 **Suplex City Citizen** : Holy fuck, that's awesome! I'll do that. Sorry in advance if anything I ask appears stupid or jumbled. You don't have to do this, and I totally didn't expect it. I'll definitely keep DMing for the next half-hour. Thanks! :)

 **Shannon Storm** : You're quite welcome. I'm all for giving back, and helping those who need an 'in,' get an 'in' for the right reasons. We all start from somewhere. The true marks anyway. You appear to be a sane person, serious, and had the courage to reach out.

* * *

 **Still on Sunday October 23** **rd** **, 2017**

 **Lafayette, Louisiana**

 **The Cajundome Arena**

 **No Mercy**

The opening contest for the Pay-Per-View saw Roman Reigns defeat Alexander Rusev. Rusev helped The Miz pin Reigns at Unforgiven by connecting with Reigns on a Savate Kick. But when he was invited on MzTV the following night on Raw, Rusev didn't reciprocate The Miz's appreciation with forming an alliance. He instead insulted The Miz, and a brawl ensued.

Tonight at No Mercy, The Miz came to the arena with payback on his mind.

There was a spot in the match when Reigns connected on Rusev with his Drive-by dropkick against the ropes. Before Reigns could capitalize, Lana, who was on the outside, looking to aide her husband in regrouping, poked the eyes of a posing Reigns. With Reigns temporarily blindsided literally, The Miz climbed over a barricade amongst the crowd from the side closest to Rusev.

He approached Rusev from behind and delivered the Skull Crushing Finale inverted Russian Leg Sweep to the "Bulgarian Brute." The Miz, shortly after, pushed Rusev in the ring. This was done around the same time Reigns rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. This prompted him to hit the ropes, and when Reigns did, Rusev staggered into a Spear for the loss.

Match number two saw Bayley defeat Nikki Bella. This would be Bayley's second televised victory over Nikki Bella, but first on Pay-Per-View. In character, she and WWE Divas Champion Natalya both mocked Bayley on her re-debut (since Shannon attacked her for the first debut on the Raw after Summerslam) for not knowing who she was, or why she was even on the roster. It just so happened that the spat Bayley's best friend Shannon had with Nikki aired this week on Total Divas. Some fans were trying to blur the two incidents together, which didn't make too much sense.

Bayley and Shannon were enemies on screen, so insinuating this Pay-Per-View victory was in defense of her was foolish. It was just one of those instances where the timing of certain events of reality and storyline coincidentally collided in occurrence, but not by logic or intent. Initially, Nikki Bella won the match during one of her infamous "twin magic" moments when her sister Brie emerged under the ring and swapped spaces before executing a signature move on Bayley. The referee reversed their decision once the titan-tron display of instant-replay recapped highlights. They restarted the match and Bayley defeated Nikki with the Belly-to-Bayley slam.

Following this contest, a pre-taped promo featuring Bray Wyatt and his family aired. Per usual, Bray's promo was cryptic and spooky. One of the differences this time was that his audience was specific. "Rest, you may, but in peace, you will not. Disperse your soul to walk along with the dead," were the last words Bray spoke. That was his omnipresent way of calling out The Undertaker. The fans weren't sure if or when Bray would receive a reply from The Phenom.

The third match witnessed Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn defeat "Big Cass" Colin Cassady to retain his championship. Paul was keeping Enzo Amorè and Big Cass together as a unit for now. But since they weren't in queue for a Tag-team Championship reign in the immediate future, he wanted to try an experiment to see if there was potential-if any at all-for Cass with a singles push.

During the pre-show in a backstage segment near catering, Zayn bumped into Big Cass, accidentally spilling coffee on him. Zayn apologized, and Big Cass accepted the apology. But not before making the snide comment, "Don't worry, coffee won't kill me. But its sting is a lot tougher than you." Naturally, Enzo elaborated with the jab and exasperated the trash-talking. Zayn took exception to the comments, reminding the WWE Universe he was not only "The Underdog from the Underground," but the Intercontinental Champion. He challenged Cass to a title match later in the show.

Cass dominated on the offense and more or less toyed with Zayn physically. Enzo and Cass were mostly babyfaces-aside from the time the Barclays Center crowd turned on the Queens and New Jersey natives in favor of the Brooklyn-born WWE Tag Team Champions, Cryme Tyme. So Cass' exchange of words with Zayn felt like a tease of a heel turn to fans. Enzo stood on the top of the apron, encouraging his best friend as the onslaught of Zayn ensued. It proved to be costly however. Cass grew wildly hype for his partner's antics, and raced to the ropes to put an end to Zayn with a big boot. Zayn ducked, Enzo ate it, and Zayn capitalized with his Helluva Kick for the win.

The crowd didn't abandon the match, which was the main thing Paul was curious about. This was a short trial. He was reflecting on the potential of what could be if he moved forward with a split. Cass got a reaction, and the audience wasn't dead. That was a positive.

"You don't look too busy," said Roman Reigns who was initially booed by the crowd. Cheers however emerged when the camera zoomed in on who he was talking to: Sarita López. The fans hated seeing the man win matches, but seemed to love him in this romantic angle with Sarita. Merely for the simple fact that he was out of the world title picture.

"Had an early night after getting booked on the pre-show," Sarita responded, who finally approached Reigns outside his door following turning from a backstage hall. She was wearing a mocha romper and matching caged sandals. "What's a girl to do unoccupied for the rest of the evening?"

"Go out with me," He replied after swiping some sweat off his face that ran toward his eye. "Just give me time to get out of my gear, shower, and put on something nice."

"Okay," Sarita teased before grabbing the small hand towel from Roman's hands, and patting his face from more falling perspiration. "But I don't kiss on the first date."

"You know what they say," He said with a half-of-grin. " 'There's always an exception to every rule.' "

"We'll see," Sarita said rather coy, tugging on her bottom lip. She started walking away. "Text me when you're dressed. I know where you park."

"The following contest is set for one fall, and it is for the United States Championship!" shouted Lilian Garcia as match four was set to begin.

Tyson Kidd was first to enter the arena, as the challenger. His wife and WWE Divas Champion Natalya escorted him.

"And introducing his opponent: From his seasonal residence in Monté Carlo, the United States Champion, Tyler Breeze!" Lilian Garcia continued.

Match four was the Pay-Per-View encounter between Tyler and Kidd. The two men started a program in live events following Tyler's return program with Roman Reigns, and due to the strong feedback from agents was brought to television, starting with Superstars. The feud kicked off with Kidd putting Tyler on notice since his main roster call-up; and Tyler proceeded to insult Kidd's lack of accomplishments-both personal and professional.

Tyler entered the arena in pink and black attire. On the anterior side of the vest was a platinum crown with an arrangement of pink hearts encircling it. Natalya's uncle, Owen Hart, following his 1994 King of the Ring victory proclaimed himself as "The King of Harts." During a few heel run periods of Natalya's WWE career she referred to herself as "The Queen of Harts." With Tyler's gear intentionally designed the way it was, the implication was that he was "the Prettiest Prince of Harts." Because none of the male Harts-including Kidd as extended family-were gorgeous. They were "ugos."

From an athletic standpoint in the ring, the match went back and forth for eight minutes. Around minute nine or ten, character wise, Tyler picked it up.

"Look at Breeze now, countering an attempted Sharpshooter by Kidd with a Kneebar," said Monday Night Raw commentator John Bradshaw Layfield. "Center of the ring, cameraman number two, zoom in on greatness!"

"The Kneebar is impressive JBL," said fellow Monday Night Raw commentator Byron Saxton. "Breeze taking a moment to do one-armed crunches with his right hand, and blowing kisses to Natalya with his left is _not._ It's disrespectful. It's cocky. It's-"

"It's a United States Champion who is as 'super good-looking' as he is successful," JBL defended. "Reigns, Neville, and soon to be Kidd have seen what happens when Breeze is taken lightly, or underestimated. From Beauty Shots to perfect spots, there's malice behind this model's moves!"

The men continued with their match another five minutes before the closing sequence approached. Kidd had Tyler in position for a top-rope Blockbuster. Seconds before he and Tyler launched the rotation, he looked over at his wife in anger.

Tyler draped his "Prince of Harts" vest over Natalya's shoulders in an earlier rest spot for Kidd. Because he was down and on the defense, he didn't "see" Tyler place it on his wife. Rather than capitalizing on a weakened Tyler with the Blockbuster, he climbed down the ring ropes and confronted Natalya.

"What's he doing?" JBL questioned astoundingly. "You caught a break ya' goof!"

"Tyson Kidd is no goof," said Saxton. "It takes smarts, skill, and tenacity to be the last graduate of the Hart dungeon. But he also seems to be prideful of his marriage. And I'm glad to see that. I'd be floored as well. I would want my wife to remove any article of clothing from her body from a man as arrogant and pretentious as Tyler Breeze!"

Tyson snatched the jacket off Natalya's shoulders, threw it on the ground, stomped, and spat on it. Then he returned to his climb. Tyler had descended from the top to the middle rope.

"Oooow!" filled the arena from the crowd.

" _Low-blo_ -I mean uh, Breeze's fist lost grip as his hand slipped, and may have grazed the lower region of Kidd," began JBL. As Tyson Kidd widened his mouth and eyes for the crotch spot and bent over, it gave Tyler the opportunity to finish climbing down. Once off the ring ropes with his feet firmly on the ring canvas, he pounded Kidd's back.

"Front Facelock by the champion on the challenger," began Saxton. "Does he want to Superplex him? No he pulls Tyson Kidd down...Irish Whip to the corner by Kidd..."

"No, Breeze counters with another strike to the groi...aaah, knee to the _lower_ _gut_ ," JBL once again in his heel persona carefully adjusting the articulation of Tyler's offense. "Gets him up...Snake Eyes Powerbomb by Tyler Breeze on Tyson Kidd!"

"He's loopy, he's loopy!" screamed Saxton. "Breeze charges at the ropes...here he comes. Kidd don't turn around!"

"Beauty Shot!" exclaimed JBL. "1, 2, 3, good night Irene! Tyler's got the best photos. Tyler's the United States Champion. Who needs one wife? When you're a supermodel, the women come in an _endless_ supply. Simply put Tyson Kidd, this man is everything you are _not_!"

Following the match, similar to his first main roster debut, when he hoisted up then WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler's title as though it were a mirror to admire his own reflection in, Tyler did the same when the referee retrieved the U.S. title for him. Moments later, he elevated an "unconscious" Tyson Kidd's head, sitting him upright before placing the United States Championship around him.

" _This, this_ , is the **CLOSEST** you'll ever get to my title," Tyler yelled at Kidd while taking a selfie-without consent-of yet another "ugo" he defeated.

"Don't touch me!" He shouted as the referee tried to forcibly back Tyler up from the gloating. Eventually Tyler exited on his own.

In match five fans witnessed AJ Styles defeat Seth Rollins in a Number One Contender's match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Styles pleaded the case for being owed a rematch since he was the former champion. Rollins argued he should be next in line for a title match because he the was person who received a victory over Kevin Owens at the previous Pay-Per-View before he became champion.

The matter would be resolved when the two men collided at No Mercy, tonight. Styles came up on top when he countered Rollins' Curb Stomp with the Styles Clash. Rollins thought Styles was going to go low with the Calf Crusher, so tried to roll through the counter. Styles maintained hold through Rollins' momentum and raised him up, before driving his face down the canvas for the Inverted Facebuster.

Finally, Antonio Cesaro defeated WWE World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Owens via disqualification in match six. On the pre-show, Cesaro won a battle royal of former world champions, where the winner would face Owens in the main event of the Pay-Per-View. There was no imminent opponent scheduled for Owens tonight since he recently defeated Styles a few weeks ago, taking the championship from him at a house show.

The match, which went eighteen minutes, reached its closing segments when Cesaro did his leg Airplane Spin. Earlier in the match, Owens tried to take his championship and run, but Cesaro fought him at every attempt, and forced Owens back into the ring. On the fourth rotation of Cesaro's swing, Owens reached for the championship which was lying in the ring on a side of the canvas. He reached up as though he was going to perform a crunch, and hit Cesaro in the head, blatantly in front of the official. The referee immediately signaled for Lilian Garcia to ring the bell, and awarded the victory to Cesaro. The title did not change hands however.

* * *

 **October 24** **th** **, 2017**

 **Baton Rouge, LA**

 **Raising Cane's River Arena**

 **Monday Night Raw**

 **10:39 PM**

Brock Lesnar had been wreaking havoc on Monday Night Raw sporadically throughout the show. He interrupted a Sami Zayn-Tyler Breeze Champion vs. Champion match. Lesnar stomped Zayn's hat, and broke Breeze's selfie stick across his leg. In another match Cryme Tyme celebrated a non-title victory over the Usos. But before they could really enjoy their moment, Lesnar F-5'd JTG in the ring, and clotheslined Shad over the top rope. Enzo Amorè tried rushing down to the ring to take a stand against Lesnar, despite Colin Cassidy pleading for him not to. Enzo got a German Suplex from the ring to the outside for his efforts.

There was a reason behind all of this chaos. And Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar's valet and kayfabe "agent," was ready to explain Lesnar's actions.

"My name is Paul Heyman, and this is my client, 'The Beast' **Baaarocck** **Llllesnar**! You see my client is a very, very, dissatisfied individual," Heyman explained as the ring was cleared, with only he and Lesnar remaining in it. "Approximately thirty months ago ladies and gentlemen, something was stolen from Brock Lesnar. Something that he was never given the opportunity to capture. And that is the WWE World Heavyweight Championship."

Lesnar rubbed his palms against his waist and snarled. The audience booed.

"At Wrestlemania 31, Seth Rollins stole-I repeat- _ **stole**_ the championship from Brock," said Heyman with anger. "That did not sit well with my client. Nor did not appearing on the marquee at Wrestlemania 33, in his hometown no less, of Minneapolis, Minnesota!"

" **Behold the king!**

 **The King of Kings!**

 **On your knees, dog!"**

The audience popped when one of Paul's entrance themes blasted in the arena. He hadn't appeared on-screen in quite some time. For the past four years, "King of Kings" was the music used for the business side of Paul in kayfabe, while "The Game" was for the wrestling side of him.

"Oh my, what's Triple H doing here?" questioned Monday Night Raw commentator Bryon Saxton.

"Are you kidding me, Byron?" questioned fellow Monday Night Raw commentator John Bradshaw Layfield. "I mean, _really_?! This man is the friggin' COO of the company. He can show up _where_ he wants, and _when_ he wants! At the top of Smackdown! Doesn't matter. At the end of Raw. Doesn't matter. In the middle of a Pay-Per-View. Doesn't matter!"

"Well, well, well, Mr. Chief Operating Officer, we meet again," Heyman remarked sarcastically.

"It's real simple Heyman," Paul began, lifting the microphone to his lips that he already had in his hands the minute his music started playing. "This is my company, therefore my show. And I'll be _damned_ if you think your monster up there is going to run shop, wrecking things on a weekly basis. It's not happening. So what is it you want?"

"What I want Mr. Helmsley is what my client is owed: _justice_. I want Seth Rollins arrested for _**thievery**_!" Heyman yelled.

"Look Paul, you know as well as I do, this isn't Law and Order," said Paul, pointing at the logo on his microphone with the unoccupied hand. "This is the WWE. Rollins isn't getting arrested because nothing was stolen. He won Money-In-The-Bank, and cashed in his guaranteed title match. Done, end of story."

"Alright then Mr. Helmsley, since that's the position you want to take…" Heyman replied before hissing as though he had a sudden, but sharp pain in his body. "My client then, would like a title match against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Owens."

"No," he said simply.

"My client is ent-" Heyman started before Paul interrupted him.

"Your client is entitled to absolutely nothing!" Paul yelled, and the fans cheered. "Brock lost the title at Wrestlemania two years ago. So what! I lost the title last year to Roman Reigns. Did I get a rematch? _No_. Neither will Brock. Move on."

"Oh, you may want to reconsider that decision all due respect Mr. COO, sir," Heyman said calmly, before circling Lesnar. "This very man, let me remind the WWE Universe, beat you within an _inch_ of your life at Summerslam five years ago. He beat you so badly, that you contemplated retirement, and cropped off your beloved, gorgeous locks of hair!"

The crowd booed. Lesnar started jogging side to side with a smile.

"It's funny how some people have selective memory," Paul replied at the ramp with a smirk, before beginning to pace. "Because I can recall the following spring whooping _his_ ass at Wrestlemania in a No Holds Barred match when my career was on the line!"

He paused to point at Lesnar, whose smile turned upside down.

"Let's not forget, I may wear a $2,000 suit with a $500 alligator belt on regular a basis," Paul said before growing intense in his stare. "But the _ass-kicker with the million dollar body_ remains underneath it!"

Paul started to pace again.

"Still, I'm a businessman," He continued. "Have been for quite some time now."

A small "Best for Business" chant started, before quickly dying down.

"So I'll tell you what. In four weeks, is Survivor Series," Paul stated while rubbing his nose with his index finger, to visually demonstrate his contemplative state. "Heyman, you put together a team of guys with Brock captaining. And if his team wins at the Pay-Per-View, maybe, I'll think about giving him a title shot."

" _Think_ about?" Heyman asked in disgust. "Think about Mr. Helmsley? Ha, my God, _**paleeease**_! I may be Brock Lesnar's advocate. I may be the least athletic and most unattractive man in this building. But _fool-I_ am _**not**_. My client is not going to agree to your terms without a guarantee of our desired outcome."

"Figured you'd _**puss up**_ Brock, like the _**bitch**_ you are," Paul said.

Lesnar stopped jogging, and made a dart to exit the ring ropes. Heyman grabbed hold of his arms, and begged him not to leave. He complied.

"That's your M.O. When you don't get what you want, you piss, moan, and bail," Paul explicated. "You don't like the WWE schedule. You can't hang. It's too hard on you. So you leave for eight years."

" **Yes**!" shouted the fans, pointing their fingers up like Daniel Bryan.

"You lose a title. You hide behind your spokesperson, so he can advocate in your behalf."

" **Yes**!" the chants were repeated while Paul ran through his list.

"You bully my current roster. "

" **Yes**!"

"You threaten taking my shows hostage."

" **Yes**!"

"Then you brag about beating me at Summerslam," Paul concluded, opening up his black suit with a single finger. "Really, that's the best line ya' got? I mean shit, I think I'd call myself a _beast_ too if I got a victory over a guy who's been busting his ass for twenty _plus_ years in this industry, **from** _ **the**_ _ **trunks**_ _ **to**_ _ **the**_ _ **suit**_! A guy who was full-time performing 300 nights a year, barring serious injury. Sure, if I had just a handful of matches _**once a decade like you**_ _-"_

Lesnar narrowed his eyes, angrier than he was before.

"Instead having one-sometimes two-matches _**every**_ _ **single damn night**_ _,_ I'd think I'd be fresh as well!" He pressed on, goading Heyman and Lesnar, with the goal of suckering them into the match. "Who wouldn't disguise that as being a 'conqueror' if people were foolish enough to believe that hype?"

Paul received a large pop for that aspect of his promo. It wasn't that he was a babyface on television per se. Sometimes absence made the heart grow fonder. Because fans (besides those who watched NXT regularly) hadn't seen him in a bit, and while returning he was interrupting a menacing Lesnar, he was embraced like a hero.

Once the wave of cheers subsided, he returned the mic to his face.

"A five-on-five traditional Survivor Series match. No advocating. No negotiating. No bullshitting," Paul emphasized. "That's _it_."

"And if my client's team defeats yours, you'll consider granting him retribution to reclaim what he never lost, what is rightfully owed to him, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?" Asked Paul Heyman, who climbed through the ropes, exited the ring, and headed up the ramp to greet Paul.

"What are you, hard of hearing?" Paul questioned condescendingly. "Those are the terms. The _only_ terms."

"Well you've got yourself a deal Mr. COO," Heyman declared happily, reaching for Paul's hand, and shaking it wildly. His mood changed rather quickly. "On behalf of 'The Beast Incarnate' **Baaarooock** **Llllesnar** , it will be an honor and a privilege-regardless of how _irrelevant and unnecessary a full team is_ -to _**embarrass**_ you, yet again!"

"Glad you've accepted," remarked Paul, returning the handshake. "And since you're up here in my face, why don't you deliver another special message to your client for me…"

"Ummph!" said Heyman as he bellowed over from his gut being kicked into.

"Pedigree! Pedigree on the stage by Triple H to Paul Heyman!" Screamed Saxton.

"And Lesnar is absolutely livid!" exclaimed JBL. "There's nothing he can do. Heyman agreed to the match in his behalf before 'The Game' dropped him with the pedigree!"

" **Bow down to the,**

 **Bow down to the king!** "

Monday Night Raw went off air with Paul examining his work, laying out the unconscious Heyman with a heinous smile. Then he stared ahead at the irate Lesnar, who was still in the ring, and gave him a DX crotch chop. He didn't need to say "Suck It!" The fans yelled it for him.

* * *

 **Wednesday, October 26** **th** **, 2017**

 **NXT Episode**

As promised per General Manager William Regal, NXT kicked off with the tag-team title match where champions TM61 would defend against American Alpha. While the crowd was strongly behind American Alpha, excited to see the team return to NXT at Takeover: Fight, and happy to see them victorious in a grudge match against The Revival last week, they were unsuccessful in obtaining tag-team gold tonight.

Following losing clean to TM61, American Alpha was attacked. The fans were suspecting a bitter Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. To their surprise, it was the PrimeTime Players behind the pummeling. Titus O'Neil and Darren Young cut a heel promo afterwards, vying to take a stand against being looked over in the division.

The next match was the return of cruiserweight action. TJ Perkins defeated Hideo Itami with his Kneebar finish. Itami successfully executed the GTS, a move he created that was stolen by CM Punk in the WWE. As he dropped to the canvas for the pin, Perkins rolled through and got Itami in position for the Kneebar, forcing a tap-out. He did an interview backstage afterwards with JoJo. Perkins said Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann was "running out of reasons why he shouldn't defend the championship against him."

Match three saw the Authors of Pain defeat The Revival in an elimination tag- team match. Dash Wilder was eliminated first. This allowed Akam and Rezar to double-team Scott Dawson, picking him apart. Eventually, he too, was pinned. Fans gasped when The Revival lost the match. Tonight they witnessed two strong teams: a hot babyface duo in American Alpha, and a heel duo in The Revival go down. Fans weren't sure what to make of it, speculating if either of the four men were "in the doghouse" for disapproval behind the scenes. None of them were. Paul was just trying to give other teams in the division some credible wins, building them up.

A unique, distinctive horn summoned and the NXT crowd cheered. They knew as the drum and cymbals combination began to play for four seconds, who was on their way to the arena. The deep, flat chords of organ and electric guitar joined in three seconds following the drums.

" **Seek the truth,**

 **and let the wild set you free.**

 **Don't you remember what?**

 **Ember sparks a fire, one."**

A figure emerged in female gladiator attire: a fringed skirt draped below, covering the buttocks and hips of her trunks. On her torso was a long, pleather, sleeveless vest, with a hood. Sharp chords of violin were sneaked in between the hook somehow as well.

" **Ember feeds the flames!**

 **Now burn, yeah! Burn!"**

As Leslie Roy began vocals on the "Free the Flame" entrance theme, the Superstar it belonged to emerged on the NXT stage. They removed the ninja mask worn over their face, and did the same with the hood on the top of their head.

 **Ding-ding-ding!**

"The following contest is your main event set for one fall," began NXT Announcer Eden Stiles, following the sounding of the bell, alerting fans about the forthcoming match. "And it is for the NXT Women's Championship. Should the incumbent get disqualified or counted out, they will lose the title!"

" **Seek the real,**

 **and let your heart burn to believe.**

 **Always remember one:**

 **Ember sparks the fire, one.**

 **Ember feeds the flames!**

 **Now burn, burn, burn yeah!"**

Ember stared ahead to the far side of the audience, mere moments before the whispering wind effects in her theme blasted through the arena. A gigantic moon flashed on one of the titan-trons to accompany her highlights. She started walking down the entrance ramp.

"Introducing first, the challenger," Eden continued. "From Dallas, Texas, 'The NXT War Goddess,' Emberrrrr Moooooon!"

" **...Stars align and streams of light form in the sky.**

 **Now in this moment watch the moon eclipse the sun..."**

The audience popped hard for those lyrics as Ember made it to the ring once the name of her finisher was mentioned. She stood on the middle ropes, holding the top rope with her right hand, and raising her left arm high. Ember folded the middle finger on her left hand and covered it with her left thumb, posing for the fans against the ropes. This hand gesture, depending on which angle you viewed her hand, could reveal either the "E" or "M" initials. Shannon thought that was neat. Like Roode, Bálor, and Nakamura's themes, Shannon thought CFO$ produced another hit with Ember's theme song.

The NXT arena suddenly darkened as lightning strikes appeared on the screen with a subsequent boom of thunder.

" **They say I'm 'cocky.'**

 **And I say, 'what?'**

 **It aint braggin' motherfucker,**

 **if ya' back it up!"**

"And introducing her opponent, from Baltimore, Maryland, she is the current NXT Women's Champion, Shannnnnnnon Storrrm!" shouted Eden as Ember, as well as everyone else in the arena awaited Shannon's arrival.

Twenty seconds of Shannon's music played and she had yet to appear, despite the titan-tron accompanying the tune. By thirty five seconds, the production team cut her music and suspended her video highlights, replacing the titan-tron screens with the yellow and black NXT logos.

Ember walked over to the referee and gestured her arms up, wanting to know what was going on. The referee tugged the stripes on their shirt, as though to suggest to Ember, they were dressed, and ready to officiate. Ember put her hands on her hips, and turned back to the front of the barren NXT stage.

"Where is she?" asked Ember, who left the ring, and walked over to Eden, for clarity.

"I, I don't know," Eden could be heard through the camera's microphone, which followed Ember out. "I introduced her. The music started. I don't know."

"It appears the title match between Ember and Shannon is off," began NXT Commentator Corey Graves.

"Not if Ember Moon has something to say about it," said fellow NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. "Look at her frantically searching for Shannon under the ring aprons."

"Still not tired of hiding, huh Shannon?" asked Ember speaking to the ring as she walked around all four corners, ducking under the drapes, in search of her foe. "Are you gonna' prove me right, that you're a coward?" Ember questioned.

She couldn't find her. Ember then walked past Eden, and climbed over the barricade to look for her enemy. Ember teased going further up the aisles, deep into the crowd, but didn't.

"Where are you Shannon Storm?!" Ember yelled out as she made her way back to the entrance ramp. She started walking up it. "Trying to sneak someone from behind?" As Ember continued to walk up the ramp, she'd periodically pivot her body behind to see if Shannon was going to do what she alluded to.

 **Thud!**

"No, not behind Ember. I'm coming _straight_ at you," said Shannon following charging at Ember with a double-leg Takedown.

Ember was about two, maybe two-and-half feet away from approaching the curtain to go backstage. Shannon timed it out so when Ember came closer and her head turned, she'd lunge ahead with speed to the front of the stage.

"Bone on steel as Ember's head bounces off the ramp from NXT Women's Champion Shannon Storm!" screamed Phillips. "And it doesn't appear that she's _fashionably late_. She's got her gear on, and is ready to go!"

"Shannon going at it, wasting no-time with the ground and pound attack," said Graves. "She rapidly climbs atop of Ember, and throws haymakers her way!"

Shannon rose, grabbed Ember by the hair, and tossed her into the left end of the barricade near the entrance ramp. She repeated the same to the right. Fans booed as one of their favorite Superstars of the brand rolled down the rest of the ramp. Shannon walked down the ramp, removed the championship from around her waist, and dropped it on the end table, which had the ring bell, next to Eden. Then she removed her vest from over her head, and choked Ember with it.

"Why is Shannon not getting disqualified?" asked Phillips wildly. "C'mon ref! She should no longer be champion!"

"Shannon picks up Ember, setting her up on her shoulders," Graves started. "DVD on the ring apron! That _canno_ t feel good!"

"You mean DDT, Corey?" replied Phillips with an upward inflection as though he was really asking, not telling Graves something.

"It's a DVD!" Graves barked. " I know what the hell I said Tom! Our NXT Women's Champion gave Ember Moon a Death Valley Driver against the ring apron. I speak from experience: the ring apron is one of the hardest parts of a wrestling ring. That move on its own stings. To have it done in that spot, it's gotta' be rough."

Shannon grabbed one end of Ember's skirt, and the other hand grabbed her hair, tossing her into the ring.

 **Ding-ding-ding!**

"AND NOW," Corey began following the sounding of the bell once both women entered the ring. "We're officially underway. How smart is Shannon Storm? That's why she's the NXT Women's Champion. That's why she's the 'Diamond Diva' and 'Alpha Female' of the WWE! She could do whatever she wanted to Ember Moon softening her up on the outside before the match commenced in the record books. She can't get disqualified then!"

"There are some of us Corey," Phillips started in disgust. "Who believe if something walks and talks like a duck, it's a duck. That definitely appeared to be a sneak attack to me."

"Keyword for you Tom: _appeared_ ," Graves emphasized empathically. "Let's separate fact from fiction. Did Shannon lure Ember through the crowd? _No_. Was she hiding under the ring like Ember foolishly assumed she was? _No_. Did Shannon come after Ember woman-to-woman while Ember had her eyes right on Shannon, even for a quick second? _**Yes**_. Did Shannon have free reign to get some outside offense on the 'NXT War Goddess' before the match started? _Absolutely_. It may 'appear' sneaky to you. The reality? Excellent strategics."

"Ember rolls over to her sternum...reaching a hand backward, rubbing her neck," said Phillips with a narrow stare at the monitor on his side of the commentary table. "Shannon with no wasted time, ascends to the middle ropes, grabbing the top ones for leverage...single knee to the back of the head...a second one...third one now...aaah! Double knees to the back of Ember Moon's head!"

"It appears Shannon has targeted the head and neck area of Ember Moon," Graves said. "And it started with the Death Valley Driver on the ring apron outside."

"You may be right Corey," Phillips agreed. "Ember rubbing her neck once she and Shannon both were inside the ring did her no favors. It's like giving Storm a bull's-eye. But I imagine, it's only instincts for Moon to respond that way. When you're hurting, you touch what's sore."

Thuds were heard for the next fifteen seconds as Shannon kicked around Ember's face and neck.

"Aaaah!" Ember groaned.

"Listen to the pain Ember is enduring as the onslaught continues," Graves noted. "Shannon grabs Ember and guides her between the ropes...now Shannon steps out the ring herself…"

"Ooooh!" The crowd pined, unsure of exactly what Shannon was going to do. They remembered seeing Randy Orton do assisted rope DDT's from the middle rope where opponents' torsos were in the ring, and their feet were outside of it. But the position Shannon had was inverted.

"Shannon's got Ember's feet dangling from the inside of the ring," said Phillips. "The rest of her body is hanging outside...Shannon's on the floor...what a unique angle for Moon...Good Lord! Rolling Neckbreaker assisted from the ropes! She basically spiked the 'NXT War Goddess,' right on her head!"

Some "Holy Shit, NXT!" chants started followed by gasps from the audience. That spot was about total trust between the two women protecting each other. Shannon slapped her left forearm with her right gloved hand, signaling to Ember the precise time when she was ready to begin the rotation. Ember followed through, taking the brunt of the face bump through her forearm and elbows. She did a delayed handstand following the twist, similar to how RVD sold receiving DDT's from people. The crowd ate it up.

"1...2...3...4…," The referee began to count as the two ladies were outside.

Shannon saw a fan in the crowd wearing a white Kabuki mask, as they were an Asuka supporter. Shannon walked over to the person, and swiped their face with her palm in hatred. She was booed.

"Shannon needs to focus on Ember and not the NXT Universe," Phillips said. "Remember Corey, Shannon can lose the title if she's disqualified, or counted out."

By the count of seven Shannon walked back over to Ember, lifted her to the apron, and pushed her inside of the ring, before entering herself. She didn't attempt a pin. She instead pressed her forearm against Ember's neck, and proceeded to grind it laterally. Ember elicited more groans.

"First pin attempt of the match!" Shouted Graves. "1, 2, kickout by Ember Moon."

When Ember rolled on her stomach, Shannon, who was standing behind her, crouched down. She cupped Ember's face from the side of her cheeks, and placed her neck against the bottom ropes.

"1, 2," the referee counted before pulling Shannon's grip on Ember away, liberating the fan-favorite from another choke. Shannon turned around, and sprouted up sharply.

"Don't you dare tou-" Shannon started before being interrupted from a crowd pop.

"Oh my! Be very careful what you say or do Shannon Storm," Phillips warned with a feeling of warm comeuppance. "This is not Eddie Orengo or Drake Wuertz. This is brand new NXT official Nikaan! She is not afraid to restore order, or put her hands on another woman. Try her if you want, champ! You'll lose the title!"

Tom Phillips was correct. Working a match for the first time in any WWE ring was Nikaan. She was a former wrestler in Japan, and retired from ring competition last year. She, other than Ronda Rousey, was the first female WWE referee in over thirty years. And she specifically, was the first ever female referee of the NXT brand.

Another woman who recently received a tryout to join Nikaan as a referee for the WWE was Kinati Brink. She was a product of The Dudley Boyz' "Team 3D Wrestling Academy" in Kissimmee, Florida. She had experience officiating both male and female matches at their school. Wuertz and Orengo weren't solely incorporated in storylines with Shannon during her title run to provide more heat. The storyline reasons for them no longer working her matches as long as she remained on NXT were exactly that-storylines. During a recent episode of the WWE Network's original series "Breaking Ground," it was revealed they were promoted to the main roster.

The last time WWE had a full-time woman referee in the company was in 1986. Rita Chatterton, who was known mostly as Rita Marie, was hired by the then WWF in the 1980s. According to Chatterton, she approached Vince McMahon on July 19th, 1986 for more work, and his response to the request were sexual advances. Chatterton claimed when she refused McMahon, he raped her in his limousine.

According to Talking Points Memo Media, the case didn't go far, and never made it to trial. There was no evidence of Chatterton filing an actual police report; nor did she file a lawsuit until six years later, in 1992, following an appearance on journalist and television personality Geraldo Rivera's show "Now it Can Be Told." The WWF counter-sued Chatterton for claiming the unsubstantiated allegations were not simply accusations, but extortion. The company also sued Rivera, who they believed worked with Chatterton in an effort to create a conspiracy theory. It is believed that Chatterton and Rivera wanted to further defame the rocky reputation of McMahon and the WWF at the time, who were in legal battles regarding steroid use in professional wrestling.

"Shannon backing up now...That's right girl, let the cooler heads prevail," Graves encouraged, not wanting Shannon to do something to cost herself the championship. "Lookout, Ember with a kick!"

Ember was still flat on the canvas, not yet up from the previous attack. But rolled over on her back, she was able to raise her left leg to literally kick Shannon's ass, pushing her towards the referee. The crowd cheered for a quick second before the air left the room. Ember and Shannon worked the fans. They just knew Shannon would charge into Nikaan. She did not.

 _Ha_ , _awesome Adrienne_. _We hooked them! They totally bought it!_

"Shannon...somehow with awareness, Baseball Slides between NXT Official Nikaan's legs!" shouted Phillips. "Damn, and with those elusive instincts, we have no DQ...oh wait...School Boy! Ember from behind with a School Boy on the Champion! 1, 2, kickout from Storm!"

Shannon pounced on Ember with a second ground and pound attack to the targeted area she chose for the match. The previous one was on stage before the match started. Then she left Ember in the center of the ring to gloat. Shannon climbed between the ropes, and stood on the apron. Taking a page from what she used to do in the indies to let her opponent rest, Shannon griped the top ropes from behind, and started doing reverse pull-ups.

"Are we, or are we not in a title match, Corey?" Asked Phillips in annoyance. "Who works out _in the middle_ of a match?"

"The NXT Women's Champion," said Graves simply.

By pullup forty, it was time for Ember to get going.

"I can go all night!" Yelled Shannon to the crowd, before she went flying off the apron, and launched herself into one of the barricade walls surrounding the ring.

"Moon just sent Storm to the outside with a Running Knee to the back," Phillips stated. Shannon grimaced on the outside before slowly getting up and turning around. "...Whoah! Suicide Dive by Ember Moon to Shannon Storm, who seems to have turbulence in her forecast again...Ember slides back in...a second Suicide Dive...and Shannon's grabbing her right shoulder...trifecta now! Moon lands three Suicide Dives on the champion!"

"Oooowl," Ember howled to the NXT Universe as though they were the moon she eclipsed from. They went wild.

Ember grabbed Shannon by her top, and thrusted her right arm against the commentary table. Next, she Irish whipped Shannon shoulder-first into a set of steel steps. Nikaan's count was at four. Ember returned to the ring. When she saw the fingertips of Shannon's gloves at five-and-a half, Ember quickly climbed through the ropes and drilled Shannon's shoulder with a devastating running kick from the apron.

"7…8..." Nikaan continued.

"You gotta' get up champ, you gotta' get up!" Graves begged. "Not this way!"

"9…"

Nikaan was about to raise her hand to alert Eden to sound the bell, but Shannon at nine-and-seven-eighths, mustered up enough strength to roll back in the ring. Selling Ember's damage, she rolled in on the left side, placing weight there, while clutching her right shoulder with her left hand.

"Ember now, like Shannon did earlier, sees a weakened area and wants to exploit it," said Phillips, who saw Ember send Shannon into the ropes, and on the return catch her in an Abdominal Stretch.

"I'm afraid you're right Tom," Graves agreed. "While this Abdominal Stretch is a submission that primarily targets the obliques, abs, and kidney area of an opponent, the deeper the squat Ember has in her frame, the tighter her lock on the hold is. It gives her the ability to isolate the right shoulder of Shannon, and she can literally beat it with her left hand, forearm, or elbow. Or if she so chooses, wrench back on that side of Shannon's body."

"Gaaah!" Shannon screamed as the women worked the hold. Twenty seconds later Ember kicked Shannon's right shoulder with her shin.

"Oh I think the stretch is doing a number on Storm, she's reeling," said Phillips. "...perhaps I spoke too soon. Hip Toss on Ember Moon, and Shannon buys herself some time to recover."

"Let's do it!" Screamed Shannon at Ember after rubbing her right shoulder with her left hand. Ember raised up. She looked on at Shannon from across the ring, rubbing her neck as she did so. They milked the crowd for a while.

"The flaming red contacts in Ember's eyes juxtaposed to the blistery blue attire of Shannon, accompanied by her cold stare say it all, ladies and gentlemen," began Graves eloquently and symbolically. "Each woman, full of talent and intrigue. Who's going to be champion by the match's end? I don't know. But I love that I am a part of NXT to witness our very own collision of fire and ice!"

Shannon and Ember circled each other for eighteen seconds before locking up.

"And here we go, Collar and Elbow Tie Up," Phillips started. "They're both jockeying for position. Who's going to get the better end of the two? And it's Storm who gets Moon in a Headlock. To no one's surprise, she's wielding her wrist bone against the temple of Moon for added pressure."

Ember and Shannon worked the Headlock with grit and facial expressions for about thirty seven seconds. Ember would try to force Shannon toward the ropes. But Shannon would kill Ember's momentum every time on the take off. She did so by taking a knee and maintaining hold on Ember's head, cranking back tighter and tighter.

Some "Let's go Ember" chants commenced. The fans had good timing.

"Elbows to Shannon's abdomen from Ember," Phillips remarked. "...She loosens her grip on the Headlock as Ember sends her to the ropes on another attempt... Shannon on the return...left Shoulder Block to Moon who goes down...Shannon runs the ropes once more...another Shoulder Block by Shannon? No! Monkey flip by Ember Moon, and Shannon lands with the brunt of the impact on that ailing right shoulder!"

"Moon quickly follows up with a Spring Board Splash!" Yelled Graves. "Nikaan with the cover...Storm gets the left shoulder up at 1½!"

Ember Irish Whipped Shannon hard into all four corners of the ring. Shannon did her best to make some contact with her upper back if not her shoulder directly, with the sell. On the last Irish Whip into the fourth corner, Ember hit a series of signature moves.

"Here she goes...I think she's got a thing or two to contribute to aerial specialists, all due respect to our Cruiserweights," said Phillips. "Front Handspring Elbow Smash to Storm, who can barely keep herself upright, against the turnbuckle... Ember, relentless with the attack, now goes for her Front Handspring Forearm Splash, and nails it! But she's not done! Front Handspring Stinger Splash on the NXT Women's Champion from the challenger!"

Fans were amazed at Full Sail University. Typically they were manipulated as they grew vocally supportive of babyfaces who successfully executed signature maneuvers in row, only to be disappointed when the heels countered them on the third attempt. It didn't happen this time. Shannon let Ember hit all of her various corner handspring offensive attacks on her. Once finished, Shannon, with dazed dramatics, took a notorious WWE Hall of Famer "Ric Flair face flop."

"Honest to goodness, I don't even think Shannon knows where she is right now," Graves expressed with dejection, putting over Ember's offense over on commentary. "If I were Ember, I'd try for a cover here."

She did, but Shannon kicked out at two-and-two thirds. Ember ran towards the ropes again, perhaps to take flight a second time. However she was stumped when a downed Shannon, interlocked their feet, forcing Ember's descent with a Dropped Toe Hold. Shannon made it to one knee, and raised her white-with-blue-trim-gloved hands to the crowd, forming a patented gesture.

"Curtain Call time!" Graves said proudly. "Here we go...Standard Vertical Suplex...into the Northern Lights...Storm rolls through to the Fisherman...into the Belly the Belly...and finishing the sequence with the Bu- _what_?" The crowd popped when Ember didn't take the last of Shannon's Curtain Call, which would have been a Butterfly Suplex. "Who counters 'Curtain Call' ?"

" _Ember Moon_ , that's who!" Phillips exclaimed. "Moon lands on her feet, and Shannon is perplexed ...but she doesn't have a chance to process it because she eats a Superkick from Moon! Moon doesn't let a dizzy Storm out of her sight...Grabs hold of Storm's right thigh...Crab Suplex by Ember!"

"1, 2...ahh!" The crowd counted along with Nikaan before being disappointed again.

Both women rolled on their sides to both sell and rest for twenty three seconds. The audience started clapping rhythmically to rile each of them up to her feet.

 **Crack!**

"What a knife-edge Chop to the chest of Moon by Storm!" Graves announced passionately. The sound repeated. "And Ember pays Shannon a receipt with a Chop of her own as she fights back! I don't think WWE Hall of Famer Jerry 'The King' Lawler would appreciate the ladies mistreating the puppies this way!"

Ten chops were exchanged, five from each woman.

 **Thud!**

"Spinning back fist from Ember Moon to the jaw of Shannon Storm!" Shouted Phillips. When Shannon reached at her face, Ember kicked Shannon in the abdomen, and worked a Wristlock. Following that, she hit two Shoulder Breakers on Shannon's right arm. "Storm down again, and cover is made!"

"1...2...aaaaah...whaaa!" The crowd roared. The crowd, once again, was upset that Shannon kicked out. But, they were also amazed at how quickly Ember capitalized on the momentum on the pendulum swinging in her favor.

"Moon rolls Shannon on her belly and slides down to the canvas, rapidly trapping her arm," explained Graves. "Crossface! Crossface on Storm! Ember couldn't get the pin, so has Shannon's weakened arm between her legs! Listen at Shannon's agony as she feels the pressure on the deltoid muscle of her shoulder while Ember squeezes her thighs against it, all while stretching Shannon's face with her hands!"

"Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!" The audience implored and popped louder when Ember head-butted Shannon's trap muscle on the right side, connected to the bad shoulder.

 _Ouch_. _That's fun._

Shannon crawled about a foot-and-a-half before suspending her escape. Continuing to tell the story, too much crawling around in the ring didn't make sense to Shannon. She shouldn't have that much energy to exert with all that crawling if her upper right arm and shoulder were in that deplorable of condition. The minutes on the match were accumulating, and Shannon was due for some impactful counter.

"Shannon slow to get on her knees," Phillips noted. "Understandably so because Ember has not removed her legs from being wrapped around Shannon's arm as she makes it to her feet. Full Sail is erupting...Back Suplex by Storm on Moon with one arm! Talk about desperation!"

"Arrrgh," Shannon grunted as she crouched over Ember, shaking her right arm before grabbing a hold of Ember's body. Squinting her eyes tight and releasing another grunt, Shannon raised Ember above her shoulders.

"How is she doing this?" Phillips questioned as Shannon hit a Torture Rack Backbreaker. "...Shannon gets Moon back up with the double knees this time. That's 'Evolution' on Ember Moon: Storm nails her dual backbreakers on the challenger, dropping Moon's neck right across her knees!"

"Oh boy, this could be a bad sign," Graves remarked as he saw Shannon flop to the canvas face-first a second time, then clenching her right arm before rolling over. "Shannon's running on empty. She's in too much pain to make a pin on Ember. She gutted out a signature maneuver to give herself a longer breather. Any other day, she would've hooked a leg, or made a lateral press. But Shannon's shoulder is killing her!"

At the eighteenth-minute mark, with Shannon in no rush kayfabe wise to attack, Ember felt this was her night; and her moment to seize it had come. She climbed between the yellow ropes of the ring to exit. She walked a few steps across the apron to the corner of the ring, and climbed the turnbuckles. The crowd's volume increased. This was it. _They sensed it. They felt it. They knew it._

"Ember Moon makes it to the top, expeditiously bending her fingers, encouraging Shannon to arise," Phillips started excitedly. "...Ember dives...'Eclipse' on the champion! 'Eclipse' on the champion!"

The roof nearly came off the building as Ember hit her Corkscrew Stunner.

"1...2...3...whaaa!" The audience, just as they did before, counted with Nikaan. However, just as Nikaan's left palm grazed the white canvas, the corner of her eye, spotted something the fans did not see. They booed passionately.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you have got to be freaking kidding me!" Phillips remarked in bewilderment. "The referee revokes the count because of a shoe-string? This is a load of bullsh-"

"To my pleasure and many others, we are _not_ PG Tom," Graves began with a smirk. " _Brillance_ though is what this is. This is a load of _brilliance_. Too much effort to kick out. Doesn't trust trying to pushing that weakened shoulder up. So Shannon reaches the ropes."

"A shoe-string Corey?" Phillips asked in disgust. " _Really_?"

Some "Bullshit" chants started from the audience. To say they were pissed would be a huge understatement.

"Do you not remember the Takeover match Shannon had against Bayley in Brooklyn? The nose of her boot touched the ropes, so the referee had to stop the count. Here, to Shannon's fortune, a piece of shoe-string from her boots nicked the ropes. That's on Shannon's body, therefore it counts. The match rolls on!"

That was a spot Shannon pitched to Ember to include in the match. The toe-tap on the ropes spot with Bayley at two-and-seven-eighths with a near fall from a Belly-to-Belly generated great heat for Shannon. Shannon pitched to Ember giving the fans the full three count just as Nikaan spotted the critical visual in a split millisecond. Ember dug it, agreed to it, and relayed the noted spot to Nikaan during pre-taping meetings. During one of their rest periods following the Drop-toe-Hold spot, one of Shannon's shoe-strings was loosened a few inches down.

"Ember Moon, dragging Shannon's lifeless body completely in the center of the ring now, so she's nowhere near the ropes. And I can't blame her," Phillips replied, ignoring Graves praise of savvy from Shannon. "Ember wants no excuses or copouts. That's why she issued this challenge. One fall two a finish. Shannon can't run from a countout or DQ. Defeat is _imminent_ with the stakes this high!"

Ember ascended to the top turnbuckle again, and the crowd erupted for a second pending Eclipse.

"Noooooooo!" The crowd bellowed in agony.

"Ember takes off...kip up by Storm, who catches Ember mid-flight and alternates Ember's position from what was a German Suplex with her back to Shannon, into a Fireman's Carry position across her shoulders ...'Weather the Storm'!"

"1...2...3!" The crowd counted in misery as Eden made the announcement while Shannon's entrance music and titan-tron played.

"Great fucking idea for the finish Adrienne!" Shannon said excitedly through her mouthguard as she pinned Ember. "Practicing it twice in front of Noble and Kidman before the tapings was _so_ worth it!"

"Thanks! I bet it looked awesome too," Ember said. "Can't wait to see the playback."

The same way Shannon pitched the spot to Ember about the shoe-string escape from getting pinned by the Eclipse finisher, Ember pitched an important spot in the match as well: their finish. Ember, in addition to being a really dynamically-athletic and technical wrestler, was also a proud Texan. Although in recent years a host of wrestlers had duplicated it, far and wide most fans in the professional wrestling community viewed the "Kip Up" synonymous with WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. He too, was a Texan, and Ember, also at times would kip up in matches.

According to Ember, to have Shannon not only evade the second Eclipse, but counter with a kip-up leading to her own finish would be a great moment. Visually, the precision in the timing from her leap off the turnbuckle, to Shannon's hop and catch would be spectacular. That on its own would get a jaw-dropping pop. But soon after, the crowd would come back to reality. They'd realize as cool as the spot looked, the victor was still the person they hated. They had to respect Shannon's skill, but didn't have to like her. That was the idea.

"How?" Phillips interrogated, shaking his head. "How did she do it?"

"Talent and instincts Thomas," Graves emphasized with confidence. "Talent, and instincts. You know why Tom Brady is the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, and 'Mr. Comeback King'?"

"I imagine you're going to tell me anyway, correct?" Phillips said sarcastically.

"Damn right I will," Graves sharply squawked back. "Because as he matures, the talent never dissipates. What your _body_ may be reluctant to give you, you must trust your _mind t_ o force you. Shannon, like Brady, let the instincts of experience take control since her body wasn't at 100%. At the right moment, she delivered big like Brady would in the 4th quarter. When there's _will_ , there's _power_."

Shannon beckoned for Eden to give her the microphone. She walked over to the side of the ring closest to her, placed it on the apron, and pushed it inside a few inches for Shannon to retrieve it. Shannon's entrance music ceased.

Shannon stepped over Ember, with her legs on each side of Ember's body, the same way she stood over Becky Lynch following a heinous, bloody assault after a grueling championship contest the two had last month. She removed the mouthguard from her mouth, and clipped it behind her left ear. Shannon raised the microphone with her right hand to her lips.

"You were saying?" Shannon said arrogantly over the unconscious Ember as her left hand crossed her right side caressing the weakened shoulder. She dropped the microphone.

Shannon fell to her knees once Nikaan handed her the NXT Women's Championship, and slowly slid of the ring while her entrance theme restarted.

"And _**STILL**_!" Shannon yelled at fans booing her while holding the championship up in the air with the left arm. She walked backwards up the ramp as the hard camera followed her before fading out with the end credits of the WWE logo, concluding the episode.

* * *

 **20 Minutes Later**

Nearly a half-hour later of the broadcast, tweets rolled in. Many fans live-tweeted during the actual broadcast, but Shannon didn't check any notifications while watching the episode in real time as it aired. She waited until the broadcast finished. She scanned a few.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtWeatherThisMan** :

" 'Quiet **AtEmberMoonWWE**! Hush ya' mouth. Silence when **AtSStormWWE** spit it out! ' "

"Ha, clever, clever," Shannon said aloud while reading the tweet. "This dude's quoting from Missy Elliott's 'Get ur freak on' song. Classic. Love that track."

The next tweet Shannon checked out had a bit of a back-and-forth from two fans.

 **New Tweet** from user **AtBlackGirlsRock83** :

"2 beautiful, badass Ebonies going at it in the **AtWWE**? And in the main event? #YesPlease #ThankYouNXT #MoonVsStorm"

A fan saw that tweet and replied.

 **New Tweet** from user **AtASethFreakin'RollinsGuy** :

"Um, R u forgetting **AtAliciaFoxy** and **AtNaomiWWE** work for the **AtWWE** too **AtBlackGirlsRock83**? **AtSStormWWE** , and **AtWWEEmberMoon** aren't 'alone.' "

The previous fan replied once tagged in a response.

 **New Tweet** from user **AtBlackGirlsRock83** :

"No, **AtASethFreakin'RollinsGuy**. I didn't forget about **AtNaomiWWE** , & **AtAliciaFoxy**. I take nothing away from Naomi's athleticism  & Foxy managing 2stick around there 4 10 yrs. But Storm & Moon are the real deal-all around-and could 'go' from the jump. They're #TotalPackages. Naomi & Foxy aren't on their level. #Sorry"

 **New Tweet** from user **AtJoeSchmoe79** :

"Can't believe they had **AtSStormWWE** bury **AtWWEEmberMoon** on #NXT! #Ridiculous"

A fan saw that fan's tweet and replied.

 **New Tweet** from user **AtJDfromNJ** :

"Dude, **AtJoeSchmoe79** , either you are an idiot, or just have no appreciation for old-school wrestling, and no respect for psychology. You're not #BURIED just because you lose to someone. Re-watch the match, and take notes. Storm got the win 'just in the nick of time.' I highly doubt that's the end of **AtSStormWWE** and **AtWWEEmberMoon** seeing each other."

The fan's response to the other's tweet made her smile. Because they were right. Losing a match was not an automatic translation for a wrestler burial. Sometimes you "win" when you lose. Shannon and Ember were veterans, and long-time fans of their vocation. They knew what they were doing.

They were telling a story in their match. Ember questioned Shannon's ability to be consistently great. She more or less implied Shannon was stagnant, and couldn't put on good performances. Because she was more focused on escaping instead of confronting opponents as the caliber of talent of challengers enhanced. Shannon called Ember out on being coy and misleading. To Shannon, rather than making an effort to point out Shannon's shortcomings, Ember needed to step up, by owning what she was really after: a title shot opportunity for the NXT Women's Championship.

Tonight's match served as proving ground for the on-screen characters of both women. Ember proved to Shannon she was not only willing to challenge Shannon head on, but so damn competitive in the ring, at a moment's notice, could take the championship from Shannon. And hey, if it wasn't for a shoelace, would have. Shannon proved to Ember (as well as reminded fans) when pushed in a corner like a rat, she _would_ combat. And when she did, the pounce was pugnacious.


	40. Chapter Forty: Boomerang

**Author's Notes for September 20th, 2017:**

 _Belated condolences to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and his wife, who lost "Hershey, The Wonder Dog." Hershey was their chocolate Labrador Retriever, who in late July lost her battle with a tumor. I'm sure most of us can relate on the sorrow if we ever had a pet, or knew of someone who lost a pet whom they felt as close to as family._

 _Best wishes to WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, who we came close to losing the week before Summerslam. Thankfully, he's made it out of surgery, and will look forward to recovery._

 _Condolences to the family and friends of WWE Hall of Famer Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, who passed away on September 17th. Stir the pot in #WrestlingHeaven Brain, especially with Monsoon! You were one of my favorite managers and announcers, in addition to having as your nickname suggests, a great "mind" for the business. When it comes to excelling in the booth and as a valet, in my opinion, you wrote the book, and Paul Heyman drafted the last chapter._

 _Best wishes to anyone who suffered loss of any kind due to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Tropical storm season isn't over just yet. There's about another six weeks that remain. If any of you are in the remote location of any newly identified storm's path, try your best to be safe._

 _Shout out to the entire NXT staff for a #GLORIOUS Takeover show during Summerslam weekend, #BayBay. ㈴1_

 _Shout out to_ _ **bella315**_ _for inspiring a scene that occurs in this chapter._

* * *

 **Thursday, October 27th, 2017**

 **Daytona Beach, Florida**

 **Peabody Auditorium**

 **8:21 PM**

All NXT live events this week celebrated Halloween with fans in attendance. Certain Superstars had special shirts available in solid orange or black colors. Others had their characters "zombified" in program catalogues similar to what computer programmers created for main roster talent during October in years' past on wwe .com. To what extent NXT Superstars participated in the festivities depended on them. While they were encouraged to partake in the fun, it was voluntary. Some Superstars dressed up as different Superstars. Some Superstars dressed up as characters from their favorite spooky specials. Some Superstars did not participate at all, and just appeared in their regular attire.

During the house show in Daytona Beach, Shannon joined American Alpha as their valet during a tag-team match against the Prime Time Players. Shannon was very excited about learning the news. Several months ago in April, there was a Creative meeting about future storylines for the summer. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan wanted to know if there was a possibility Shannon could do something with them, playing off their commonality with amateur backgrounds.

Paul shut the idea down because of their character portrayals, with Shannon working heel as they were favored babyfaces. But he did say he was open to putting the talents together at a house show. This was on the condition producers Noble and Kidman were willing to give it a shot, and report to him their thoughts.

Perhaps it could lead to one of the acts turning, depending on the performance and reception received from the crowd. Sometimes in life you get back what you put in, like a boomerang. They fulfilled the roles Paul insisted they fulfill all this time, and the moment finally came where the trigger was pulled on their request. Noble and Kidman told Paul they were going to book the trio together on a show this week, and Paul green-lit his approval of their booking.

When American Alpha made their entrance and Shannon was announced as the person accompanying them to the ring, fans thought there was a botch made by Eden Stiles. Gable and Jordan entered the arena as they usually did with their hand towels, and jumping in place, pumping up the crowd. Shannon intentionally waited until the drums and piano began in American Alpha's theme song "Elite," before making an appearance. It wasn't until the trumpets followed in tune with the other instruments where she finally walked out. She stood between them wearing an American Alpha tee shirt with street clothes. Pulling a page from Kevin Owen's book, directly under Alpha, Shannon took a Sharpie marker and hand-wrote "Female" below it, so it would read _American Alpha-Female_ , cleverly piecing in one of her nicknames.

The match was different in that, Shannon was still working heel while with Gable and Jordan. It was a house show, and they felt fans would find humor in the dueling antics between the three of them. There may have been an expectation of Shannon to-in unison with the men-actually showcase some of their patented grappling amateur moves when an opportunity presented itself. On the contrary, however. She intentionally refrained. Not just because she was their manager instead of partner in a three-on-two handicap match. Because she was a villain, she also did it to troll.

On one occasion Darren Young had a near fall on Gable. Shannon put Gable's foot on the ropes. Jordan walked a few paces down the ring apron, removed Gable's foot, and got into a bit of fuss with Shannon about it. She was "managing" her team, just not in the most cleanest of ways. During another spot she slid a steel chair inside the ring behind the referee's back, and ordered American Alpha to execute their finish to Titus O'Neil on the chair. She and Gable argued about the act this time. Shannon even mumbled, "I checked. It wasn't made in China, but Dayton, Ohio," which caused Jordan to smirk.

They simply did not want to win with Shannon's underhanded tactics, regardless if she felt justified with her methods.

This riff between American Alpha and Shannon-which was comedic gold to the fans-caused an infuriated O'Neil to charge forward with an attack. He wasn't aiming for either of his male foes though. He rapidly pulled Shannon by the wrist, causing her to turn abruptly. He then proceeded to lift her, and she ate a Spinebuster from O'Neil on the steel chair. Despite Shannon not playing things by the book, Gable and Jordan raced to her aid to clean house with the Prime Time Players. They ultimately picked up the victory, courtesy of Grand Alpitude on Young.

Gable and Jordan got to have a least one live show with Shannon, which made them optimistic for something greater like a legitimate six on six match down the road on a house show, or possibly an actual storyline to present on NXT TV. Young and O'Neil, who were already heels, received a bit more heat for the Spinebuster spot on a woman. And even though Shannon wasn't competing in the match, she got to take a weapon bump. Everyone involved was happy.

* * *

 **Still on October 27th, 2017**

 **Total Divas**

 **E! Network**

 **10:00 PM**

" **Tonight on Total Divas,"** began a voiceover person.

"You have a lovely home Mr. and Mrs. Orton," began Sarita, who sat next to her fiancée Randy Orton, at his parent's living room.

"Thank you very much Sarita," said Elaine, Randy's pasty-haired mother.

"So three times the charm, ay son?" asked WWE Hall of Famer, and father of Randy, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr. He playfully slapped his son's shoulder.

"Hope so Dad, hope so," said Randy with a smile before grabbing Sarita's hand and kissing it.

"Have you two signed the prenup yet?" questioned his father before raising a glass of red wine to his lips.

"We actually aren't going to have one," Randy answered as the previously harmonious mood in the room seemed to lose its melody abruptly.

"What?!" Bob Orton barked astoundingly.

"Mr. and Mrs Orton, would you excuse me for a minute?" asked Sarita, who proceeded to rise from her seat, leaving the room for somewhere else in the Orton home.

" **Tension arises as 'Sarandy' visit Randy's parents. Then…"**

"This is the third place we've looked at, and I'm not impressed," began Sarita to Randy as a realtor wrapped up a tour of a home in Georgia.

"What are you not impressed by?" He asked. "I like it. It's homey."

"It's not worth the asking price with its dated look and lack of appeal," She replied hugging him.

"I'm a country boy with Southern and Midwestern roots," Randy said.

" _That's the problem_ ," Sarita mumbled at his chest. "I hate real-estate in Atlanta. I miss New York."

"New York's too big of a jump for me Rita," Randy replied cupping Sarita's face as he raised it from his chest. "Too far away from my kids in Missouri."

"We'll figure it out," Sarita said before perching her lips forward to kiss Randy.

" **Can Randy and Sarita find common ground on a home as they march closer to matrimony? Will "Cowboy" Bob Orton explain his outburst to Sarita and his son? Find out tonight on Total Divas, right here on the E! Network!"**

* * *

 **Friday, October 29th, 2017**

 **Orlando, Florida**

 **10:26 AM**

Shannon was at home going through a few boxes sent to her from Under Armour, and began a Skype session from her laptop with some of the contacts from the designing squad.

"Hey, good morning, how's it going?" asked Colin Browne, Under Armour's Chief Supply Chain Officer.

"Well, thank you," She replied. "How about yourself?"

"Just great, thanks," replied the middle aged, brown-eyed brunette man with thin lips. "So what can I do for you?"

"I received a plethora of items and wanted to check-in with the team, ensuring you guys that they arrived, and also share a few initial thoughts," Shannon answered, while pointing a thumb backward at some boxes in her apartment. "That is if you have a few moments of course. If you have a important meeting on the horizon within the top of the hour, I can let you go."

"No, no," Colin assured Shannon shaking his head emphatically, letting her know it was alright. "The exact opposite actually. I was in a meeting that wrapped up some moments ago." Colin lowered his body, reaching for the handle on a drawer and pulled it. Once he grabbed a notepad and an ink pen from it, his face returned to the computer monitor. "What's on your mind Shannon?"

"I'm really digging some of the Performance Woven Button downs...I think that could be a star for my chic wear umbrella. For the men who shop my line, it's not only fashionable, but it dries fast, and stretches more."

"Some women are tapping into men's-inspired clothing too," Colin pointed out. "With the rise in pant suits, the return of the Trenchcoat dress, it's a trend in the up-tick period."

"Very good point," Shannon agreed. "Perhaps some ladies may even it buy it from the mensline specifically for that added length, and wear it with some leggings and a vest. This shirt is something I think people would appreciate if they're stranded in the heat for whatever reason, and an outdoor event gets delayed; or if the AC breaks down at the office. Having that perspiration dry quickly eliminates the stickiness that humidity brings with it."

Colin nodded with a smile, happy that Shannon was giving substantial feedback, rather than a celebrity client who was simply satisfied with compensation to wear a product. She didn't just give him the unhelpful, typical, "Looks good" comment.

"If you guys could come up with an Oxford version of this shirt, I think that would be awesome as well," Shannon suggested. "I could see guys sporting those on NBA, NFL, or MLB draft day under a nice blazer. That could make for a neat photo-op."

"Excellent idea!" Colin exclaimed while scribbling on his pad. "I'll add that to my notes to give to the Design department. Any strong points on the ladies, thus far?"

"Uh, performance wise, I haven't tried every single thing out yet, but I'm looking forward to the scent-control bras and tops," She replied. "I know in 2014, UA was the #2 sports bra-wearing brand by women in the country. Here's to hoping we can claim that #1 spot within the next year or so with some improvements made in UA's cushion and support...let's see...the Speedform Gemini shoes I bought in January were majestic. Coming from someone that isn't a jogging enthusiast, these shoes made me continue on cardio running days. It felt like I had springs pushing me, _charging_ me with a burst to just dart out!"

"Excellent," Colin responded with a grin to additional remarks from Shannon as he reclined in his chair, and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. "I got a memo last week from Paul Fipps. He's our Chief Technology Officer. Paul said a that a 'smart shoe' version of the Speedform Series is in the works."

"Oh really?" Shannon questioned excitedly. "Please keep me informed on that. I'll gladly be a guinea pig for those as well."

Colin laughed. "Definitely. I'll carbon-copy you in the email when updates on that become readily available. Well, if that's all, I look forward to seeing you drop by the UA Lighthouse at some point," He remarked, referring to the brand's new manufacturing and design innovation center in Port Covington, which the facility had its grand opening in June of this year.

"For sure, for sure," She responded while returning Colin's smile. "I just wanted to check-in, and inform everyone that I received the packages. Once I complete a test drive on the product a few times, I will email you a full report on an Excel spreadsheet, breaking down what I tried out, my suggested tweaks in designs, likes, dislikes, and prospective names or slogans to send to Marketing. Expect that from me in the coming weeks."

"Glad to hear you're moving forward," He remarked, removing the notepad from his lap, and slipping it back into the drawer, dropping the pen on top of it."

"Oh, and give my best to Kevin," Shannon added. "I wanted to say congrats to him, and the whole club of UA executives for finalizing that deal with the MLB to be the official licensing apparel for Major League Baseball in 2020."

"Thank you, thank you," Colin responded warmly. " _Not only_ did we get it, it's a 10 year deal. So we'll be 'protecting [that] house' for quite some time."

In addition to "Stay Humble, Stay Hungry, and I Will," another one of Under Armour's company slogans was "Protect this House."

"Fantastic," She said. "I'll catch up with you soon. Goodbye for now."

They ended the session and Shannon went back to work, sorting through boxes of UA merchandise.

* * *

 **Still on October 29th, 2017**

 **Later that evening, 9:13 PM**

 **Cocoa Expo Sports Center in Cocoa, Florida**

At tonight's live event Shannon took on Cheerleader Melissa in singles action. The title was not on the line. Cheerleader Melissa masqueraded as Xena: The Warrior Princess, and she received a great pop during her entrance. Shannon had been calling Melissa "Camelion" every since she joined the company out of admiration for her ability to transform and adapt to varying characters so quickly. This was an example of it. This match versus Shannon had less flavorful, flamboyant, aerial spots catered to the Cheerleader portrayal Melissa had. This match was more hard-hitting and aggressive from both sides. It ended after a double countout.

Cheerleader Melissa wasn't the only person to masquerade here. So did Shannon. Shannon arrived to the arena as WWE Hall of Famer Owen Hart. She wore a black singlet with pink straps, a black leather jacket, and even went to Party City earlier in the day to purchase the gold, plastic, Oscar statues that fans used as props when hosting Academy Award watch parties. These "statues" would represent Owen's two Slammy trophies. She pitched this idea backstage to Natalya four weeks ago when Paul sent her to a Toronto House show to have a match with Shannon. Owen and Natalya were very close. He was her favorite uncle. Natalya gave Shannon the blessing for her uncle's portrayal during the special live event; as well as her blessing for the production crew to play Owen's theme music, "High Energy" as Shannon came to the ring.

Once the match with Cheerleader Melissa ended, and the women were "revived," Shannon grabbed her jacket and pulled out miniature Hershey "Nugget" Chocolate bars, and tossed them to fans.

Natalya didn't feel Shannon's request or post-match idea was in bad taste. It was the opposite. She was honored. Both at Shannon's request for permission, and her desire to tribute her Uncle Owen in the first place.

* * *

 **Saturday, October 30th, 2017**

 **750 West Sand Lake Road**

 **Building 254**

 **Orlando, FL, 32809**

 **9:18 PM**

Shannon was wrapping up an evening workout at Power Strength Gym. The building didn't close until midnight, unlike some gyms which could shut down around nine or ten in the evening. In addition to its cleanliness, knowledgeable and friendly staff, seldom was there a huge crowd at Power Strength; and there was a solid variety of weights and machines. After finishing her final set, in a rare move, she logged on to _post_ , not read a tweet from others, like she usually would following aired episodes of NXT TV.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "I can forgive taking a Codebreaker, then being put into the Walls shortly after this month...because **AtIamJericho** dropped an album this week. Congrats **AtFozzyRock** on making the Billboard charts! ㇶ8"

About thirty seconds later before she was going to pull the ear plugs out of her ear, Chris Jericho responded.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtIamJericho** :

"Thanks Sistah! Do you have a favorite song, **AtSStormWWE**?"

 **AtSStormWWE** : "By far Judas **AtIamJericho**. The whole album is hot, but Judas is fire."

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtIamJericho** :

"Sweet **AtSStormWWE**. That's actually what we plan on opening the set with for the upcoming tour."

Apparently, he wasn't done chatting, so away her fingers went to continue the conversation.

 **AtSStormWWE** : "I've had it on repeat during my entire workout tonight **AtIamJericho**. Y2J, please talk to **AtTripleH**! No BS: Judas is totally rad, and PPV-worthy! #SupportTheBoys"

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtIamJericho** :

"Love, love, love the reception **AtSStormWWE**! Glad u think it's fiyah! ㈝3Speaking of #SupportTheBoys, **AtFozzyRock** filmed the entire music video at the **AtDDPYoga** PC. As for being a PPV theme? Uh, maybe Trip  & I could talk about it one day."

A different tweet came in from another person.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtTripleH** :

"Don't get your hopes up **AtSStormWWE**. I haven't checked it out yet. Besides **AtIamJericho** , are you forgetting the **AtWWE** used 'Martyr No More' from **AtFozzyRock's** Chasing The Grail album for the 2010 Royal Rumble? #Let'sNotGetAheadOfOurselves...Or greedy."

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtIamJericho** :

" **AtTripleH** , Ur right Trip. 4 all we know, **AtSStormWWE** could be hacked! Some drunk buffoon (who miraculously manages to correctly type and punctuate coherent sentences) could be on her twittah right now, ㈍9this #SexyBeast's ass about a record that totally sucks! Maybe it's not lava…"

And now they were spamming the heck out of her Twitter, talking among themselves.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtTripleH** :

"Seriously, **AtIamJericho** , dude, whenever I get some time/make time, I'll look into it."

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtIamJericho** :

" **AtTripleH** , thanks man. I appreciate it."

 **AtSStormWWE** : " **AtIamJericho** : The #TunesOfJericho...Listen in Maaaan. ㇷ1"

Chris Jericho retweeted Shannon's last tweet. Other than her #SessionSixWithShannon Twitter questions she did a few months ago, this was the longest time she spent on the site.

Earlier, Shannon started a tweet exchange. For the second time she did something uncharacteristic of herself: be unattentive. As Shannon was following along and replying to the men's tweets with her head down walking around the gym, she lost sight of where she was, enthralled with her electronic device. When she started to raise her head even slightly to gain her bearings on the precise location of where she was, an eerie feeling came on.

"Aaaaah, fuck off!" Screamed Shannon, startled and petrified beyond belief when the corner of her eye spotted a shadow of an arm crossing behind her body in reach of some free weights. She started to pant heavily, before being span around by a person.

"Hey, easy there girlie, it's just me," said Becky Lynch. "I was calling you a few times, trying to excuse me'self. But you had the buds in yer ears, smiling, giggling, and completely focused on yer phone!"

"You scared the shit out of me Beck," Shannon said after her breathing returned to normal, and removing her buds completely out of her ears.

"Truly, I'm sorry mate," Becky apologized. "I meant ya' no harm. You okay? You look liked yer seen a ghost!"

"Yea, yea, I'm cool," Shannon said quickly.

* * *

No she wasn't. At least she was up until recently. November was fast approaching. In fact, it a was a couple of days away. Around two weeks or so from this time would mark the one year anniversary of Shannon committing murder.

It was an act of self-defense because she was physically and sexually assaulted. Shannon was choked from behind by Mike Knox, the janitor, in a gym located on the bottom floor of the venue at the last Ring of Honor show she performed in. She wasn't raped, but Knox did make unwanted sexual contact to her intimate areas with his fingers. And had she not brought him to his demise, he very likely would've penetrated her areas with something a lot more larger than a single finger.

When Shannon's peripheral vision caught Becky's shadow, it brought her back to that dark, demented day. She was instantly reminded of when she was on the brink of complete unconsciousness from being choked out. There was a little over a foot in height difference; so Knox used his leverage to dangle Shannon from the floor, while simultaneously choking her. Shannon kicked one of her legs backward into Knox's genitals, causing him to carelessly drop her to her feet. She certainly didn't have the wherewithal with her surroundings to make a clear exit to escape. She was too busy coughing, and trying to reacclimate herself with air in order to breathe properly once again. The next thing Shannon heard was Knox curse and declare how explicitly he planned on violating her, before making a charge forward.

It was at that precise moment where her "fight or flight" instincts kicked in. When he tossed her, she landed near an area of shelved free weights. That was going to be her medium of attack. There was no time to think of anything else. Shannon grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on: an 80lb dumbbell. With both hands, she griped it as tight as she could, and swung with as much determined force she could muster when Knox lunged for her.

Shannon was not aware that Knox was well on the cusp of death when she nailed him with the weight. Her mind went to another place in the subconscious. The fear of almost being raped and killed herself suspended her awareness of the crimson puddle surrounding Knox's head.

Yet, there lied even more ammunition. In the same autumn season a decade prior, Shannon's mother Cheryl recounted the story about being raped by her employer, who was her husband David's, best friend. That was a lot to take in for a twelve year old girl. If history should repeat itself, Cheryl made Shannon promise not to fall victim like she did to rape. Cheryl urged her daughter to "fight back, and kill if necessary."

So on that horrific evening in November of 2016, that's what happened. Shannon mounted Knox's chest, and struck his temple with elbows. It wasn't until she heard the door open and footsteps of ROH Commentator Kevin Kelly when she came back to reality, realizing what she done.

"Just ah," Shannon started, while looking around the gym left and right. "Be a little more aware next time."

"You need to heed that advice, not me Shannon," said Becky. Shannon waved off Becky, then advanced to a different area of the gym where she grabbed a floor mat, and did some cool-down stretches for eight or nine minutes.

"Shit," Shannon mumbled while digging through her gym bag. "How is it that I remember all my supps, but don't have the most important one? Freaking idiot!"

Becky couldn't audibly hear Shannon's rant of frustration. But after watching the lines on Shannon's forehead ascend, and her hands rapidly transition from the bag to jacket pockets like a kid in dire need to retrieve a valuable, misplaced heirloom, Becky's intuition took over.

"What's the craic lad?" Becky asked after walking back over to the rack of free weights, and redistributing the ones she used on their proper row. "I figure you aren't dancing like a madman. Yer lost sometin'. What's missing? Need me to help find ya' scope it, ay?"

In the past eleven months since the incident, Shannon had been reading a couple of books to cope with her situation in between her NXT responsibilities. The first was _The Ethics of Self Defense_ by Christian Coons, an Associate Professor at Bowling Green State University. Coons' book was a collection of essays addressing the ethics of self-defense with particular scopes on moral, political, and legal philosophy. The second book she read alongside Coons' was _How to Stop Worrying and Start Living_ by Dale Carnegie. Carnegie's work suggested essential techniques to analyze one's worries, supplemented with seven tips to cultivate a refreshed attitude; this refreshed attitude, according to the book, was crucial to individuals not only coping and conquering their worries, but maintaining a high, energized spirit.

She did not have a history of that sort of intentional, volatile, aggressive behavior displayed when she killed Mike Knox. That was the only isolated encounter. Nor was she a direct victim of things like sexual assault or domestic violence on a regular basis. She had not recalled any extended relatives or close friends telling her stories of themselves being victimized either.

So Shannon did not feel she needed to pursue professional psychiatric counseling. She would be open to exploring it if her mental state worsened. Thankfully, it had not. But she did not lose sight of the fact that self-defense or otherwise, she was responsible for ending a life. It was human nature to feel a fraction of guilt, remorse, or self-loathing for such an act. Perhaps a combination of all three when reminiscing and reliving the event in your head. The self-help books were read as a form of therapy to remind Shannon that she _could_ and _should_ forgive herself. Because the motive behind the murder was justified.

"Seems like I either forgot my protein powder for my post-workout shake, or used the last of it during pre-workout," Shannon answered with disappointment in her voice. "Can't remember which. I thought it had it in my bag though."

Again, up until this point Shannon was okay. Becky startling Shannon just brought the bad memories back. The fact that Shannon knew the anniversary was on the horizon was likely the reason why she was antsy, and unfortunately forgot to pack her protein powder.

"Ar'ya stickler 'bout flavors?" Asked Becky, who walked over to her own gym bag in search for some powder. "I've got spares. You're welcome to have some of mine."

"Um, not too much," Shannon said while biting her bottom lip in response to Becky's inquiry of flavor preference. "Hopefully what you have isn't _too_ exotic."

"How's Chocolate Eclair?" Becky questioned with her back still turned, reaching for a canister. Shannon followed behind. "That's what I have today."

"Can't say I've ever tried that flavor. It doesn't ring a bell at all," She replied shaking her head, and squinting her eyes at the jar. "Oh crap, I usually stick to EAS and Cytosport for my powders. They've got the banned performances certification seal on their products. So I know I won't get in trouble with the Wellness Policy."

"I've been using Her Whey for _years_ Shannon," Becky urged, holding her canister out to Shannon, who was unfamiliar and a bit skeptical with her friend's brand. "I've never been popped before!"

Shannon stared at Becky's left hand holding the canister for about ten seconds.

"Well," Shannon began after a deep, contemplative sigh. "You have been here longer than I. You say you haven't been busted. And you're _offering_ , which is better than me spending money buying a protein bar from the vending machine. Alright, I accept."

"Swell then!" Exclaimed Becky when Shannon removed the jar from Becky's hands, jogged over to her own gym bag, and retrieved her shaker cup.

She removed the cap of a sealed water bottle, and poured the beverage into her shaker cup. After opening the jar of Her Whey, she dipped three scoops of Becky's powder into the cup. Shannon tossed in the whisk ball that accompanied the cup, screwed her lid on tight, and hurriedly shaked the cup with its contents. In about two-to-two-and-a-half minutes, she downed her drink, returned the canister to Becky, then packed her own bag, in pursuit of a shower before making her leave.

Shannon made it about half way across the room when she had second thoughts.

"Hey, I uh, before you get on the bench, would you like me to be your spotter?" asked Shannon, who dropped the strap of her bag from across her shoulder to the floor. "I mean, it's only fair, after you supplied me with _free_ nutrition. The least I could do, you know?"

"Sure it's not just because you don't want me tellin' stories to de locker room 'bout you frolicking around like a looney tune, crazy person?" Becky remarked with a wink before a light chuckle.

"Hahaha, well probably a _tiny_ pinch of that too," Shannon replied, squeezing her thumb and index finger together in response to Becky's humor.

"Well alright, let's have at it!" She said wildly.

* * *

 **Sunday October 31st, 2017**

 **Full Sail University**

 **Winterpark, Florida**

 **9:43 PM**

NXT Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann was in the ring ready for action, participating in the last match before the main event. Ninety seconds elapsed without his opponent for the evening making any indication of an entrance. When the impatient groans from the crowd eclipsed, a familiar arrangement of snare drum commenced. It was sharp, steady, and battle-like. Fifteen seconds in, and it clicked to the audience the more and more the music played. The marching steps. The sounding horns. It didn't _sound_ familiar. It _was_ familiar. It was "Invasion." If you were a wrestling fan-particularly an avid one in the 1990s-there was only one thing you would shout at the sound of "Invasion."

" **GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG!**

 **GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG!"**

Kudos to the NXT live event staff for having fun along with the talent. As the titan tron played above with a live view of a dressing room door, one agent's fist was shown knocking three times. There was a sticker with Bill Goldberg's emblem placated to it. No one answered, so the agent exited.

" **GOLDBERG GOLDBERG!**

 **GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG!"**

A second agent came by the dressing room door in the same camera shot, and peeled off the sticker with Goldberg's emblem. The word revealed in the center of the door under Goldberg's sticker stated, "Psychopath." The second agent knocked after rolling the Goldberg sticker into a paper ball, and putting it in their pocket. When they left, the door opened and out came…

" **CIAMPA! CIAMPA! CIAMPA!**

 **CIAMPA! CIAMPA! CIAMPA!"**

It was hilarious. It was badass. It was epic. It was all of the those things. Tomasso Ciampa entered the NXT Arena at Full Sail University "Goldberg-style," complete with the Invasion theme, accompanying pyro, snorting, screaming, and kicking theatrics.

"Swann's next!" Ciampa screamed as the audience continued to chant, replacing Goldberg's name with his. Ciampa, coming off a huge heel turn the last fans saw him on television ending #TeamDIY with partner Johnny Gargano, needed to and did squash Swann. Thankfully, it was not one of those burial squashes where Ciampa hit his finish, and the match was over in ten seconds. Swann got some offense in, but after a minute elapsed, it was no-sold; Ciampa picked up the decisive victory in just under three minutes.

Around 9:50 PM the entrances began to the main event, which was a four-on-four tag-team match. To say fans were in for a big nostalgia pop would be an understatement.

All of the lights went out. A glimpse of light was visible to members of the audience seated close to the curtain where Superstars walked through before stepping on the stage of a set. But it was very miniscule. It looked blacker than one hundred midnights.

" _ **The following is a paid endorsement brought to you by the New World Order."**_

The infamous guitar riff that older fans remembered hearing for the first time in 1996 boomed in the arena. It was followed by a pop from the crowd as the lights faded in and out in black and white once the initial abbreviation appeared on the titan tron.

" **New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New World Order!"**

Eight seconds later Scott Dawson of The Revival came out strutting while playing air guitar on a defaced replica World Heavyweight Championship, spray-painted with **nWo** in black. He was portraying the role of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. Though at 5'10, 230 pounds, Dawson was smaller and shorter than Hogan. He did sport a foo-man-chu like the WWE Hall of Hamer, however. He, like Hogan, dyed it to meet the colors of the stable. Dawson also purchased a black and white bandanna with built-in hair extensions so he could have Hogan's thin, receding mullet.

The latin percussion and cowbell sounds played into the continuation of the rock and roll guitar sound of "Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley.

" **For life, For life, For life!"**

Following Dawson to the ring was Apollo Crews, who represented Vincent. There wasn't too much Crews had to do with his appearance. He and Vincent were both bald Black men, and they were the same size. From an aesthetic point though, Crews had the more ripped physique.

As the guitar pressed on and the solo by the traditional drums commenced, two more members came out. Big Cass, who was pulled from the main roster for this event, arrived in leather pants with flared legs, and a tank top. The seven-footer dyed his hair and goatee Strawberry-blonde for the night as he portrayed, WWE Hall of Famer, "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash. The next person who came out was another tall, but slightly shorter man, Baron Corbin. In a rare more, he wore trunks this evening. Accompanied with his trunks, the charcoal-haired Superstar wore a black shirt with the words "Lone Wolf" in white. That was WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall's nickname when he was eventually dismissed from the nWo as his demons were used for storyline Creative in WCW.

" **Too Sweeeeeeet!"**

With both Corbin and Cass out, each man greeted each other with 'The Kliq's' Russian Wolf symbol. They encouraged Crews and Dawson to join in as they made their way further into the arena, and eventually, the ring.

" **N...W...O!"**

When the entrance theme for nWo Hollywood wrapped around 9:54 PM, another theme started shortly after. This one too, was nostalgic. The funky guitar groove took the fans back to 1997. And then came the well-timed foot pedal bass drums. The beat played for fifteen seconds before a scream by DX Band singer, Chris Warren, could be heard. Cymbals blended in.

" **D-Generation!"**

But then other vocals began. Rap vocals, with Warren screaming in between.

" **The King of Rock. Who?** **The King of Rock. What?**

 **The King of Rock. Who?** **The King of Rock. What?**

 **The King of Rock. Who?** **The King of Rock. What?**

 **The King of Rock. Who?** **The King of Rock. What?**

 **(D, D, D, D-Generation X!)**

 **The King of Rock. Who?** **The King of Rock. What?**

 **The King of Rock. Who?** **The King of Rock. What?**

 **The King of Rock. Who?** **The King of Rock. What?**

 **The King of Rock. Who?** **The King of Rock. What?"**

"And introducing their opponents, at a combined weight of 923 pounds, D-Generation X!" announced Eden Stiles, while the "NWO" members waited in anticipation like the crowd as DMC began their initial verse.

" **I gotta' come to your rings with a range so high,**

 **that even you and R-Kelly believe I can fly.**

 **I'm sellin' jammies when the Grammy rappers chanting and cheer.**

 **Selling more than all of y'all without a record in years!"**

The song was "The Kings" performed by RUN DMC, a legendary Hip Hop trio who gained massive mainstream cross over appeal for masterfully creating iconic anthems that fused their rap core with the rock and metal audience. "Down with the King," "King of Rock," and "Walk This Way" featuring Aerosmith, were just a few of their hits. For many years-with some exceptions-the then WWF had quite a bit of pop and rock based themes for Pay-Per-Views and Superstars.

In 2000, the company composed an album that was completely Hip-Hop based, with rap artists recording their artistic interpretation to theme songs for top WWF Superstars at the time. RUN DMC's "The Kings" was not only a remix to D-Generation X's "Break It Down." It would also be the lead single of the WWF Aggression CD, complete with a music video that aired on MTV.

" **My catalogue got a long list of hits in the stores.**

 **And for you sample-happy suckas out here breakin' the law?**

 **Rather hit you, where it gets you: bring you up on a charge.**

 **You'd be better off just letting a lawyer know from the start!"**

The flickering green and black lights amped the crowd up while they watched the titan tron play elements of both the 2000 music video as well as video from the inaugural incarnation of D-Generation X. That confused the fans. Yet it was intentional by the production crew and talent. They wanted the fans excited. But they also wanted to screw with their curiosity. Just because a modern DX theme played, did it have to mean DX 2000 would be represented? Not necessarily. Could the 1997 version be portrayed instead? Possibly. The fans had no idea, and as the chorus approached, the suspense was getting to them.

" **The King of Rock. Who?**

 **That be my hobby and job.**

 **And when I come and break the ruckus,**

 **Suckas duck, and then dodge!**

 **(D, D, D-Generation X!)**

 **The King of Rock. What?**

 **That be my hobby and job.**

 **And when I come and break the ruckus,**

 **Suckas duck, then they dodge!**

 **(D-Generation!)"**

When Rev Run lead the second verse, finally someone walked on stage.

" **Well rock a rhyme for me, and a rhyme for you.**

 **And everybody catch the Boogaloo blues.**

 **D-Generation X, and you know what's next."**

Shannon walked out in a leather and bra and brief panties set. The crotch and lower curvature of the panties were accented with silver rhinestone studs. The upper end of the high waisted panty was designed with three thin, black leather belts with silver buckles, and accentuated with accompanying silver rhinestone studs. The black leather bra had silver shoulder straps of medium thickness, and silver spikes across seventy percent of the bra cups.

Instead of the UA Fierce VI performance gloves she usually wore with her own gear, Shannon had regular, fashion leather gloves. These gloves didn't just cover her hands. They exceeded beyond her wrist, not stopping until the midpoint of her forearm. She already had a pair of basic black boots and knee pads. Shannon made sure to have her hair down instead of up tonight; she also combed out some bangs about three inches beneath her forehead.

It was obvious which member of D-Generation X, she represented, albeit fifty pounds smaller, and seven inches shorter. Shannon was "the ninth wonder of the world," Chyna.

" **The vibration flexed up upon your set.**

 **This is my steez, MCs, and these are my days.**

 **I bring my homies.**

 **Suckas know me from back in the day."**

That was Shannon's cue. She walked a few feet down the center of the ramp, squatted, and tilted her hand to the curtain. More cheers erupted.

" **It's DJ Run y'all.**

 **And this is how I get down.**

 **D-Generation X comin' to your town!"**

"Badass" Billy Gun and the "Road Dogg" Jesse James entered the arena, in their gear. Billy walked to the far left corner, turned around and shimmied his butt. Road Dogg walked to the far right side of the stage platform, placed a water bottle at his crotch, and jerked his pelvis forward, pantomiming penetrating it from behind, "doggy style." The two men then walked to the center, greeting each other crossing their arms.

When the chorus repeated, Billy and Road Dogg walked further down the ramp to greet Shannon, stopping at the midpoint, maybe six feet away from the ring. To introduce the New Age Outlaws (non-verbally) to the audience was great. But together, they would introduce someone else. The three of them squatted, flicked their wrists, and pointed backward.

" **An apple to a peach, and cherry to a plum.**

 **We won't stop rockin' 'til ya' all get some.**

 **The seed to the apple, and the apple to the core.**

 **We are the two with the rhymes galore."**

"Whaaaaaaa!" Screamed the fans as Paul walked out, dressed ready to compete, spitting out water while clenching the bottle with his right hand and crossing his arms into an X. The crowd followed suit, crossing their arms as well.

" **The ball to the bounce, the bounce to the ball.**

 **This is the crew. We're gonna' rock you all.**

 **D-Generation X comin' to your town.**

 **And if you get in their way, they're gonna' chop ya' down!"**

When Paul made it to the midpoint with the rest of the D-Generation X members, he reached behind himself, and pulling out three pairs of green glow sticks tucked in his trunks. He gave a pair to Road Dogg, Billy, and Shannon, before snatching the last pair from his trunks for himself. He encouraged the group to toss them out to the crowd. They complied. Paul even ripped the "DX: One Night Only" shirt he was wearing, and threw it out in the crowd.

D-Generation X were the legends. With pride, she would gladly allow them to walk in front of her for the remainder of the entrance, while she followed. They never had to question if she had their respect. But they insisted she walk ahead, and enter the ring first. Shannon wasn't sure if the men were being modest since she was the current star, and they were tagging along for the fun in the one-off appearance.

Or perhaps because they were men, insisted she march ahead, so they could check her out from behind. She was wearing much less today than what she'd normally wear as her own character. And even though Paul, Billy, and Road Dogg were married, they weren't blind. She couldn't control their eyes if they wandered. There was no harm in looking. Female Superstars checked out the male talent at the same rate they were checked out by the men. It wasn't about being misogynistic. It was about being human. Admiring wasn't a precursor to bad news, _touching_ was.

" **The King of Rock. Who?**

 **That be my hobby and job.**

 **And when I come and break the ruckus,**

 **Suckas duck, and then dodge!**

 **(D, D, D, D-Generation X!)**

 **The King of Rock. What?**

 **That be my hobby and job.**

 **And when I come and break the ruckus,**

 **Suckas duck, then they dodge!**

 **(D-Generation!)"**

D-Generation X got in the center of the ring to do their signature crotch-chops in succession when the chorus played a third time. Pyro formed in an X exploded around them. As the fog dissipated, she could read the lips of Scott Dawson which said "Screw You!"

This was the only live event she truly knew what her game plan was several months in advance. Following the spring Creative meeting when the idea of pairing Shannon with Jordan and Gable was nixed, she peered the fall NXT schedule and noticed her talent group was penciled in Orlando for the October 31st Halloween house show. The other talent group would be in Georgia on that day. With this in mind, Shannon took another gamble. She texted Paul, asking if it was possible he would make an appearance there. Optimistically, in her head, she was hoping for a match. But as a realist, merely asked about the appearance.

Shannon knew both Road Dogg and Billy lived in Florida already. So the probability of doing something with any or all of them was _slim_ , but not _impossible_. Shannon also had on her side knowledge that despite being semi-retired, when on his Road To Wrestlemania runs, Paul wrestled some house shows during the January to April stretch as preparation. She knew he wasn't the type to just fall out of regular shape. And it wouldn't be a daunting task for him to return to ring shape. He was always well-conditioned. So there was a chance. A small chance, but a chance nonetheless.

"Sucks to be you," Shannon mouthed back to Dawson with a smirk over the music and crowd pops, lifting her shoulders, being coy. His team knew they were booked against "DX." But they did not know instead of recruiting fellow members of the roster to _play_ DX, she'd _actually_ get DX. They were jealous.

Some people died with regret for not betting on themselves, taking a risk on something they believed in or desired. She took that chance. What was the worse he would say, 'no?' If he did, she'd get over it. Thankfully, Paul did not. Back in April he told her he'd talk to Billy and Road Dogg about it. If nothing was vitally important he needed to attend to regarding his day job, and if the family was okay in Connecticut, he'd fly down to work a tag match for that specific show.

The match went twenty minutes, and the younger talent let the veteran DX members lead the call.

Fans often changed their minds on who they felt were the heels, and who they felt were the babyfaces. The nostalgia effect could do that sometimes. Towards the last eight minutes, momentum shifted in favor of the nWo as the accepted heels-thanks to various run-ins.

"Buff Bagwell" played by Bobby Roode, showed up. "Eric Bischoff" showed up. He was portrayed by Authors of Pain's manager, Paul Ellering, who wore a black toupee. Emma donned a brown wig as "Miss Elizabeth," the third Superstar in behalf of the nWo to arrive. Even the referee working the match, Tom Castor, got involved. He pulled his black shirt with the gold NXT logo above his head to reveal a black and white one. He represented the nWo's "dirty referee" Nick Patrick, screwing DX left and right in numerous pinning predicaments.

It wouldn't be an nWo segment without madness, mayhem, and run-ins. Order was restored in the last three minutes of the match in a more _degenerate_ than traditional style.

 **"Thud!"**

WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels dropped Roode and Ellering with Sweet Chin Music on the outside after climbing over the barricade, through the crowd. X-Pac crawled from under the ring, circumventing "Hogan" played by Dawson. Dawson was about to slide in the ring to break up a DX pin attempt, but was the recipient of a running X-Factor on the mats outside.

With "Bagwell and Bischoff" out, and the remaining members of each team brawling amongst each other, a vulnerable Emma was cornered in the ring. She fell victim to X-Pac's Bronco Buster. The crowd went nuts. The pop sustained when Chyna marched down the ramp with a purpose. Yes, the same Chyna who requested Shannon induct her into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. After rolling into the ring, she clotheslined "Ms. Elisabeth" over the top-rope, and delivered her patented low-blow to "Nick Patrick," taking him out. Kinati Brink raced down the ring to replace him as referee.

In the flesh, Shannon was mostly in character, and enjoying herself. In her head, like her younger peers in the ring likely were, she was marking the hell out. She knew about Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and Paul being at this show. Paul never told her about getting Waltman, Michaels, and Chyna to make an appearance, let alone doing spots. It was a surprise that the fans and talent themselves were excited to see. The NXT members did not need to be coached here. When they saw which Superstars came after them, they were receptive to selling the spots performed on them.

Crews took a FameAsser from Billy on the ring apron. Road Dogg ate a big boot from Cass. Paul let Corbin Jackknife Powerbomb him. In the closing moments Dawson and Shannon were the two legal people in the ring. He Scoop Slammed Shannon, played Air Guitar, and proceeded to hit the ropes before he finished her off with the Leg Drop. During his antics, he failed to see Shannon roll to her side following the Scoop Slam. Paul leaned over the ropes, and tapped her lower back. Brink acknowledged the blind tag. On Dawson's return from the ropes, instead of delivering a Leg Drop, he was welcomed by a Pedigree and defeat.

* * *

 **90 Minutes Later**

Because Shannon followed Paul's and the company's Twitter accounts, his latest tweet showed up in her notifications. He likely was half-way back, probably flying over Maryland on the Corporate jet at this point. She clicked the tweet.

 **New** **Tweet** from user **AtTripleH** :

"You never know what'll happen...or in some cases...WHO will stop by a **AtWWE** 's **AtNXT** live event. That's why I always keep an extra pair of these size 14's in my **AtFullSailUniv** office...you know, just in case. Honored to entertain you Orlando. #GameTimeCanBeAnytime ㇳ5 Happy Halloween to all those that celebrate. "

Attached to the tweet was a picture of one of his pairs of wrestling boots, literally on top of a desk.

That tweet made her smile. That match made her smile. There were a few rocky events that got to her this month: the confrontation with Nikki Bella that came out of nowhere. The discovery of Tough Enough winner Eva-Marie being on the main roster reality show Total Divas instead of frequenting the Performance Center. Memories of the attack and murder from last year resurfacing in her thoughts as its anniversary approached.

But there were also some good moments from October too. The Canadian fan she met at a gym who asked her to be his prom date next spring. Tyler's selflessness to fly to Toronto on a mutual day off, so they could have a great date without inconveniencing her travel during NXT's Canadian tour. Her forthcoming Under Armour deal and projects. Most importantly, her run as NXT Women's Champion. For every bad moment, she could think of a few good ones.

Perspective went hand in hand with perseverance. At least with Shannon it did. She took nothing for granted; nor was she complacent. She had goals. Some were finally being nixed off the bucket list. Others remained on deck. As long as Shannon continued to put in the hard work, she would get everything back ten-fold. She believed that. If unwavering drive was a part of the race, she was halfway across the finish line.


	41. Chapter Forty One: Blossoming Bonds

**Author's notes for November 7th, 2017** :

 _My thoughts and prayers go to the friends and family of the slain and injured victims from the late September Las Vegas massacre. Those well wishes are also extended to those slain and injured from the October 31st attack in New York City, and the November 5th mass murder in a Texas church. ㈻1_

 _For anyone who celebrated Halloween, I hope you had a safe and happy experience. ㇳ5_

 _Condolences to friends and loved ones of Lance Russell who entered #WrestlingHeaven on October 3rd. Russell was a legendary announcer in the Memphis wrestling scene, although he also contributed to parts of the NWA Mid-America region. Aside from his announcing, another significant note on Russell was that he was responsible for giving WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler his start in the wrestling business. The irony was that his introduction began as an artist instead of wrestler. Fans and promoters checked out "The King's" work displayed at wrestling shows, and networking to become an in-ring performer catapulted from there._

 _According to Lawler, Russell had a bad fall-breaking his hip, and a bone in his neck. A day prior to this, his daughter lost her cancer battle. Russell did not awake from his sedation upon being admitted in the hospital for surgery, and died days later. An incredibly tragic ordeal to say the least. #RestInPower ㈳9_

 _As the year comes to a close and new one slowly approaches, more drama in WTS will resurface. There's a certain match type forthcoming in the real NXT that I have planned to happen much, much later for some individuals on this journey. For the readers who have stayed the course, as always I appreciate your patience and loyalty._

* * *

 **Monday, November 1st, 2017**

 **Toyota Center in Houston, TX**

 **1:21 PM, several hours before Monday Night Raw**

"Hey, anybody see Randy?" Asked Paul as he passed a few people on the main roster.

"Nope, haven't seen him," Said Paige as Paul continued to walk.

"Haven't seen him in the _building_ , or haven't seen him _in town_?" He asked. "I know he and Sarita travel together."

"She posted a picture on Instagram earlier of some place they stopped at for lunch; so they're in town at least," Ryback replied while doing dips against the wall. "Not sure if they're anywhere in the arena though."

"Alright, thanks. Tell him I'm looking for him if you run into him before me," Paul requested.

"Sure thing," Said Ryback.

Paul continued to travel about the arena and was nearing the men's restroom. Before he went inside, he composed a quick text message to Randy regarding his whereabouts. With his phone deposited in the side pocket of his trousers, he pushed the main entrance door to the restroom open. He walked a few paces inside near a urinal and unzipped his pants to relieve himself.

Coincidentally, he heard familiar voices mere feet away in one of the stalls.

 _ **Clang, clang, clang!**_

The noise of heels hitting the back of the stall's door startled Paul.

"Papí...Papí...Papí," Murmured Sarita as Randy grunted against her while having sex in the stall.

Paul finished urinating, washed his hands, and left with a smile on his face.

* * *

 **Fifteen Minutes later**

There was a knock on the door to the room being occupied as Paul's office tonight.

"Come in," Paul yelled out. "It's open."

"Hey Hunt, heard you wanted me," Said Randy as he turned the knob, and entered the room.

"The point of me giving you my old bus was to have privacy for your fucks man," Paul began with a laugh.

"What?" Randy replied, not knowing where Paul's comment lead.

"Dude, we're friends, it's fine," Paul remarked, with the laugh concluding. But the smirk remained on his face. "I'm not the one you play dumb, or be in denial with. I heard you banging Sarita. I was too busy taking a piss, and preparing for read-throughs of tonight's script to hang out in the John for the rest of your show."

"Hahaha, sorry man," Randy apologized. "I needed it."

"I don't question that," Paul answered. "I just figured a bus I paid for-that I eventually gave to you-would have a lot more discretion and comfortability for Sarita than say, _a bathroom stall_. No worries though. I redirected traffic heading in your direction, so you could finish the act in peace."

"Hey, I owe you one," Randy said, reaching a hand out to Paul, and pulling him in for a hug. "The next time you need a favor, it's yours. Doesn't matter when or where."

"Good to know, thank you," Said Paul, examining Randy, who shook wrinkles out of his graphic tee shirt. "What's going on man? You alright? You look like shit."

"I feel like it too bro," Randy responded, raising his arms up and massaging his temple with his fingers. "Have you been watching the show?"

"What show?" Asked Paul.

"Total Divas, man!" Randy yelled.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Paul barked back, with a furrowed brow. "I don't watch that shit, and am happily _not_ a part of it."

"Gosh, I freakin' sound like them, since I'm involved. Anyways, I can't stand this planner Sarita has for the wedding, icing me out of stuff. She and Sarita have their vision for things, but still. Plus Sarita and I aren't seeing eye to eye with grabbing a place. If we don't, sooner than later, we'll be one of those married couples that live separate."

"Sarita's not going to like that," Paul noted. "She gets attached to those she's close to."

"I know, I know," Randy agreed. "There's not a place we haven't gone to where we don't have at least 50, 60 pics to mark the occasion. Some people find that clingy, but that's how she is."

"Yeah, I get it," Paul agreed. "Sarita _not_ being 'Ms. Click, Click, Flash, Flash' is cause for alarm."

"Hey, shut up dude!" Randy exclaimed as he slapped Paul's shoulder lightly.

"I meant that as a compliment, relax," Paul said, and Randy nodded.

"Then my Dad-" Randy was quickly interrupted by Paul.

"What's wrong with Cowboy?" Paul asked quickly, as his tone transitioned from playful to serious. "He sick? Is he hurt?"

"No, no, no, he's fine, physically," Randy began. "It's just uh, he's been giving me problems. I took Sarita to meet my folks. She was a nervous wreck on the entire way over there. I assure her it's going to go fine. And it does. We get there, and my parents are cool. Up until prenups were mentioned. We don't want one. My father hates the idea and has been on my ass ever since. Damn, I've been rambling for minutes. What'd you need me for?"

"I wanted to tell you when you'd return to TV, and how we were going to do it," Paul said, as he threw an arm around Randy's neck. Paul guided him forward to take a seat in the chair in front of his own. "Let me talk to Cowboy, and smooth things out. Sarita's a good person. One I respect, and the one you love. I'll give him a call, and explain that narrative to him, in my way."

"I'm not asking for an advocate Hunt," Randy started.

"And I won't be," He replied with slight defiance. "Just being a good friend, big brother, or whatever term's applicable given the situation or circumstance."

"Thanks," Said Randy stretching his arm across Paul's desk as he took his seat.

"You bet," Paul said, accepting Randy's hand through the embrace.

* * *

 **Tuesday, November 2nd, 2017**

 **12:07 PM**

It was midday on the East Coast, and Shannon received an incoming text from Tyler following her workout.

 **Ty** : Hey you.

 **Me** : Hi baby!

 **Ty** : Pamela, aka ur resident parcel woman, hmu.

 **Me** : Hahahaha, what? Hmu?

 **Ty** : Hit me up, sorry. Last time she gave me some package of nuts & said they were from u.

 **Me** : I owed you from when I spilled your snack, and fell over your lap at the baseball game.

 **Ty** : ㈶1 Right, right, right. That was cute. I remember.

 **Me** : ㈳5

 **Ty** : Today she gave me a gourmet cupcake-baked w/organic ingredients & egg whites-so it was xtra light. It was topped w/Pumpkin-Spice cream frosting. Once again, she said it was from u.

 **Me** : Happy belated Thanksgiving Rockstar!

 **Ty** : Belated? ㈵3 Thanksgiving isn't for another three weeks.

 **Me** : Not in Canada, you Canuck! ㈵8 It's in October. Sorry I missed it.㇬9

 **Ty** : Ur so sweet! Thanks Mark. Speaking of parcel carriers, ur mom texted me your parents' address.

 **Me** : Uh-oh!

 **Ty** : Don't worry, I didn't show up there like a stalker.

 **Me** : Thank you. It wouldn't just be the stalker part. You wouldn't have given me the chance to prep you for Dad.㈌3

 **Ty** : I sent her something.

 **Me** : …

 **Ty** : No porn, I swear. ㈴6 Some flowers...signed 8X10 pics, & 1 of my...selfie sticks.

 **Me** : Awww! She'll love it! Gotta' admit...I'm a bit bummed she got the selfie stick before me.

 **Ty** : You don't need the stick. You have the real thing. ㇭4

 **Me** : 'Tis true, 'tis true. It's not polite to be greedy after all…㈴1

 **Ty** : Gotta jet Mark. Need to work on some promo & out-of-ring segment stuff. TTYL

 **Me** : Bye love. ㈵6㈎7

While her phone was still in her possession she decided to share some productive notes with a few friends. Shannon started a group text.

 **Me** : Sam shared with me that you're closing in on your gown choices, and will have three dress changes.

 **Rita** : Correct, & she & I have already finalized the BM & MOH attire. B on the lookout 4it.

 **Me** : Cool. Can't wait to see them.

 **Rita** : 4those n the party who were a part of my fashion show, I have their measurements already on file. 4those who weren't, they'll b notified of where & when 2report 4their fittings.

 **Pam** : Sounds good. I've narrowed my list of blessing poems Rita. I'll let u kno when it's finalized & u can share w/Sam.

 **Rita** : Perfectó! ㈺8

 **Me** : I know you're having an open bar, but please don't forget about the non-drinkers.

 **Rita** : U aren't the only 1...got u covered.ㇲ4ㇲ3 Oh, & by the way Missy, that was sneaky what u did... pulling Randy aside 2talk cakes.

 **Me** : I felt bad for the guy. You and Sam found his ideas hideous, but he was trying. I was going to hear him out if you two weren't.

 **Rita** : …㈵0

 **Me** : Did it work?

 **Rita** : Sort of...They'll be 2 ㇱ6's. 1 main cake, & 1 small groom's cake 4him. Very small. He told me2 thank u.

 **Me** : He's very welcome! Glad a compromise was reached...even if teeth were pulled.

 **Rita** : U chicas keeping up w/ TD?

 **Pam** : I am...hard not 2 w/ur woes n GA…

 **Rita** : Girrrrrrl, let me tell u, it's hell! ㉄0 Giving him a cake is the least I can do 2relieve the stress of finding a ㇼ8.

 **Me** : I've told you a bunch of times I don't watch that stuff. Besides, even if I were into reality TV, I'm too in love to bother caring about what's happening on your show.

 **Rita** : N LOVE?! W/WHO?!

 **Pam** : Really Sarita?! Clearly with Matt.

 **Rita** : Oh, Breezy? Sorry, my bad. I'm so caught up w/ making the wedding perfect. Chica, don't mind me.

 **Me** : From sending stuff to my mom, singing to me in between sex sometimes, the wrestling, yeah, I'm in love.

 **Rita** : Ur already a lucky woman for getting that strip tease from him a couple of months ago. I can't get Randy to do that. & now he sings to you? #JealousLikeNickJonas

 **Me** : Well it wasn't like he did it yesterday. And it's not often, but has happened more than once. I just felt like sharing.

 **Pam** : U need 2marry his ass!

 **Me** : It's still early.

 **Rita** : Almost 3mths was enough 4me & Randy. 5 not enough 4 U2?

In Sarita's defense, Tyler and Shannon were playing a cat and mouse game of flirting four and half months before either one made a move serious enough to the point where their intentions were clear and mutually understood. Combine that with another five of actually dating, to Sarita, it seemed like that was more than enough time for Shannon to know if Tyler was her "Mr. Right." They had a nine-to-ten month relationship, not five, in Sarita's mind.

 **Me** : ...Besides, he hasn't asked.

 **Rita** : He will eventually.

 **Me** : I appreciate the urge ladies. But one wedding at a time. Let's get you married first Sarita, being that you're the one who's actually engaged, have the planner, and everything.

 **Rita** : Point taken Mamí!

 **Pam** : Hahahaha!

* * *

 **Wednesday, November 3rd, 2017**

 **NXT Episode**

"Hey, hey, Regal!" Screamed Samoa Joe, who burst inside of William Regal's office, sporting one of his "Samoan Submission Specialist" tee shirts. "I want Nakamura! I want him tonight!"

"Nevermind the fact that you rudely and disrespectfully barged into my office," Regal began with a snarl on his face. "I _will not_ give you Nakamura tonight! For two reasons: You had him at Takeover Fight, and lost. The match ended in controversy. Shinsuke tapped at the same time the referee counted your shoulders down for the three count in a pinning predicament. So I gave you a second title match, and you lost again! You blew it, Samoa Joe!"

"Blew it?!" Joe yelled with hysteria.

"That's what I said," Regal replied, not backing down. "You had your opportunities. You _failed_. It's to the back of the line for you. Perhaps down the road, you'll earn another chance. For now Bobby Ro-"

"I didn't blow a goddamn thing Regal!" Joe screamed. " _Roode_ is the one who blew it! I was robbed! Anyone who saw NXT two weeks ago knows I was screwed when Bobby Roode came parading down to the ring."

"Everyone who saw NXT knows Roode did not lay a hand on you, _or_ Shinsuke Nakamura in that match," Regal reminded Joe sternly. "You may not like it, but Roode is not responsible for you taking your eyes off the prize. _**You and you**_ **alone** became distracted. Nakamura being the fighter he is, executed and once again was victorious, getting his hand raised for retaining the championship."

Samoa Joe growled.

"But if a match is what you want, a match is what you'll get," Regal continued before holding up a finger. "Not a championship match with Shinsuke Nakamura, but one against...Bobby Roode. Now, is that satisfactory to you sir?"

"For now," Joe muttered before turning around and making his exit.

The NXT opening video package, followed by its appropriate pyro and camera cuts to the arena, followed.

The opening contest saw Tye Dillinger defeat Apollo Crews with the "Tye-Breaker" in singles action. Dillinger cut a promo shortly after reminding folks how he defeated Crews' tag-team partner for the Dusty Classic. That partner was Cedric Alexander who made his NXT debut back in August at NXT Takeover: Respect. The promo was short-lived as Cedric raced to the ring, and attacked Dillinger for gloating about victories over the two men. The crowd fired up, and it appeared they were looking forward to a Dillinger-Alexander rematch should Cedric be granted a singles bout to redeem his previous lost to "The Perfect 10."

A commercial aired recapping events of Raw and Smackdown from the previous week. The next contest was a two-on-one handicap match of Becky Lynch and Nia Jax versus NXT Women's Champion Shannon Storm. It was already in progress and approaching the finish.

"Storm gets clotheslined out the ring by Nia Jax!" Exclaimed NXT Commentator Corey Graves as Shannon dropped to the floor.

"She is 'not like most girls' Corey... _at all_ ," Remarked fellow commentator Tom Phillips. "Many other Superstars would need at least one or two running starts before they attempt a clothesline, taking an opponent outside. No charge necessary with Jax. She already saw Storm hanging by the wayside against the ropes, and with ease takes the champion up and over."

Nikaan, who was the referee for the Women's Championship match against Ember Moon a couple of weeks ago, was officiating this one. She began the count on Shannon.

"I do not know why you joined us at the announce desk," Began Graves smugly. "But since you're here, I'd like to personally offer my condolences for your loss against Shannon Storm. You opened your mouth about our NXT Women's Champion, and she shut it for you!"

"I was invited by Tom Phillips to provide some insight on this match, so that's what I'm out here to do," Said Ember Moon reassuringly to Graves, while keeping her focus on the television monitor on the table. "As for condolences? I don't need or want your sympathy Corey, especially if it isn't sincere."

"Aside from the jabs my colleague is making-and I apologize for that-what do you make of Storm's title reign thus far?" Asked Phillips.

" **1...2…"**

"Hey, Shannon Storm is doing her thing. She takes shortcuts sometimes which I'm not a fan of at all. That's why I stepped up, called her out, and challenged her," Moon explained with poised honesty. "When push came to shove, she proved why she's a hell of a competitor. I didn't defeat her for the championship, but she definitely has been put on notice about my skills as well."

"I'll say, what an outstanding match that was!" Phillips replied wildly. "It went down to the wire. You like sports references Corey...what's that football movie with Cameron Díaz and Jamie Foxx?"

"Any Given Sunday?" Graves replied, annoyed.

"That's the one!" Phillips remarked with elation. "Well be it Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, or yourself Ember Moon, any given Wednesday could be the end of Storm. This women's division of NXT is deep!"

" **3...4…"**

"The hell are you out here for?" Asked an angry Shannon, who crawled around before rising to her own feet. She walked to the announce desk and stood parallel to Ember.

"I'm here to commentate," Ember replied. "I'm here to scout. _Our_ business," She continued, swerving her left hand between their gap, before raising it to Shannon's opponents in the ring. "Has nothing to do with the business you have with _them_!"

"Stay out of my affairs!" Screamed Shannon, mere seconds before she leaned over the commentary table, and forcibly pushed Ember out of her seat. Ember fell to the floor against the barricade wall behind her and the two men on commentary.

" **5...6…"**

Nikaan suspended her count abruptly when she saw Nia bend between the ropes, presumably to get Shannon herself, rather than settle for a countout victory. Nikaan grabbed Nia and pulled her back inside the ring.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is she doing?...Where is she going?" Asked Graves, quite worrisome.

"Moon races to Storm, and drops her on the canvas with an inverted DDT!" Phillips shouted, and the Full Sail University audience popped. "She caught Storm off guard!"

"Ref, disqualify Lynch and Jax!" Graves demanded. "This match is over!"

"Moon attacked Storm on the outside Corey, not in the ring," Phillips noted. "Besides, the referee's back was turned while enforcing Jax and Lynch to stay put during her count."

"Are you freakin' kidding me, Thomas?!" Graves asked in aggravation. "Give me a damn break! Interference is interference! I don't care if it's _**inside**_ or _**outside**_. When a chair shot was used on Rick Rude by the Ultimate Warrior, that was the same lame excuse Gorilla Monsoon gave! Same for Hulk Hogan. What's good for the saint isn't good for the sinner? I see why Jesse Ventura hated the people he was put in the booth with!"

" **1...2…"**

Nikaan's count restarted once the two women in the ring backed off, giving Shannon new life. Ember Moon was back in her seat with her headset on by this point as though nothing ever happened.

" **...8...9…"**

"And Shannon Storm rolls in the ring a second away from defeat," Began Phillips. "...Perhaps I spoke too soon! Like a shark smelling blood, Becky Lynch pounces on the champion! Not giving Storm a chance to recover, she locks in the 'Dis-Arm-Her' !"

"Don't tap Shannon, don't tap!" Graves implored.

But it was to no avail. She submitted.

"This is the second victory Becky Lynch has over Shannon Storm," Noted Phillips.

"Who's counting?" Asked Graves. "You make it seem like Shannon hasn't beaten her. _She has_. You make it seem like NXT Superstars don't tour the world to compete live. _They do_. This is far from the number of times Lynch and Storm have collided. It doesn't stop on NXT TV."

 _ **Thump!**_

"Ooooooh!" went the audience in disappointment.

"Nia Jax cutting 'The Lasskicker's' celebration short as she plants Lynch on her shoulders, driving Lynch to the canvas with a vicious Samoan Drop!" Said Phillips with an exclamation. "Nikaan barely got out of the way from raising Lynch's hands declaring the win, before Jax took out 'The Lasskicker!' "

"No love-loss between these three," Graves remarked. "...and man! Jax with another Samoan Drop, but this time flattens Lynch right on top of Shannon! Guess she wanted the pin on Storm instead of Becky getting the tap-out!"

Nia Jax stood over both fallen women and made two fists, holding them high in the air as the hard camera focused on her. She was booed.

"And by the way, she has _nothing_ to be proud of," Graves continued. "This was not just a 2, but a 3-on-1 handicap match! Lynch and Jax got a _huge_ assist from the 'NXT War Goddess' Ember Moon. I'm still pissed 'The Diamond Diva' wasn't awarded the match by disqualification! Ember's a sore damn loser!"

Once again Paul and his NXT crew did a good job to make all involved look strong. Ember did not back down from Shannon's intimidation, or heel commentator Corey Graves' irritating reiteration about her defeat to Shannon. Becky got another victory over Shannon, and this time, it was by submission instead of pinfall. Despite Shannon losing this match, as Graves indicated in the broadcast, she was officially beaten by _two foes_ , not one in singles action. Nia, in dominant fashion, out-muscled the two women in the ring upon the match's finale.

All the while, these actions continued the fluidity with Shannon's enemies. Shannon had a feud with Jax and Lynch that concluded, or so fans were lead to believe. Although there were some moments on NXT to illustrate Shannon was being transitioned away from those two women, enough history was established to revisit those rivalries at any moment. Moon became a recent combatant.

As advertised, the main event saw Bobby Roode face Samoa Joe. Bobby Roode remained number one contender. And Samoa Joe in the record books failed to capture the NXT Heavyweight Championship from Shinsuke Nakamura twice. Those were facts. Per General Manager William Regal, there was nothing he could do about those things.

What he could do, however, was redeem his own pride as means to medicate his rage. A win over Bobby Roode would settle his anger, at least for the time being. That is what happened. Bobby Roode tapped out to the Coquina Clutch.

* * *

 **Thursday, November 4th, 2017**

 **WWE Performance Center**

 **Orlando, Florida**

 **2:57 PM**

Shannon did not have a live event scheduled for today or any meeting regarding NXT Creative. But she stopped by the WWE Performance Center this afternoon to observe what the latest Developmental signees from Tough Enough were up to, and what the coaches were working on.

Chris Jericho came for a visit following Billy Gunn's lecture on character. Chris was going to interview Billy for his _Talk Is Jericho_ podcast. But because Chris was passionate about the business and its future, he asked Billy for a few minutes with the recruits before they set up for the audio show.

This would be his second encounter with the talent besides his time serving as a judge on the reality competition alongside Shannon and The Big Show in the summer. Billy obliged. Since Billy lectured on character, Chris followed up with a speech of his own about the importance of building ring chemistry with a fellow wrestler.

He did not stop with imparting words. He got physical with the talent to demonstrate. Chris got irritated when one of the signees botched a few exchanges during rope-running sessions. One recruit did not anticipate Chris' return from the ropes, and poorly timed when they were supposed to hit the floor for Chris to hop over them. Another recruit anticipated a leapfrog when Chris was aiming for a clothesline. Running head first and lowering themselves, they nearly headbutted Chris in the crotch.

This caused Chris to trip a few times in the ring. It also made him evade scary scenarios that could have resulted in injuries due to the talent's miscues. Cheerleader Melissa, who was another veteran observing the interaction, was invited into the ring by Chris to put together a match on the fly.

One of the great things about starting in the WWE from the developmental system ahead of being placed on the main roster was that you had the luxury to visit and utilize the Performance Center with a hands-on staff. How much effort a talent put into soaking up knowledge, asking for advice, and/or honing their craft (for as long as the building was open) was truly up to the performer.

The second great thing about access to the Performance Center was the possibility of legends visiting-be it wrestlers, announcers, referees, et al. Some legends visited merely for a tour of the facility and system Paul created. Some were contemplating joining the staff. Some were in the area and felt compelled to bestow an ounce of mentorship on future Superstars.

The Tough Enough signees were in awe of Cheerleader Melissa and Chris Jericho's match. It only went nine-and-half minutes. The length wasn't what they were impressed by. These two never shared a ring together. Even though she had a tryout match during a Velocity taping in 2006, Chris did not have an active WWE contract at the time. Nor was she hired as a result of the tryout. So this was both the first time they shared a ring together _and_ competed against one another.

Yet, as veterans, within two minutes, their chemistry built up, and they established an anticipation and follow through on what the other planned to do next. That's what they wanted to do. With enough reps in the ring, the experience, chemistry, and anticipation follows. That strengthens the trust and communication you have with the person you're sharing the ring (and your body) with. That's what they wanted to teach to the signees.

When they were through, A-Train, the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center, dismissed them for a break, before Sara Del Ray would pick up where Billy left off. A few of the talent left the building. Others decided to hang around, sitting alongside the apron of one of the rings. Shannon entered the ring where two of the male signees were, and just like she did when she met Tyler for the first time, perched herself on the top turnbuckle.

"How are you fellas doing?" She asked. "Excited to get signed, working hard?"

"Yeah, I'm so pumped!" Shouted Dean Muhtadi, a former collegiate and NFL defensive linemen.

"Absolutely," Patrick Clark replied with a nod. "This is a dream come true. I-"

"Kinda blown you didn't get in our shit after Y2J lit a fire up our asses again!" Dean yelled back at Shannon, interrupting Patrick mid-sentence.

"I've been on the receiving end of an ass-chewing before," Shannon began. "More than once," She added. "Chris and Billy got their points across. You didn't need a third from me. But I can _give_ and take them, that's for sure."

"Billy says I might be two months or so away from being put on a house show. "He's going to talk to Triple H about it," Said Patrick, who hesitated as his voice lowered, getting emotional. "I lost my father at a young age due to the dark path he chose. Wrestling was my safe haven to mourn, to escape the loss and negativity. I'm here, and want to achieve things the _right_ way."

"We got your back Pat!" Exclaimed Dean, who slapped Patrick hard across the back as he reflected on his father's death which was a repercussion for his involvement in the crime of drug-trafficking.

"I heard a little about your personal story from one of the Breaking Ground episodes on the Network," Shannon started, staring down at Patrick with sympathetic eyes. She would've climbed down, and offered a hug. But the men were sweaty. She didn't like when Tyler hugged and cuddled against her will when she was dry, and he was soaked in perspiration. These guys were no different. "I have 'Daddy Issues' as well. While our circumstances differ, I empathize with you. Continue to let your passion for performing shine. Let it speak for you whether you're at your highest point, or weakest."

"That's the plan, and I'm sticking to it," He affirmed.

"That's right, brother!" Yelled Dean. "Onwards and upwards from here!"

"Ha, _what_ is with you man?" Shannon asked, perplexed by Dean's frequent outbursts. "Tone it down with the caffeine."

"I'm not wired," Dean corrected her. "This is just me! I _stay_ hyped! I'm all about positivity."

"If you could transfer all of that energy into concentrating on technique, your ring skills would improve," Shannon responded.

"I know I'm new to this, but I'm tryin'," He emphasized. "I wanna' stay. I got cut from two practice squads in the NFL. Green Bay and Arizona."

 _Like Corbin, Lesnar, and so many others. I wonder if we have anyone in the WWE who actually played as a starter in the NFL...Um...maybe JBL and Goldberg? Everyone else was either a college or pro bust._

"You're just so loud, obnoxious, and incredibly green," Shannon continued with a smirk. "That it's hard to take you seriously. I can't tell if you're annoying, or trying to be the cool and funny one out of the bunch."

Patrick laughed.

"Like I said, this is me," He reiterated, pounding a fist to his chest five times. "I'm loud, I'm wild, I'm crazy! But I don't quit."

"Have you been given names, or are you jotting down ideas for yourself yet?" She questioned.

"Nope, not yet," Dean replied with a headshake. "But I'll be pumped when they give me something!"

"I'm working on a few things as we speak," Patrick revealed with partial confidence. "I'm not ready quite yet to pitch it to anyone. Still in the tweaking phase."

"I can respect that. It's good that you're hammering it out," Shannon said to Patrick before renewing her attention to Dean. "Man you talk a lot and are _so_ freakin' animated! If what you did between the ropes was as good as the mojo your personality seems to have, you might be alright."

"Mojo, wait a second," He said before pausing dramatically, placing his arm around Patrick. "...I like that...I dig that a lot. Mojo Deano? Deano Mojo? Err...something...but the Mojo's gotta' stick. _That_ could be my name. Thanks!"

"Glad to be of service," Shannon said, hopping off the top turnbuckle to bow before the 6'3, 260lb man in University of Maryland mesh shorts and a white TapOut shirt. "Then again, we have Enzo, so there's hope for everyone. His mouth is his meal ticket too. If 'Mojo' tickles your fancy, and the staff gets you going with a gimmick that gains traction, good for you. I'm not the boss of this place."

Shannon reached her hands out to each signee.

"Well, best of luck," She said shaking each of their hands. "Don't waste anyone's time here, blowing a huge opportunity many would kill to have. If you need an assist on something outside the scope of the strength and conditioning staff-something performance wise that you'd ask Billy, Sara, or A-Train about-don't hesitate to reach out to me if I'm around."

"Like if we could use a fresh set of eyes and listening ears for advice?" Patrick asked raising an eyebrow, and Shannon nodded. "Will do, appreciate it."

"Yep," Shannon confirmed. "The coaching personnel is great here, but a second perspective from a peer wouldn't hurt you. I'm opinionated, but it doesn't mean I'm a bitch. I'm a lot more friendlier than my character's portrayal. No hard feelings if you decline the offer."

"Yahooooo!" Shouted Dean, which was the vocal representation of his gratitude for Shannon's kind gesture as she exited the ring and WWE Performance Center.

* * *

 **Friday, November 5th, 2017**

 **Orlando, Florida**

 **11:16 AM**

Shannon was in her apartment and finished a creatine-infused bottle of water and Sour Cream and Onion bag of chips. To no surprise, the clean eater she mostly was, Shannon's snack were _protein_ chips by Quest. She hadn't heard of a protein chip before but decided to give them a shot since the brand built quite a reputation over the years with their protein bars. These chips were derived from a protein blend of milk and whey isolate, sunflower oil, spices, yeast, and a calcium carbonate. For a product that was gluten free, soy free, baked, and never fried, she was impressed with the taste quality from a such a light snack. Other flavors of their chips included Cheddar and Sour Cream, BBQ, Salt and Vinegar, and Sea Salt. $24.99 for a box of eight was a reasonable price to pay for 4g of fat, 3g of net carbs, 20g of protein, and 130 calories per 1⅛ oz bag.

Today was a rest day from her strength training and core workouts. She did have a thirty-minute session of cardio to do, which she always penciled in on days off in between her longer regimen. Because it was her least favorite part of training, that task was put on hold. She would do it this afternoon. To Shannon, it did not make sense driving to a gym or the WWE Performance Center just to hop on a bike or elliptical if that was all she would be doing. So Shannon would do her cardio at home, performing one of the half-hour Hip-Hop dance workouts she had on DVD.

As Shannon procrastinated cardio and made plans for lunch, her attention was startled by the mp3 of Stewie Griffin from Family Guy calling his mother non-stop. It was the same mp3 that sounded when she received disappointing-but expected-news from Ring of Honor Wrestling, Inc last year. The audio track was her smartphone notification indicating that an email was received. Because Shannon was comfortably home and not on the road, rather than waste meaningless battery power from her phone, she opted to open her laptop instead.

It was a good thing she did because there were several attachments, and all in mp4, video format.

She read the text first.

 **To** : SSHarris1812Atwwe .com

 **From** : IAmMaksimCAtgmail .com ; IAmValentinCAtgmail .com

 **Subject** : Dance Number!

 **Message** : Please refer to the Introductory video labeled "Intro#1," then proceed with the others in numerical order.

Thanks,

-M&V,

DWTS

 _Wow, that may be one of the shortest emails I ever read. Okay, onto the videos then._

She clicked the first.

Intro#1 .mp 4:

" **Hello, hello! I'm Maksim** **Chmerkovskiy** ," began one tall, charcoal-haired man with a full beard and Russian accent.

" **What's up? This is Valentin** **Chmerkovskiy** **,"** Began another man, a few inches shorter, with a thin mustache and soul patch on his face. **"Most know us as Maks and Val, multi-time champs on Dancing With the Stars. We were hired by Sarita and Randy at the request of Sarita's mother, Sandra."**

Shannon recognized them from August when Sarita pulled some strings to get a few cast members to perform alongside rapper Pitbull during the intermission of her fashion show. This happened in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York during Takeover/Summerslam weekend.

" **That's right,** " Maks, the elder brother confirmed, quickly glancing at his younger sibling before looking back into the camera. **"Sandra would like more influx of their Latin heritage into the wedding, so we were hired to choreograph a routine. If you are receiving this message, you are a member of the wedding party. We decided to send individual emails to each person in the party instead of a mass message or forward."**

" **We did that to guarantee every single person in the party would receive the message, and no one could say it was lost or accidentally deleted by the group,"** Explained Val. **"We also did it for your own protection so your contact information wouldn't be spread or carbon-copied to unknown parties. Long, forwarded, chain-type of messages are vulnerable to spam, hackers, and other shady activity. No one's info is compromised with these individual emails, and on a secure server."**

" **The piece we're doing is what is done on the show during the semi-finals week of competition known as the 'fusion dance,'** " Started Maks who zoomed out of the camera view into the DWTS Studio in Los Angeles, California. Surrounding he and his brother were large, still shots of each sibling in previous seasons in different dance disciplines. **"The fusion dance is a routine that encompasses Latin ballroom with two or three other styles in the routine. It may be Cha-Cha-Cha with Country-Western, and Bollywood for example. Salsa, Tap, and Hip-Hop. It varies. And it's challenging."**

" **The other three attachments are both explanations of what styles we have prepared for you, as well as the instructions and breakdown of the execution of the piece,"** Val said as he and his brother came back into the main camera view. **"Video #2 shows Maks and I doing the number with each other at full speed. He does the male lead, I do the female parts. Video #3 is the breakdown where we go over step by step the pieces of Sarita and Randy as the lead couple. Then the supplemental parts throughout with the other couples."**

" **And finally Video #4 is the finished product with music and a full ensemble: the men** _ **and women**_ **DWTS pros join us, replicating the entire wedding party in our studio,"** Said Maks. **"Each video is five to seven minutes long. It** **shouldn't take more than a half-hour tops of your viewing time. What we are instructing you to do for the next eight to ten weeks is to** _ **master**_ **the piece. We've taken the time to not only choreograph a fun, crisp, sexy routine for the group; but have simplified the routine's parts from novice to expert levels. As you progress through the videos, you gradually see things get smoother, sharper, and complex. From steps, to jargon, to lifts, everything is in there as your teach yourself-through us-the performance."**

" **Once again,** _ **master**_ **this routine,"** Val stressed, pointing his index finger to the camera. **"Save the mp4 files to your cloud, desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, whatever device you prefer, or on as many devices as you have. Creating and submitting these tutorials to you digitally is not only a major convenience to our schedules and yours; but also a beautiful gift for you to learn at your leisure. We will see you in Puerto Rico-** _ **in person**_ **-at Sarita and Randy's rehearsal dinner, and of course the wedding itself. Until January, bye for now!"**

The brothers smiled and waved before the video ended, and Shannon minimized the window.

 _Well, I did agree to be Maid of Honor. And the guys said they dumbed it down for us before slowly increasing the difficulty. If they teach their celebrity partners different routines each week, surely I can learn_ _ **one**_ _routine in ten. It should be fun!_


	42. Chapter Forty Two: Put on Notice

**Author's Notes for February 19th, 2018**

 _Hopefully, everyone had a safe, happy, and restful holiday during the end of last year, and welcomed the new one in with just as much joy. There have been quite a few happenings (events, matches, and talent acquisitions) that occurred in the real WWE since my last update. Some of them have been planned for WTS long ago as I mentioned in a previous A/N, but have not occurred in the story's current calendar date. For that reason, as a reminder, this story takes place in an AU, where certain activities may or may not have happened yet. Facts about certain characters (both on and off screen) may or may not be different than they are presented in WTS._

* * *

 **Wednesday, November 10th, 2017**

 **NXT Episode**

Similar to last week's episode, the show did not open to the pyro and video package, but an out-of-ring segment. The locations and characters were different. Samoa Joe and William Regal were not debating in his office.

The WWE white logo with the red underline was on the bottom, far right corner of the viewers' screens.

Whistles and howls were heard from the Full Sail University audience inside the arena as there was a cutaway to a woman walking briskly, rolling luggage with her. The whistling and howling started from her scarlet stilettos, continued to the waist of her white pencil skirt, all the way up to her form-fitting, heart-lined top of the same color, accentuating her breasts. The whistles halted when the camera slowly panned up to her face.

"Hey Shannon, good to see you tonight," Began NXT Interviewer JoJo, who hurried over to Shannon walking through the parking lot.

Shannon stared at JoJo for ten seconds in annoyance. Then she continued her walk, passing more cars in the lot.

"I heard you've been booked in a match against Ember Moon tonight," said JoJo, who trotted behind Shannon, catching up.

"Been there, done that," Shannon replied, finally speaking, but still walking. "No weapon...or _Eclipse_ formed against me shall prosper," She added cleverly putting Ember's finish over through biblical verbiage.

Many of the behind-the-scenes staff at Developmental were impressed with Shannon's mic skills that complimented the ring work.

"It won't be just any match though," JoJo warned, imploring Shannon not to be so apathetic. There was some distance between the two women now since JoJo stopped walking a few paces, hoping Shannon would too, for further comment. She did not. "Per General Manager Regal, Moon has requested a grudge match, and he's granted it. It will be contested in a steel cage."

Shannon halted dead in her tracks when she reached the entrance door that talent used to enter the Full Sail Arena upon hearing the news. Still with her back to JoJo, Shannon's shoulders elevated, then tightened, and she sighed heavily.

Camera two narrowed in on her face, and she closed her eyes before lowering her shoulders. She did not say another word to JoJo. Though she maintained her composure from an outburst, fans could visibly sense she was angry.

JoJo, in character, was desperate for a longer interview. She believed she could reel Shannon back in with small talk. If successful, she could follow up with more serious questions in an effort to get Shannon to elaborate on facing Ember Moon again. "Who wears white after Labor Day?"

Shannon raised her left middle finger to JoJo before pointing it to her own ass which was covered by the white pencil skirt and entered the building. Shannon, both the person and character, wore white any time they felt like it. The date-be it before or after Labor Day-was irrelevant to them.

"Always a rebel," Started NXT Commentator Tom Phillips off-screen, despite the audio being present in the stream of the broadcast. "But what a match that'll be Corey, huh?"

"You call her a rebel, I'll call her a _trendsetter_ ," Began fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves. "For the record though, there _is_ such a thing as 'winter white.' You don't need to be a fashion expert to know that. It's common knowledge. As for this match, I hope it's not too late for Shannon to petition it. Where's that lawyer of hers, David Otunga?"

The traditional opening to NXT followed as soon as the door shut upon Shannon's entrance into the building.

Rather than giving the fans the cage match right away in the opening contest and potentially lose viewership for the remainder of the show, Paul booked it in between the broadcast. The first match was a tag-team bout of American Alpha versus the Prime Time Players. The last time fans saw these teams on NXT, it was a couple of weeks after NXT Takeover Fight. American Alpha was defeated by TM61 in an NXT Tag Team Championship match, and were attacked post-match. Instead of heated rivals, The Revival, Titus O'Neil and Darren Young assaulted Chad Gable and Jason Jordan. A move that presumably inserted The Prime Time Players in the NXT Tag Title picture.

Since then in the weeks that followed, the four men were regularly competing against each other on the house show circuit. Today was the first match on television. The Prime Time Players, a new team-on the NXT roster at least-needed a fresh start, and a push. They were victors in the twelve-minute contest. Gable took the losing fall as he was on the receiving end of a spinebuster by Titus O'Neil.

"The following contest is a steel cage match!" Ring announcer Eden Stiles screamed and the crowd grew loud. "There are three ways to win: by pinfall, submission, or escaping the cage."

That was a pleasant surprise to Shannon. She wasn't sure if this was an NXT experiment with reinstating the pinfall and submission stipulation, or if this measure would translate over to the main roster as well. Contemporary WWE had a strange, indecisive habit of confirming which stipulation would be official. It really depended on the talent and creative involved. There was no definitive standard on the main roster. Sometimes they applied it. Other times they did not.

In the National Wrestling Alliance, dating as far back as the 1950s, a traditional steel cage match could only be won by a wrestler via pinfall or submission. There was no option to escape. The NWA and WWWF had different booking frameworks for the cage match. And that framework had to do with the overall booking philosophy of heroes and villains in each promotion.

In the WWWF where babyfaces were champions and favored in booking, cage matches were won via escape. The premise here was that the babyfaces "dared" the heels to take the title from them; because escaping from a hot babyface with kharma on their minds would be the only way to do so. Whereas in the NWA where heels were championed and booked strongly, they were notorious for running away and retaining their titles via countout or disqualification. A cage match for an NWA babyface meant s/he could _and would_ finally serve their comeuppance to their foe. The heel _had_ to take the beating coming to them and possibly lose; or flat out defeat the face themselves in the ring in order to retain.

Eden introduced Shannon first, then Ember, which was fine because this was a non-title match.

When Ember entered the ring she glared at Shannon and without breaking focus, reached her left arm back and slammed the entrance door shut. Referee Kennadi Brink, who officiated some live events Shannon's group performed in during Halloween week, helped locked the cage on the outside.

 _Appreciate that Adrienne. Good stuff. Give me that intensity._

 **Ding, ding, ding!**

"And we are underway, Storm-Moon II, this time in a cage," Began Phillips as the two women circled each other as though one was the hunter and the other, the prey.

"Here comes a lock-up, no!" Shouted Graves as the audience booed. "Shannon fakes it, dodging the collar-and-elbow tie up, and runs to her right to climb one of the cage walls…"

"Moon grabs her by the legs, lowering her down. She didn't get far," noted Phillips. "It won't be _that_ easy Shannon. The whole point of the cage match is to keep the combatants inside."

Tom Phillips was correct, certainly with the NWA mindset. Vincent Jesse McMahon's WWWF may have stolen the steel cage concept; but wrestler-turned-notorious manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie, influenced the escape option to the now WWE to differentiate the company from other promotions in the mid 20th century.

In the mid-1980s when WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan left Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association to become Vincent Kennedy McMahon's megastar in the WWWF, the cage match design was revisited and structured with giant blue rectangles. It wasn't aesthetically pleasing as fans had trouble viewing the happenings inside the ring. Nor was it forgiving to the body of the wrestlers thrown into it. It was not constructed "to look intimidating" either. Its design was to help larger wrestlers who had height fears such as Hogan and King Kong Bundy, obtain leverage to climb the cage easier, quicker, and more comfortably. Hiding their lack of athletic elusiveness created the illusion (ring psychology wise) that there would be a race to the finish.

As the years progressed through the WWWF, WWF and eventual WWE, the cage structure evolved. In the Attitude Era, a smaller silver fenced-cage was used. It remained similar in stature throughout the Ruthless Aggression and PG eras. The largest difference was that the roofed cage used for Hell in a Cell matches doubled in height. It started in September 2006 with the first-ever Handicap, Tag-Team Hell in a Cell match with The McMahons and ECW Champion The Big Show, versus D-Generation-X at the Unforgiven Pay-per-view.

* * *

"Moon now with a hold of Shannon's left wrist, whips her into the ropes," Said Graves. "...Moon races back with a lunge of the arm, Clothesline ducked by Shannon Storm…Can you blame Storm for trying to get the hell out of dodge? Why are we even having this cage match?"

"Did you not hear JoJo's report at the top of the broadcast?" Asked Phillips incredulously, in disbelief of Graves' question. "Ember Moon requested a grudge match against Shannon Storm, and General Manager Regal granted it."

"I heard what was reported, idiot! I did not mean for you to answer the obvious facts!" Graves yelled in annoyance. "I'm not hard of hearing. I do not have amnesia. I know who wanted it, and who booked it. My concern is about _grounds_. What _entitles_ Moon to any other match with the NXT Women's Champion, let alone a cage match?"

"Storm and Moon again-take parallel strides against the ropes," Started Phillips. "Moon goes low...Storm goes high...and there she goes again! Shannon Storm bypasses the 'NXT War Goddess', leapfrogging over her head! And like a female Spiderman, _clings_ to the opposite cage wall to escape!"

Fans gasped as Ember, who was bent over with her back to Shannon, sold confusion for a few seconds not knowing where Shannon was. She quickly turned around to the cage as Shannon raised her left leg from the top rope, trying to propel herself higher.

"Shannon already pinned Moon 1-2-3 when the title was on the line," Graves began holding his fingers out to count. "A challenge by the way _Shannon_ made because Moon didn't have the gall to be upfront with her intentions, amidst vague trash-talking. What happened? She _failed_. Let's see, so last week she joins us on commentary-to in her words 'scout.' And whoopy-do, Shannon pushed her out of her seat! _That's_ why the GM granted her this match? What is Ember, like 4? Is this preschool? That's about the _only_ age and place in the real world where whining and pouting gets you what you want!"

"Be that as it may, that was an impressive showing of agility by the NXT Women's Champion. Shades of Rey Mysterio, WWE Hall of Famer RVD, and Jeff Hardy who executed majestic mounts in the past," Phillips said, redirecting his attention on the match and ignoring Corey Graves' rant, even though it was logical. "Kick to the hand of Moon by Storm...and another as Moon grabs Storm's right foot."

"Another kick...whups! Moon shimmies around it and grabs on the ropes with both hands, shaking them," Graves explained. "Storm's foot slips, and she removes her finger from the cage grates…"

 _ **Zip...thud!**_

"Shannon Storm's left shoulder got caught in between the first and second rope, before she fell to the mat," Said Phillips. "I remember the last time these two squared off Shannon went shoulder-first into our commentary table courtesy of a trio of Suicide Dives from Moon. I do not recall if it was the right or left shoulder."

"That shows how little attention you pay to our wrestlers, or should I say _selective_ attention, huh, Thomas?" Asked Graves, enraged. "Some informant you are! Shannon's right shoulder was victim to Moon's attack in that match."

"And that looks to be the catalyst Moon needed to contain Storm from getting away," Began Phillips. "Here comes Moon, squatting down in reach for Storm...She pulls Storm upright, at about an 88° degree angle...to lock in a Seated Abdominal Stretch. Maybe she knows something we don't, and wants to target the shoulder area of Shannon again."

"Break!" Yelled Darryl Sharma, when he spotted Shannon's right hand grab the ropes. Ember released.

The Toronto, Canada native of Indo-Fijian descent was officiating of this match. The 5'10, 202 lb Sharma wrestled for fourteen years under the ring name "Hornet." He retired from competition and joined the NXT brand of the WWE as a referee in late 2016. His connection to the company (which facilitated his hiring) was his role as a professional wrestling coach for former WWE Superstar Santino Marella's Battle Arts Academy training center.

Rather than moving on to something else, Ember resumed the previous maneuver, grabbing Shannon by the legs and pulling her away from an arm's or foot's reach to the ropes.

"Moon goes back to the Abdominal Stretch now," Began Graves and you can see as she grits her teeth, she's really trying to get a good grip on Storm as she traps one of her shoulders and arm. This stretch doesn't solely affect the arm, it can put a strain on the obliques, the side muscles of one's core."

"Do you wanna' quit?" Asked Sharma. "Are you through?"

"No," Shannon said. It would not make sense for her to submit anyway, given how early they were in the match.

"Shannon raises her right arm above her head, grabbing ahold of Moon's neck and executes a nice Snapmare Takeover," Announced Phillips. "...but no time to follow up as Moon extends her leg behind her body for a Mule Kick to Shannon's shoulder! Cover...and Storm kicks out at 1."

"Ember is at her best when she's on a move, and we're kind of at a stalemate now, with no one having a full command of the match yet," Graves said. "Nor have they utilized the cage."

"Ember Moon, showing some sportsmanship, allowing Shannon to get up on her own before they go back at it," Phillips said. "Here we go again as they reset a second time. Collar and Elbow Tie up by Moon...hard to tell who has the strength advantage here...Moon comes out on top with a Headlock on Storm."

The women worked the headlock for forty-five seconds with Shannon teasing breaking out of it three times only for Ember to tighten her grip on every attempt to break by Shannon.

"Shannon forces Ember into the ropes...she finally releases the Headlock," Graves announced. "Ember attempts a Shoulder Tackle, but it doesn't connect. Shannon whips Ember into the ropes again...Shannon crouches...Ember rolls over Shannon's back and quickly takes her down, trapping Shannon's shoulders in a Crucifix pin! Kickout at 1 again!"

"What do you make of Ember's frequent pin attempts versus just trying to escape the cage as Shannon did earlier?" Asked Phillips.

"Well, I mentioned moments ago that Ember is at her best when on the move," Graves started. "And I think Shannon is at her best when she is thinking-planning accordingly-depending on who she's in the ring with. Shannon knows Moon has a Luchadora style, and I bet she wanted to make Moon indolent. I think Shannon was a bit stumped early on because rather than Ember doing a lot of acrobatic offense right out of the gate, for the most part, she is playing the game _opposite_ of how I believe Shannon thought she would: lethargic. A submission here and there, and going for pinning predicaments often just to get the champion off-balance and out of sync with what she prepared for."

"Perhaps not anymore Corey. Ember's strategy has worked because the pace has certainly picked up now!" Shouted Phillips as the crowd started to come alive. "Armdrag to the champion by Moon...Shannon's back up and eats a Dropkick to the face from the challenger... Headscissors on Shannon...and the 'NXT War Goddess' is rolling!"

"Aaaaah!" Ember screamed out to the NXT Universe, hyping up her momentum. Some fans clapped, others cheered.

"Boom! And she walks right into a Double-Axe Handle by Storm!" Said Graves with excitement as Ember took a back bump after being hit in the face. "Storm rolls Moon over to her stomach, and leaps in the air, driving a knee into her back."

For the next three minutes, Shannon slowed the match back down working Ember's back with one of her signature maneuvers, "Curtain Call," which was a compilation of five suplex variations. She did not attempt a pin. She guided Ember to her feet and worked a Hammerlock for thirty-two seconds.

"1,2,3, c'mon Shannon, break!" Sharma shouted when he saw Shannon lure Ember over to the ropes with the Hammerlock still in place, to obtain more leverage.

"I will, I will," Shannon barked back.

 _ **Smack...Swish!**_

But not before driving a forearm into Ember's back, grabbing her by the hair, and quickly flinging her into the steel.

"Finally, someone who _did not forget_ this was a cage match!" Graves shouted in relief. "And she tosses her into it again a second time."

"Storm could've broke clean Corey," Phillips whined. "It's already a cage match. No one is going anywhere. Was there really a need to get an extra advantage?"

"Says the same man who was defending this match for the purpose of Shannon _not_ going anywhere? Man, there you go again with the _revisionist history and selective memory!_ " Graves remarked annoyed. "And hell yeah, there's a need for an advantage! It's smart of Shannon to go after the back more. If Ember _can't stand_ , she can't walk. If she can't walk, she sure as hell can't climb! Keep it at champ!"

"Shannon with a front Facelock raises Ember in the air for a vertical su...no, she just drapes Ember across the top rope on her belly," Explained Phillips. "Shannon backs up in the corner, propels herself on the middle rope and…"

" **Woooo!** "

The crowd popped in excitement when it appeared Shannon was going to drive a Diving Elbow across Ember's back sending her backward. However, Ember's legs countered with a Tilt-A-Whirl Headscissors on Shannon. The move sent Shannon face-first into the other side of the cage. That was another spot, like the big one in their championship match weeks ago that required mutual trust.

Shannon could jump too late and oversell the move. Shannon could jump too early, before Ember timed hooking Shannon's head with her legs, causing Shannon to spike herself and break her own neck. Or Shannon could've mistimed her own jump and stiffed Ember in the lower instead of upper back with her elbow, injuring her friend's spine. The simplest, most basic things that seemed routine for wrestlers with one botch could quickly turn tragic. While the winners and losers were predetermined in booking, the physicality was anything but inauthentic.

"The Champ just ate some cage courtesy of Moon," Said Graves in disappointment. "Get it together, woman!"

Ember followed up with up a Bulldog and a pin attempt. Shannon kicked out at two.

"Ember getting a running start again on the wobbly NXT Women's Champion," Said Phillips slowly. "...Ascends the adjacent middle rope...Springboard Cross B-no! No Cross Body."

 _ **Screech!**_

"Storm catches Moon and she goes lateral!" He continued wildly, following the sounds of Ember's body colliding with the fence. "Back-first into the steel cage with a nice Fall Away Slam by Shannon Storm! Big time counter by the champion, as she plays defense right now to Ember's surging offense. And she did so by focusing on her game plan from the genesis of the match: the back."

"Cover made, 1..2! Kickout by the challenger!" Screamed Graves as Shannon mounted Ember once her body fell onto the mat. "Shannon doesn't let up though, and she basically deadlifts Ember Moon from a Waistlock position...and sinks into a Bear Hug! Relentless with the back strategy!"

Shannon kept the submission in place for a minute and a half, squeezing at her friend's waist every twenty-five seconds or so. The squeezes were gentle, but Ember did her part with the selling, closing her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth, and dangling her arms with very little control across Shannon's shoulders and back.

"What's it gonna be Ember?" Sharma asked Shannon's opponent, holding his palms open in her face for emphasis. "Do you submit?"

Ember did not give a response verbally, but began to fight back. She intertwined her hands together, making a huge fist. She pounded on Shannon's right shoulder like she was the comic character Thor with his mighty hammer.

"Shannon's not gonna' settle for those repeated blows on the shoulder," Phillips suggested. "Certainly not, if it's banged up. She's worked the back of Moon enough to make an impact, but she'll transition out of this."

"I think they call that 'giving credit when credit is due' Tom," Graves said who paused for Tom to follow up. He did not concede. "And of course, no response from you. Most people can't handle the truth anyway. Back to the action then...right on time Shannon with the Flap J-dammit!"

"Ember Moon, in true heroics like a huntress...counters what I guess was going to be a Flapjack Facebuster from Shannon Storm...into a Tornado DDT!" Screamed Phillips. "What a contest!"

Ember did not attempt a pin. Shannon was selling the impact of the DDT. Ember was selling the turmoil her back was taking. The big offensive DDT was performed to provide her (in kayfabe) a bit of recovery time. She rolled on her stomach with one arm bent behind her at the small of her back.

" **1...2...3...4..."**

"I'm not really sure why referee Darryl Sharma would start counting," Began Graves with focus. "Neither woman could win the match this way. Perhaps as a ring official, it's just his instincts when he sees two competitors down in the ring for a significant amount of time, to begin a count."

Even though it was not an official count, the ladies began to move at six. They exchanged blows on their buttocks, then proceeded to fight from their knees, working their way up.

"Moon and Storm return to their feet," Started Phillips. "Moon whips Storm into the ropes…boom! Each woman thinking the same thing as they each deliver a big Bicycle Kick to each other: Moon's from the right leg to the face of Storm. Storm's from the left leg to the face of Moon. And we're back to square one."

Once again, to contribute to the anticipation, Sharma started another count. Ember made movement at four. Shannon, because she took both a boot and DDT previously, stayed put until seven.

"This is the first time Ember has tried to escape the cage all match," Phillips noted. "I think she should've covered Storm. They both were out long, well past three on Sharma's count. She could've gotten the pin."

"You don't know that!" Graves barked. "But I do know that the champ is now up and is on the trail of the challenger!"

The crowd started ramping up again. Members of the front row tapped the top portion of their black barricaded covering.

"Rather than exude a climbing chase to the finish, Shannon decides to literally put the competition on her back!" He yelled as the audience gasped. "She throttles Ember Moon, dropping the NXT War Goddess from her shoulders to the canvas with the Electric Chair!"

"Denied!" Phillips shouted in defiance. "Victory Roll! 1..2..kickout! Counter after counter after counter! Shannon was nearly defeated as Ember Moon yet again escaped demise. She quickly placed Shannon Storm in a Victory Roll! Amazing effort, but Shannon did not stay down."

"She did not stay down because she will always stay sharp!" Graves yelled. "She has a will to win like no other."

"C'mon, c'mon, let's go!" Shannon yelled in the far left corner flicking the fingers on her right gloved hand, alerting the referees outside to open the entrance door.

She tried escaping the cage. Screw that. It required too much effort. In character, she didn't give a damn about fulfilling fans' requests. If they deemed leaving through the door was "the easy way out," so be it.

Referee Kinati Brink was on the other side of the caged fence. When she saw Shannon signal for the cage to be released, she unclasped the flaps, opened the door, and held it open. She waited for Shannon to painstakingly crawl more than halfway across the ring.

"Just a few more feet Shannon," Graves encouraged. "You got this."

"Not if Ember Moon has something to say about it," Phillips reported enthusiastically as he saw Ember make it to her feet and jog across the ring before grabbing ahold of Shannon's legs. The cameraman, with the door still being held open by Brink, stepped a half-of-foot forward to capture the action in even closer range and in real time.

"Ehh, ehhh," Shannon grunted looking first ahead at how much further she needed to travel, then behind her at Ember attempting to confide her inside. "Ehhh...Ehhh." Shannon jerked her ankles in reverse to push Ember off. Ember's grip would not let up.

"Crawl! Crawl...you're making progress Shannon, nearly there! Graves screamed. "It's a game of inches at this point!"

"...What the hell is she doing?" Asked Phillips when he saw Shannon reach for a person, not door. "She's grabbed the cameraman's shirt! What is she trying to do, use the cameraman as leverage, as he pulls her out?"

"Booooooooooo!" The crowd remarked in unison when it seemed Shannon, yet again got another victory over one of their favorites.

She quickly glanced back at her foe Ember Moon one more time, who still had a hold of her body. This time, the grip lowered from Shannon's legs to her boots. With a swift jolt, Shannon kicked out at Ember a second time. On this exchange, she finally got separation.

"Storm with a second kick" Phillips continued. "...Moon turns her back and stutter steps…"

 _ **Thud!**_

"Aaaah!" went the crowd as the cameraman lunged inches ahead taking two steps to the cage, albeit unwillingly, and the exterior of the camera collided with Ember's back. Ember fell to the canvas on her front side, and Shannon rolled over. The cage door was closed.

"Maybe you didn't escape, but at least you got Moon off of you, Storm," Said Graves partially relieved.

Shannon turned to her left and looked at the door contemplating whether or not she should alert the referee if she wanted to escape again. Then she turned right, looking at a battered Ember, down and free to exploit. She looked out at the crowd and cracked a small smile through her mouthpiece, pointing at her head with a single finger on her gloved left hand.

Three seconds later, Shannon hurried on her knees making her way to Ember as quickly as she could.

"Apparently Shannon doesn't want to flee!" Shouted Corey as he smacked his hands on the commentary table. "She wants to add insult to injury and make it two in a row: pinning Ember Moon right in the middle for a second time! Hooks one leg...and now another...Oh this is awesome, what an F-U that would be! 1...2..."

"Noooo!" bellowed the fans at Full Sail letting Shannon know that Ember Moon got a shoulder up, stopping the pin attempt.

"While I'm glad to see Moon continues to fight, I am sick and tired of Storm finding ways to save her own ass," Wallowed Phillips. "You cannot tell me that was not a setup."

"What are you talking about Thomas?" Asked Graves, being coy. "These two are duking it out, and clearly the match is still going on."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" He yelled. "Storm did not want to escape! She _never_ did! She plotted, schemed, and timed out Moon coming after her; and when it was right, shoved the cameraman's equipment right into Moon's back!"

"She did no such thing!" Graves argued. "Storm was heading for the door. The doofus guy holding the camera was in the damn way! This is 2017! Surely he has some amazing optimization feature in his lens to zoom in. He was all up in her grill! He didn't have to be. She grabbed him by accident."

"And her grip did not relinquish _until_ it tugged him forward-just as Moon turned her back from being kicked a second prior?" Phillips pried. "How convenient for that to happen _at the exact same time_! She knew Moon was on her ass, so wanted to cover her own! And now you're kissing it!"

"I mean I'm all for women's liberation," Graves started, emphasizing the physical, and ignoring Phillips' figurative connotation. "Why cover it? She has a nice ass. So does Ember. They're both great. I'm sure there are men, possibly women out there as well, who'd volunteer to...unveil...or whatever else they'd like to do to these women's rears."

Shannon rose to her feet, and stood over Ember's fallen body, mocking her.

" 'If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win numerous battles without jeopardy!' "She shouted at Ember through her mouthguard as she patiently waited for Ember to crouch and crawl.

"How prophetic is our women's champion?!" Implored Graves with euphoria. "It's been God, what...three months since she dropped some eloquent prose on the NXT Universe? Remember she schooled 'The Coach' with some Benjamin Franklin prior to Takeover Respect in Brooklyn? And now, there she is with a line from Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War.' "

"She knows exactly what she's doing, and if she can get in the head of an opponent, it makes her all the happier," Phillips remarked begrudgingly. "NXT is about wins and losses in the ring, not how well-read wrestlers are. At the same time, Ember Moon is our 'War Goddess.' So albeit cocky with Shannon's verbiage, it _was_ spot on. Sun Tzu is all about teaching one strategic attacks, variations, adaptability, and the mastering of strengths to minimize weaknesses in his book."

Ember was crawling away from the center of the ring and towards one of the caged walls. Shannon followed, and scornfully teased, wobbling her left and right feet on either side of Ember meticulously like the speed of a sloth. She grabbed Ember's wrists and pulled her arms behind her back.

" 'If you know neither yourself, nor your'-whoa!" Ember started to rise, halting Shannon's literature lesson.

 _ **Swish!**_

With Shannon maintaining a firm hold on her wrists for support Ember jumped forward and completed a 450° front flip flick kick. As Ember rotated, her feet made contact with Shannon's chest. Shannon sold it by releasing her hands from Ember's wrists and stumbling forward, once again head-first into the cage.

"Oh, no!" yelled Graves. "Regroup, regroup!"

"Aaah!" Shannon yelled.

With Shannon dazed from another head shot, Ember delivered a shin kick to Shannon's right shoulder. Then quickly followed up by lifting Shannon across her own shoulders and driving Shannon into the cage shoulder-first with a Fireman's Carry. When she fell to the mat, she immediately grabbed the right shoulder with her left, and clenched it for dear life. The "pain" on the body part earlier in the match from previous submission and strike attacks, resurfaced.

"And Ember looks like she's going to make a run at escaping again with Shannon making no effort at the moment to crawl, roll, or wiggle," Said Phillips."She's just holding that shoulder like a baby with a boo-boo. Not knowing how the back of Ember Moon is, it's a good thing Shannon is in no hurry to chase."

Shannon bought Ember plenty of time selling the shoulder. For thirty seconds she clenched it tight. Another thirty, she rubbed it like a masseuse would a patient at a spa. This gave Ember, who was also selling a sore back, practical time for a slow climb via kayfabe.

"Ember's in the center," Began Phillips with hope. "Keep going girl, Shannon's still hurting...to the top!"

The crowd, who calmed down during Shannon's selling after the Fireman's Carry into the cage spot, grew wild. Shannon started to stir but hadn't fully gathered herself.

"The door Shannon, go for the door!" Graves begged. "Ember's too far ahead."

Graves and Phillips were both confused as Ember remained atop of the cage instead of climbing down, knowing she had a clear advantage on her foe.

Shannon, still selling a lapse of coordination, pressed herself upright. It wasn't to go for the door, however. She didn't have a second to think about it.

"Finish her!" Screamed Ember as she pointed down to Shannon and took off just as Shannon pivoted.

"Oh my God, what is she doing?" Graves cried. "She could've won!"

" **Woooooooow**!" Shouted the Full Sail audience at Ember's change of plans.

" 'The NXT War Goddess' pulls an audible!" Screamed Phillips. "Eviscerating the NXT Women's Champion with **A SUPER ECLIPSE FROM THE TOP OF THE STEEL CAGE**!"

" **1...2...3**!" The crowd leaped from their seats and counted with Sharma. Ember's "Feel the flame" theme began to play and she was announced the winner by Eden Stiles. They were ecstatic.

"Just when you think a book has been written, the author can add another chapter," Said Graves in agony. "We've seen an Eclipse countered into a Weather The Storm by the champ in mid-air. And now, we've seen Moon take flight even higher like 'Air Jordan' with a _Super Eclipse_. Whether it's a battle of 'Can you top this?' or the will to battle with these two, I don't know. Unbelievable!"

* * *

The women who were enemies on-screen, had a light-hearted chat off it with the camera out of focus, showing highlights on the titan-tron, recapping the match.

"Dude, you mean to tell me all the matches you had and I just now catch on to the meaning of your finish?" Asked Shannon who mumbled under Ember's bosom in conversation while her music continued and the fans applauded.

"Eclipse was always my finish," Ember replied.

"I know, but I'm saying back when you called it O-face," She reminded her friend. "For the longest time, I was like 'that's lame as hell. Outstanding, O-mazing, that's so cheesy.' "

"Figured it out huh?" Ember said with a smile.

"Big time," She said. "I just stopped one day and thought about it for a good five minutes. And went, 'O...o...orgasm?' "

"We have a winner," Ember responded. "Only took you about a decade to figure out."

"Hey shut up," Shannon mumbled playfully. "Eventually I caught on. I'm like 'people mark out with these faces like they've just...when she does the move. That _has_ to be it' !"

"That took years from your life," The shorter woman remarked.

"Quit teasing about my timing, okay!" Shannon exclaimed, still under Ember's chest. "I always wanted to get to the bottom of that. It just took me forever to extrapolate it."

"You know how the brass of the WWE can be with P-R," Ember defended. "It made sense to eventually change the name once I got here."

"Eclipse fits your theme and character better anyway," Shannon replied. "But, as a woman with a very dark sense of humor and lover of dirty jokes, I totally dig the older name."

"I agree," Ember replied with a grin. "Hey, thanks for tonight's finish. Cool idea. Epic moment."

"You're welcome. I owed you one," Shannon confirmed before Ember slowly made her way up to get her hand raised by Sharma. "Great pop for the time we were allowed."

Ember stood in the middle of the ring as Sharma officially proclaimed her the winner of the match. The fans continued to cheer and howl. She then climbed to the top turnbuckle and posed with her 3/E hand gesture and roared to the fans through the cage.

As the cage raised, Ember's music winded down, and she made her exit. Shannon never left the ring. She was still on the mat. There was a cutaway to the LED boards on the ring apron with the text: "準備はできたか" (Junbi wa dekita ka) in red and gold. The Japanese translated to a question in English. A familiar one.

" **Are you ready**?"

Kudos to the NXT staff for trolling a bit as an ellipsis followed on the LED display draped on the ring apron. It was not D-Generation X asking the question. The ellipsis remained on the apron, but a new message appeared on the arena titan-trons. A bold answer to the question: "誰も準備ができていません" (Dare mo junbi ga dekite imasen), which translated in English to " ** _No one_ is ready**!"

With the power of editing and NXT being a taped show, the camera then refocused to a defeated, "unconscious" Shannon, flat on the mat still. The same right shoulder that Shannon massaged was no longer being held or rubbed. It had company to its left. Resting under her left arm was now a mask. The same mask that randomly appeared when Ember and Shannon brawled from backstage at the Full Sail Arena, well into the outer campus _last_ month. The same mask on a child's face that Shannon shoved when knocked out of the ring by Nia Jax and Becky Lynch during a handicap match _this_ month.

"Asuka, Asuka, Asuka, Asuka!" The fans chanted as they organically sensed where creative was headed with Shannon Storm. Commentary did not need to spoon feed them anything.

With a crowd potentially dying down due to a wave of excitement not only for the women's cage match but the finish of it itself, Paul did not want to put a match in the main event spot that was insignificant. Even if the talent put on a good match, the crowd may unfairly be "dead" or emotionally uninvested after what they previously saw. He wouldn't want a good match with no story wasted.

So a Cruiserweight Championship match between current champion Rich Swann versus former champion TJ Perkins took place. TJ Perkins returned a couple of months ago to NXT from injury and came back a heel in the process, angered that he had to work his way back up the ranks to title contention. One of the last things he said when commentating a previous match of Swann's was "You're running out of reasons to face me."

That was true. Tonight saw a title change. Rich Swann, who captured the title in the spring at Wrestlemania 33, the first time a championship exclusive to the NXT brand was represented _and_ defended on a main roster show, lost his championship tonight to Perkins. In the closing moments, Swann hit a standing Frog Splash, rose, and attempted to follow through with a patented Rolling Thunder circa WWE Hall of Famer RVD. On the last rotation, mere moments before the Senton, Perkins grabbed one of Swann's legs, and trapped it for the Kneebar and win.

Not only did the crowd's attention remain with the wrestlers in the match, but got excited to see a title change happen on NXT TV instead of a Takeover. It wasn't a regular occurrence. So despite Perkins working heel, it was a surprise nonetheless.

* * *

 **Thursday, November 11th, 2017**

 **Smoothie King Center**

 **New Orleans Louisiana**

 **Smackdown!**

The opening contest saw Antonio Cesaro who was WWE Champion last year have a sounding win over Dean Ambrose. Following the match, Paul Heyman came out on behalf of his client Brock Lesnar, put Antonio Cesaro over in a promo, before announcing he would be a member of Brock's team at Survivor Series. Following No Mercy, he and Triple H agreed in storyline should Brock's team win at the Pay-per-view, Brock Lesnar would be next in line for a WWE Championship match.

Smackdown started off with a bang, and would end with one as well. More appropriately a…

 _ **Gong!**_

Since Unforgiven in September WWE aired several vignettes of Bray Wyatt seemingly calling out the Undertaker. It was not clear if Bray viewed The Undertaker as an enemy or equal. But it was clear that Bray requested his presence. In the weeks that advanced, the vignettes became more cryptic despite never gaining a response from The Undertaker. To a more traditional, human-leaning wrestling character, perhaps that would be foolish. But the ambiguity in promos, demeanor, and mannerisms was a major component of Bray's character. It drove him. It _was_ him.

It was time his calls had a response of some sort. In the closing segment of Smackdown!, that was what happened. The Undertaker, who had not been on WWE Television since his Wrestlemania victory over Bray Wyatt two years ago, appeared in the center of the ring.

" **For two score and seven years, I have dug holes and taken souls** ," He began with most of the arena lights darkened and the central spotlight on him. He was dressed per usual in this incarnation-all black attire-from the coat to the trousers to the hat. " **One by one before me they stood. And each mortal that trespassed my yard was buried in it. The 'Eater of Worlds' has summoned the 'Lord of Darkness' once again. But be cautious during your feast. At Survivor Series Bray Wyatt, finality awaits**."

But who's finality was The Undertaker referring to? Bray's or his own?

* * *

 **Friday, November 12th, 2017**

 **Stamford, Connecticut**

 **12:42 PM**

Paul was in his office and had about twenty minutes free before he was scheduled for a meeting regarding WWE Network maintenance, and later upgrades to the mobile application across various platforms. But before the meeting started, something else was on his mind. He made a promise to someone and was going to keep it.

Paul pulled out his smartphone from the right side pocket of his suit pants, quickly slid his fingers to the appropriate diagram to unlock it, searched for a contact, then tapped the green dial icon. The phone rang three-and-half times before it was answered.

"Hello," Began a man with a bit of a midwestern accent in his voice. "Hunter, is that you? Long time, no see."

"Yeah, it's me Bob," Paul said with a nod holding the phone against his ear and the side of his cheek. "How ya' been man? How's the family?"

"Doing well, doing well," Said WWE Hall of Famer "Cowboy" Bob Orton Jr. "I'm fine. Elaine's fine. No major health problems."

"That's good to hear-" Paul replied before being interrupted.

"Randal and I are stuck in between a damn rock and a hard place with this wedding coming up," Bob remarked in an outburst.

"That's actually why I'm calling," Paul admitted, sitting on the edge of his desk, rubbing his forehead with the fingertips of his left hand. "I wanted to get the pleasantries out the way first. I'm glad you said the family's alright, but I really wanted to discuss the beef you and Randy have going on."

"Well, what about it Hunter?" He asked, with some anger rising in his voice. "He tell you to call me?!"

"No, he didn't," Paul remarked while shaking his head. "It was all _my_ idea. He had this long rant. He went on and on about there being tension between the two of you. Tension about the wedding, well more so, his fiancée. I promised him I'd give you a buzz and talk about it. It's been a few weeks since then, but this was the only time I had to give you a call, given how busy I am."

"Well, they came over to visit Elaine and I. She's a beautiful girl Hunter," Bob began.

"Right, right," Paul conceded and let him continue.

"She complimented my house, but what pissed me off is that Randal said they're not going to get a prenuptial agreement!" He exclaimed. "I don't like that. I don't like that _at all._ "

"And what angers you so much about them not getting one?" Paul asked with narrowed eyes staring at one of the championship titles placated on the wall in his office.

"What are ya'-a shrink or something?" Bob blurted with a bit of Southern drawl.

"No, I'm just a man, like you," Paul answered. "A man who has a high regard for you and your father. A man who cares for your son as though he were a younger brother of mine. It's important to me I hear you both out, and help you guys reach a mutual understanding if I can."

"Well he's been married twice before, you know that," Bob said pointing sternly in front of himself as though Paul were literally in his house, sitting across from him in the living room. "Neither of those worked out. The first, I think he was too young and wasn't ready. He cheated. The other one was a golddigger. In ways, they both kinda were."

"He's older now, maturity has processed itself within him," Paul defended. "I think he's aware of his former shortcomings, both individually, and why his past marriages went sour."

"But he was saved because he had a prenuptial agreement Hunter!" Bob yelled. "They tried to milk him for more, but that was a saving grace. He was miserable emotionally and damn near could have been damn economically! He won't be saved if this fails too! I don't want ma' boy getting burnt!"

"Bob, he won't get burned," Paul said attempting to reassure him.

"How the hell do you know?" Bob barked in protest. "How many marriages is a man s'pose to have? Though I didn't want Randal in the business at first, I helped him get in. I got him connections to get in the WWE system. He became a bigger star than I ever was. I don't want that to blow in smoke and have him lose everything because he's being foolish!"

"Look, I can't answer your question of how many marriages you're supposed to have. I've only had one," Paul started. "And I know about Randy being a star, dammit I saw to it he got there! None of that will dissipate because Sarita is not that type of person. She loves Randy, but doesn't need him."

"That's what all s'posed 'strong women' say from you and ma' boy's generation," Bob grumbled. "And how am I s'pose to buy into this when they get engaged after only three months?"

"Sir, he didn't make this decision at random," Said Paul. "Apparently, they were into each other from afar for quite some time and didn't know. He was going through the motions of the bad marriages. She was getting acclimated to joining a line of work that she was totally oblivious to, yet willing to show commitment in. He came to me for advice before they started dating. I gave him my blessing. And obviously, after a while, things took flight considering she is about to be your daughter-in-law."

"How could you give Randal the go-ahead to pursue this young lady so quickly after multiple divorces?" Bob wondered.

"It's not like he was fresh off a break-up yesterday Bob," Paul defended Randy once again. "He was single for over a year, giving himself 'Randy time,' before coming to me. And all of this stuff about your fear of Randy losing money, status, and all of that is bullshit, man. Sarita isn't mooching off anyone."

"So you're saying she's a hard worker?" Bob asked with a furrowed eyebrow.

"I'm sure Randy has mentioned it to you several times. But if you need to hear me say it, if a second opinion really matters that much to you, _yes,_ " Paul affirmed. "I'm not my father-in-law. I wouldn't just put a title on a woman solely because she's a former model. She'd have to prove it to me in her ability. And that's just from an on-screen perspective. That's not including advisory contributions she's made through networking. If anything, between the social media, reality show, and her aspiring fashion endeavors, over time she will _help_ , not hurt Randy. _Through her_ , his brand will grow."

"What about his children?" Bob asked, perplexed.

"I haven't had a chance to personally talk to him in detail about that," Paul admitted. "But I can tell you one thing: Sarita hasn't left his side since they started dating this summer. When they're not flying, she's on that bus I gave him practically all the time...like a leech. I imagine they'll work on a compromise for their living situation where it isn't terribly far away from his kids. So he has an ability to visit them."

"Okay, I guess I'll have to get over it, accept it, and move forward," Bob stated.

"Listen Bob, you know I'm a father as well. I can understand your tendency to put up a guard for your kids to protect them," Paul began, placing his left hand against his chest for emphasis. "If I had a son, I'd want to be sure the woman he married was on the up-and-up too. The point I'm making here though is that Sarita is not the one to hold a shield against. What I'm about to say, believe me, is coming from a place of respect: You're not here in the WWE on the day-to-day basis to see my interaction and evaluation of Sarita as a performer and as a person. Randy's found the right one this time. They're both happy. I wish them the best, and you should too."

"Alright, thank you Hunter," Bob began warmly. "It'll take me some time to get over the no-prenup thing. Bottom line, I want for Randal whatever pleases him. And if that's marrying a woman five months after they started dating _without_ a prenuptial agreement..." He paused with a grimace. "I'll have to have faith that they know what they're doing and love each other. I'll see you in a couple of months at the wedding."

"Thanks, that's all I can ask for Bob," said Paul. "I promised Randy I'd give you my perspective on things. I'll see you there. Take care man."

Paul ended the call, exhaled, then made preparations for his meeting.

* * *

 **Saturday, November 13th, 2017**

 **Orlando, Florida**

Shannon hadn't been on Twitter for a while. She knew she was required to create one and have some remote activity. The Jericho exchange about Fozzy was a little over two weeks ago. She didn't have anything to say. So she did a search for the hashtag #NXT to see if she was mentioned by any fans from this week's episode. Depending on what was said, she would retweet a couple, then sign back off.

Luckily for her, she found some.

 **New Tweet** from user **AtDon'tLookAtMyUsername** :

"Nice match with **AtWWEEmberMoon** & **AtSStormWWE**. But...it kinda sucks having a cage match w/o blood. Maybe if it was a Takeover we would have got some. #NXT"

 _Well, you can't please everyone._

 **New Tweet** from user **AtAustinSaysWhat?** :

"Who recites prose about war to an opponent ...while kicking their ass at the same time? A future #GOATHEEL, that's who! **AtSStormWWE** is $! #NXTIsLife"

 _Hahaha. What can I say? I work with great people and love what I do._

 **New Tweet** from user **AtSquadUpSports** :

"If Shelton Benjamin ever came back 2WWE & **AtSStormWWE** got called up, they should be a tag-team. #NXT"

Someone responded to them.

 **New Tweet** from user **AtILikeMARKYMARKS** :

"RU saying that cuz they r both Black, **AtSquadUpSports**? ㈴9 #SoMuchForBeingPastThis"

Two people replied to this person.

 **New Tweet** from user **AtLovahOfWrestling** :

"Quit it with that $H!T **AtILikeMARKYMARKS**! Not everyone is a racist u troll! ㈷6"

 **New Tweet** from user **AtSquadUpSports** :

"No, **AtILikeMARKYMARKS** , their personality/nicknames! She's the 'Diamond Diva.' He's the 'Golden Standard.' They kinda mesh. It could work I think. But she's the better promo imo. Let her talk 4them both."

 **New Tweet** from user **AtWrestlingXYZ** :

"Um…#NXT needs to hurry up & make Storm drop the title. Solid seller n the ring, good performance chemistry w/her rivals, has a sick finish that's over, & what probably matters most 2the company-an entertaining talker w/charisma. #NotSureWhatTheHoldUpIs #MainRosterLadiesCouldUseABoostRightNow She is a ㇩5."

Whomever this person was, Shannon was partially flattered. It was nice to see when your talent was observed or complemented by others. And maybe they had a point. Braun Strowman never made an appearance on NXT TV. He had a few matches on the NXT live events, then was sent to the main roster as another Wyatt member. AJ Styles bypassed NXT altogether.

At the same time, she was only partially flattered because she was not Styles or Strowman. She was Shannon. She had no say in which talents got promoted and when. That was something beyond her control, and dwindling on it would only make her regress during her current run as NXT Women's Champion. If there were more things to accomplish in NXT, she would stay.

Shannon would go to the main roster when she was informed she would. Not until then. But if any of those tweets were important to the powers that be and their decision-making process, they were put on notice.


End file.
